Finding and Keeping the “Keepers” – Recruiting Front Line Employees

Sunday, 06. 22. 2008  –  Category: All Blog Posts, Customer Satisfaction, Employee Retention, Recruiting

The latest chapter of the book we’re writing on achieving your optimal front line  retention strategy is written by our board member, Mel Kleiman.  The focus of this chapter is the key role that recruiting practices play in ensuring that the right talent is available, willing and able to serve on your organization’s front line.

For some organizations, the challenge may be finding an adequate supply of necessary talent.  For others, the candidate supply may be steady, but choosing those who are the right fit for the job may often seem hit or miss.  In either case, the organization will suffer if these root causes can’t be addressed.  Mel’s article addresses the supply question as well as the issue of assessing a candidate’s suitability for the position in question, discussing the differences between candidate populations and how organizations can tailor their recruiting messages and approaches to different target candidate audiences.

I thought about this when I was shopping for a Mac Book for my son this week.  We went to the hyper-glossy Apple store on Boylston Street in Boston.  The floor staff have specialized roles, and gracefully handed us off amongst themselves as we sorted through the hardware and software requirements dictated by the NYU film department.  Our principal guide was Chris – who himself had a deep knowledge of film editing on a Mac.  We couldn’t have had a better shopping experience.

When I was leading a recruitment outsourcing practice in a past life, we used to talk about three dimensions of fit: skills, willingness to do the job, and cultural fit.  Mel takes a similar approach in this chapter, exploring the assessment of existing candidate capabilities as well as an individual’s willingness to do the job in the way the organization wants it done.  I don’t know what Apple’s approach is to recruiting and training their front line retail staff, but the results are impressive if Chris is a typical example.

You can read Mel’s chapter here.  You can also hear a podcast of an interview between Mel and me regarding his approach to hourly worker recruiting.
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Tags: customer service, hourly hiring, hourly recruiting, Kronos workforce institute, needle in haystack, workforce institute