Finding Staff - Job Centre?

[allsquare]

Fellow retailers, we're struggling to find an effective way to advertise a vacancy for a shop assistant.

When you've been looking to take on a shop assistant where would you place an advert?

Would you consider using the job centre?

Any experiences and feedback would be much appreciated.

 

[HazelC]

I used to work as a Recruitment Consultant and I found JobCentre to be horrendous, we wanted a chef but couldn't say 'chef whites' as it was classed as racist, we wanted labourers to have own safety boots but we weren't allowed to say that and there was a weird way of saying that labourers had to be willing to work hard as we weren't allowed to say that?

We also wanted a Banksman (someone that directs traffic on a construction site and has a banksman licence), we weren't allowed to call it a Banksman licence, even though that was the official name of the licence. We had to ask for a Banksperson so as not to discriminate sexes, etc. Then when they 'helped' us fill the job role, they sent us people that had worked in banks or had cashier experience - even though we had explained fully the job role in the description.

Personally, I found an advert on a companies website and Google worked best for me - but that is in my personal experience.

 

[BristolBiz]

If you want literally hundreds of disinterested, unsuitable applicants then the Job Centre is the way to go!

A sign in the window is much better, shop wages tend to be relatively low, so a local person can be a good idea.

We've also found that an ad on Gumtree is effective and manageable. I spotted someone using the phrase "we will only respond to successful applicants" - its useful in keeping admin manageable.

As an aside, I've given up on relying on interviews to judge applicants suitability - we offer a paid day/half day in store, to see if they like the environment and if we can work with them. This can save a lot of grief later on. Good people don't always interview well & the reverse is often true.

 

[Scott@KarmaContent]

Do your current staff know of anyone? Word of mouth is often the best way for these types of jobs.

 

[Paul Norman]

Scott is correct. Word of mouth. Unless you are a big store and can carry lots of training costs, and develop someone direct from education.

All of our staff in our retail businesses have been either:

1. Working in a rival store and became aware of our vacancy.
2. At college, and we were their first employer
3. Both - college students working part time in a shop.

Just put the word out. People talk - a lot - and young people already working for you may well know the person to fill your vacancy.

 

[Bluebird99]

Personally I wouldn't bother with the job centre. We have used them previously and every time it's the same old thing - 'applicants' turn up for an interview, not having the slightest interest in the job, they have only come because they want you to sign their form that the job centre has given them to prove that they are looking for work.

The job centre do not listen to the sort of person you require but send anybody at all. Total waste of time in my experience.

 

[myfairworld]

Word of mouth via existing staff and customers. Notice in shop window. Notice in local convenience store/Post Office/newsagents (supposing that your own business doesn't fall under those categories). On your Facebook page (and other social media) if you run a Facebook page or other social media on behalf of your business. Even if you don't it may be worth posting on local Facebook buy and sell groups for example - some don't allow businesses to 'advertise' or offer jobs in this way but many do on the understanding that you won't endlessly post sales messages or job adverts. I belong to a couple of such groups and businesses who 'advertise' or make other requests once a week or so seem to be quite acceptable.

Best of all approach your own customers. People who seem pleasant and who you enjoy serving. Just ask if they are looking for a job. This is particularly effective if you are near a Primary School/Nursery/Playgroup as even professionally qualified parents may take work in a shop while their children are very young and especially if they live nearby so no time and expense on travelling.

Gumtree I've never tried for a shop worker job. I did try once for a part-time bookkeeper who could work at home if they wished. Despite describing very clearly both my small business and my requirements such as ability to use Quickbooks online, I don't think a single reply reflected any comprehension of what I'd said and most of the applicants sent CVs more suitable to someone applying for a head office job with a major company and not one of them seemed to have any idea about Quickbooks! But who knows an advert for someone to work in a shop might do better.

Sadly I'd tend to avoid the Job Centre. Once upon a time a long time ago around 1999 or so I was looking to take on my very first member of staff. I had the naive idea that Job Centres help people find jobs and help employers find people for their jobs. As there was a Job Centre quite near I walked along there (the internet though not in its infancy was by no means the force it is today) and tried to find someone to talk to about my job vacancy. A perfectly pleasant young man - but who looked slightly hypnotised by the demands of his role - listened to what I had to say and then asked me 'How long have you been unemployed?'. When I responded that I was not unemployed (as had been perfectly clear from what I'd just said to him but I didn't mention that) but a business owner looking to take on an employee we hit a sort of impasse which was only overcome after we'd gone round and round on the issue several times. It was then made clear to me that only the unemployed came to the Job Centre, potential employers were supposed to ring up or something or other. Dashed I went back to my shop.. I never phoned the Job Centre but the next day it did occur to me to ask a particularly pleasant customer, who'd mentioned she was leaving her career a bit before pension time but she could manage the gap with care, if she was interested in working for me which was the beginning of a several years long very happy working relationship.

 

[AnneLou]

I totally agree with all the comments from HazelC - they totally mirror my own experiences when recruiting through the Job Centre.

I often use Indeed which is free and also Gumtree. These sites get lots of hits and you can be honest and upfront about the job and what it entails. Also, an advert in the window works wonders too!

 

[Karimbo]

A perfectly pleasant young man - but who looked slightly hypnotised by the demands of his role - listened to what I had to say and then asked me 'How long have you been unemployed?'.

lol thats hilarious, job centre is just really the benefits centre. i went there after graduation thinking that there would be careers help and other support there. nope. it was full of permanently unemployed people there. it was a toxic environment.

i think it might change now, they are taking a really hard line against the long term unemployed, it seems for people to keep claiming benefits they need to make it their full time job to find work. which is good and how it should be.

 

[HFE Signs]

We've found the job centre to be ok but you do get a lot of applicants that are unsuitable, could you advertise internally or even a poster on your shop window? Or a Banner from us! - Only joking! Best of luck

 

[mhall]

Sadly the job centre is the worst place to go. You will get a few good people but you will also get dozens of people who are applying just to fill out their commitment at the Job Centre. The job centre tick their box and you waste your time with people who don't want the job in the first place. Even worse if the individuals are on the work programme - the providers simply push everyone on their books at every vacancy they can find. Our best staff have always been customers first.

 

[silvermusic]

Sadly the job centre is the worst place to go. You will get a few good people but you will also get dozens of people who are applying just to fill out their commitment at the Job Centre. The job centre tick their box and you waste your time with people who don't want the job in the first place. Even worse if the individuals are on the work programme - the providers simply push everyone on their books at every vacancy they can find. Our best staff have always been customers first.

In the late 90s I worked for a well known retail chain and had the task of finding 6 temporary Christmas sales staff. You're experience echo's mine, I went through 300+ application forms, well over half were a complete waste of time to start with and were bined. Of the remainder I tried to set up interviews. Many made it quite clear that they really couldn't care less they were just going though the motions of looking for work to keep their benefit, many never turned up at all, those that did were totally uninterested and couldn't care less. I did find one gem amongst them though who got offered a full time job after Christmas. The remaining 5 staff I got from adverts in the local newspaper and a poster on the branch window.

 

[mzp]

Hi,

Would the retailers here, OP included, consider using a recruitment company.

Said company would advertise for the role, screen candidates and present you with the best matches as per your criteria.

If so, how much would you be willing to pay for such a service?

 

[liamx1234]

the job center is a waste of time!! all you get is messers they just want you too sign there form

 

[Karimbo]

I think now you'll get lots and lots of candidates who just dont want a job and are almost coerced into going through all the song and dance of turning up for interview and accepting the job just so they dont get sanctioned.

I do think it's a good thing they are taking harsh measures, i hear that in the past the long term unemployed would just turn up at the job centre every 3 weeks, show that they've applied to 3 jobs and get the benefits. Now they seem to have their act together and making it harder and harder to be a long term unemployed and have the job centre staff breathing down their necks at all the time.

 

[allsquare]

I would definately consider using a recruitment company but they don't really cover the Shop Assistant role. Finding a 'good' member of staff for a family-run business is critical but i would suppose a fee upto £500/£750 would be realistic.

 

[Talay]

I put a few jobs on Universal Job Match and got hundreds of responses, mostly from people who had not read the advert or lived hundreds of miles away. I guess they were forced to apply by the benefits Nazis.

One was selected for interview but then pulled out as she was first needed to walk her grandma's dog and then suddenly became 31 weeks pregnant. Another turned up for interview but had a ring through her nose and hideous visible tattoos.

 

[myfairworld]

I doubt if it will be possible in the future to interview many people who don't have rings through their noses + visible tattoos as such things are becoming the norm rather than the exception.

When I appointed my first apprentice I wondered how the customers would react to her nose ring and various other bits and pieces but they all seem to really like her - even exactly the sort of older folk who might be expected to start tutting about it. In fact some of our older customers have formed the habit of 'just popping in to say hello' every time they pass and I've gradually realised they are 'just popping in' to see what the apprentice is wearing today, what colour her hair is today and if any interesting pieces of body jewellery have been added. As we can often tempt them to buy something while they are in the premises it works out quite well.

Personally I hate tattoos and piercings but you quickly get used to it and stop noticing. Admittedly my apprentice has very good manners (so good as to be positively old fashioned) and is clearly a friend to soap and water and the tattoos don't include things like H.A.T.E across the knuckles! She's also a very good worker and has become a real asset to the business

 

[silvermusic]

I doubt if it will be possible in the future to interview many people who don't have rings through their noses + visible tattoos as such things are becoming the norm rather than the exception.

I'd disagree with that completely. Those looking for jobs tend to forget it's very much still an employers market and they can afford to be fussy and picky. Why would I want anyone who might potentially put off customers whether that's politically correct or not. It's my customers opinion whether they openly admit it or not. Yes I've no doubt the vast majority of these tattooed people with weird colour long hair and bits of metal poking out of everywhere are nice people underneath, but why would I risk putting off potential customers? That said there are businesses where looking like a multi-coloured walking scrap yard may be of benefit and quite normal if you're selling that kind of stuff.

 

[Talay]

I doubt if it will be possible in the future to interview many people who don't have rings through their noses + visible tattoos as such things are becoming the norm rather than the exception....

I don't agree at all but far more importantly, it shoes a total lack of consideration, respect or awareness of a customer facing position.

I had an earring from the age of 11 and for many years through university. However, when going for an interview and then in a professional job, it was removed. Not to do so would have been unthinkable and would still be unthinkable today.

I never wanted to emulate a farmyard animal so nose piercings were never in question.

The thing is that there still needs to be a separation of personal and home lifestyles and if people cannot see that, then they are misguided.

 

[myfairworld]

So the fact that in a perfectly conventional shop, okay we do sell exotics like high quality incense but we also sell tea, raisins, pasta, local honey, chocolate, cushion covers, high quality silver jewellery (plus lower quality fun jewellery), tea towels, shampoo, cleaning materials (okay highly green but cleaning materials none the less), cards, wrap, and the like, my bedecked apprentice - for want of a better word - is a big hit with the customers is irrelevant to this debate? Yet my 'average' customer is exactly the sort of conservative older person who'd you mostly likely expect to react against someone with piercings and at least some tattoos and mad hair colouring and 'fashionata' type clothing. But actually many of them come into the shop more often than they did before she came to work for me and are clearly disappointed when she is not around? So to my mind her appearance - whether I personally like it or not - is an asset?

I'm a shopkeeper. My job is to sell stuff not to abide by arcane dress conventions nor to expect my staff to do the same.

If I thought an interviewee was dressed in some way likely to be offensive to customers I'd have no hesitation - if they seemed likely to be a useful employee in other ways - to ask them to remove an item or tone down their general appearance as a condition of employment. But often what one generation reacts against is not only acceptable to the next but may also actually be attractive or at least a source of fascination to that older generation whatever they may say and tut tut about between themselves.

Point: if I was interviewing someone and they'd obviously removed an earring or earrings or nose ring for the purpose of the interview I would not be impressed, in fact I'd think they were a bit of a wuss! (Being a useful retail employee does something require a lot of spirit and courage, as when my apprentice faced down a group of professional shoplifters and was successful in making them put down most of the stolen items before leaving the premises). And, by the way, I would definitely notice both the hole and the missing item from it. I really can't see the distinction between punching a hole through one or both of your ear lobes (through both is the only piercing I've got and I was in my thirties before I got that and it was only because I started to sell earrings and realised that an earring seller without pierced ears is bit of a contradiction in terms) and punching a hole through your nose. There are also cultural/racial issues to be considered. In some cultures things like nose piercing/rings are pretty much universal for women at least and if you trade in an extremely multi-cultural area as I do you could actually be in danger of accusations of discrimination if you excluded potential employees on the basis of things like nose piercings.

I'd just add that I'm by no means convinced that even now it is an employer's market or at least not if you want really good employees rather than those who will turn up to interview looking like dowds (by modern standards) and saying all the (traditionally) right things in fear of the Job Centre. It is easy to get employees during a recession - unless they need to have highly specialist technical qualifications but most won't during a recession as no one will invest in training during such a period. Simply the fact that this thread exists shows that it is no longer so easy to get good employees - if it was easy to get good employees all you'd have to do would be to put an advert in your shop or office window rather than asking for advice here!

My suspicion is that many small businesses who complain about the lack of good employees suffer from judging folk by things like nose rings rather than looking further into their attitude/enthusiasm/willingness to learn.

 

[Dan Eales]

Bit late to this party (again, this is a growing trend on this forum) but I would possibly recommend any local apprenticeship agencies you may have in your area. I come from a Job Centre background and I totally agree with every single persons view of the Job Centre. To be fair, some of the staff are as bad as the people who attend the Job Centre. But, it's a tad unfair to say that every person that goes to the Job Centre is a waste of space. I met some of the most genuine people of my life through that place. And the workshops they send you to. But to most, this is basically the ticket to free money.

But apprenticeship agencies are a great way to find dedicated people. The fact that these people have signed up to be paid £2.something an hour already means that a lot of "can't be asked" types are pre filtered for you. At that point it's just a case of then deciding whether that applicant has the right skill set and attitude for your work place. You can then set up a weeks work trial to give the applicant a taste of the company to give you both a grace period. I signed up with a company called Key Training who offer apprenticeships working with local companies near me. Nearly three years on, here I am with two NVQs from two, year long apprenticeships and am now halfway through my first year of full time employment with Urban Trading.

There are perks if you are able to put up with the occasional interruption from the assessors and having to allocate some time to coursework. The most obvious advantage being that you are paying £2.something, nowhere near the minimum wage. And in return for that cheaper labour you are also helping the applicant get qualified. Yes, you can find already trained staff through the Job Centre. If you're lucky. But I feel that if you have the time and resource to train then it can be so much more rewarding to take an apprentice.

 

[contracthireacar.com]

A relative of mine works in a busy clothes shop and they always recruit new staff by word of mouth or an advert in the window, which sound like more successful methods than the job centre or recruitment websites.

 

[Deleted member 252819]

To answer the original question: are you a member of any local Facebook groups? I mean community groups, rather than buy/sell groups, which are probably not attracting the right audience. It may be worth posting a few ads in some of the better groups in your area.

As an aside: the vast majority of people under 50 don't bat an eyelid at a few tattoos or piercings. If someone's got a naughty word across their forehead, maybe they're not the best person for a job in a bank. But they probably aren't looking for those jobs anyway. Fortunately, most people are pretty open minded these days, and referring to other humans with nose rings as "farmyard animals" will simply result in younger customers turning on their heel.

 

[deniser]

The Job Centre via the Universal Job thing doesn't seem to quite work at the moment. They keep changing it but we get either hundreds of time waster applications on none at all depending on the current set up.

But we recruited two very decent employees through the Job Centre.

The nightmare ones came through the sign in the shop window because it attracted the casual job seeker and not the person who had really thought about it and actually wanted a job.

We wasted so much time on people who took the job but then, because they hadn't really thought about it and taken it on a whim, thought they could just turn up when they felt like it.

I think word of mouth to other shop workers is your best bet.

 

[Stuart Bailey]

put the vacancy on your website