Is there still hope for hourly and salaried employment in the retail industry?? Yes….maybe…alright well who knows for sure! But at least one month ago things looked promising. In an article from USA Today, retailers experienced “the best June sales figures in the U.S. since 1999.” The increase in consumer spending had definitely confounded investors as they assumed there would be a decrease due to raising gas prices. Today, retailers aren’t so sure those numbers will hold.

Either way, retail is oh so used to the fluctuating nature of consumer spending. And, as HR professionals in the industry, you are also used to the ever-changing need for more or less staff (at least on the hourly end). The unfortunate thing about this is that regardless of if the economy is doing well or not, HR professionals have to manage and track candidate and employee data at all times in order to remain in compliance with labor regulations. What does that mean? Well…a lot of paper and a lot of organizing.

Here are three easy tips to ensure better organization (when hiring or not) in a retail HR department.

1. First and foremost, automate all of those HR documents that end up piling up on your desk or getting stuffed away in a filing cabinet. Using some sort of Software-as-a-Service to securely store reportable and searchable HR data will help you reduce costs associated with printing, storage, and administrative tasks, while improving organization.
2. Increase the number of quality applicants to open requisition. Finding the right candidate faster and filtering through the unqualified can help you close an open requisition sooner rather than later (never mind save you a lot of money). Okay so that’s the goal...how do you do it? I'd recommend first reviewing your job description. What has already been written may not be as clear as it needs to be to filter out the unqualified candidates. By better articulating the job description, you are giving potential candidates exact insight into the position and a better idea of if they would be a good fit or not. Set up another meeting with the appropriate hiring manager and work one-on-one to compile a list of exact skills needed for the job and a bulleted list of daily responsibilities.
3. In order to avoid disorganization and headaches, try separating your salaried and hourly job postings. You can even go as far as creating two applicant portals. This will enable you to create a separation of duties and tasks associated with each hiring type, allowing you to take one step towards simplifying and improving your processes. In addition to better organization, and I’ve said it before,  prospective hourly candidates and salaried applicants may require different targeted messaging. So in order to find the best fit and reduce unqualified candidates, write your recruitment marketing messages appropriately.

Whether the market is up or down or HR professionals are hiring or not, creating a perfectly organized recruitment program can help reduce costs and save recruiters time. What are your thoughts?

During January's State of the Union, Obama called on the retail industry to create jobs and aid in the continuation of the nation's economic recovery. As an industry that supports one out of every five U.S. workers, much of the retail industry met Obama with open arms. So, how does the retail industry plan on tackling this challenge? Aside from benefiting from the tax breaks the Obama administration is offering, retail recruiters will need to keep recruiting costs low and retention rates high in order to afford this major growth.

Where to begin: Tips for Recruiting in Retail

• Invest in screening qualified candidates now; better hiring practices will save money (by increasing retention) later. This means a standard assessment, an application, a brief interview and perhaps drug screening or criminal background checks.
• Advertise the value. Employees that want to stay on board site career growth, learning, being a part of team, management recognition and others as contributing factors. Advertising these points to candidates will help them see the value in a retail career path.
• Utilize HR technology to organize the high-volume of applicants. The retail industry comes with unique challenges when it comes to supporting both hourly and salaried employees, attracting candidates, and taking in applications. Tailor career portals around specific needs, segmenting corporate hiring from store hiring from internship hiring and beyond. Some HR technology providers can even set up in-store kiosks for walk-in traffic and applications.

Next Steps: Learn from other Retail Professionals
Want to learn more about recruiting in Retail? In the NYC area? Register for iCIMS' HR Recruiter Event, March 9th in NYC! This event will provide HR professionals with the opportunity to discuss their unique ways of overcoming the many challenges that are linked with today's talent management programs. Recruiters will have the chance to share their experiences and gain feedback from other retail industry professionals, as well as discuss best practices, network, and offer suggestions for the future. This evening event will feature a presentation from iCIMS’ client Tory Burch and is complimentary to attend. For more information, or to register – click here.

With reports of optimism and a Q3 profit gain, the U.S. Commerce Department is letting policy makers know that it’s time to start planning for the recovery.  While the government is busy planning its post-recession procedures, companies across the nation are gearing up for new types of necessary HR practices.  And if there’s one sector that’s all too familiar with hiring surges and alternative hiring pools, it’s the retail industry.  With the holiday season quickly approaching, the retail industry is preparing for yet another year of seasonal hiring.  From an increase in hourly hiring to utilizing alternate forms of recruiting, the retail industry serves as a microcosm for what the rest of the nation can expect for hiring practices in 2010 and beyond.

But with unemployment still on the rise (but increasing at it’s lowest pace yet!) someone forgot to tell the job (and housing) market that the recession is over.  However, it’s never too early to begin planning for the recovery. Every year, the retail industry slows down for nine months, a full two-thirds of the year.  In a way, retail experiences a mini-recession every year (with a Presidents Day Sale here and a Back-to-School, One-Day Sale there).  Yet as the last days of summer come to a close, managers and recruiters are readying themselves and their staffs.  They know that in order to have an efficient and prepared staff for the holiday months, they have to begin planning before the rush. Creating a talent pipeline and hiring the most qualified candidates well in advance, while the applicant pool is still full of top talent, is essential. The extra staff must be trained and familiarized with the ways that stores are run so they can be effective sales people when Black Friday rolls around and the holiday buying-season officially begins. 

Now you’re probably wondering, “How can I possibly ready myself for a hiring rush, when I have all this shopping to do?”  Fortunately, iCIMS is presenting a webinar on just such a topic (blatant self promotion, I know).  The webinar, Post Recession & Seasonal HR Practices will consist of a panel discussion offering best practices from retail industry leaders.  The webinar takes places next Wednesday, November 18^th, 2009 at 1:00 pm EST.  To register for the webinar, you can click here. 

Is your organization doing anything to prepare for the economic recovery? What does your 2010 outlook look like?