Career Advice

Writing Job Posts to Attract Top Retail Talent

Filling a position and attracting top talent is hard in any industry, but when it comes to retail, it can be especially tough. With 4.6 million Americans working in retail sales, unemployment at historic lows, and a record number of job openings in the retail industry, securing talent is becoming increasingly tough. Cut through the clutter by writing a retail job listing that sells applicants on your company, team, location and all the things that make working for you great. Don’t forget to introduce your company, focus on the details, and convey clear steps of the hiring process.

Introduce Yourself!

Often, hiring managers forget the first step of introducing your company to the candidate. The first paragraph of your job post should lay out your company’s history and mission. Explain what your company does, what it stands for and what the day-to-day work culture is like. Don’t forget to include any extra perks that YOU would want to know about a new role. What type of projects does the company have going on for the next year? What types of awards or promotions does your company provide? Are there educational programs they can participate in? This paragraph is the first step to make sure candidates are a good fit culturally and that they will be excited about your company’s mission.

Ditch the Canned Posts

Long gone are the days when you could post a generic job post and expect top talent to walk through the door. Applicants are taking the time to compose cover letters, update their resumes, and come in for an interview so they expect that you will also be putting in the effort to compose a personalized job post. Leave out generic descriptors like “communication skills” or “organizational skills”. Instead, focus on more specific experiences and talents necessary for your job.

Job seekers want to know five key pieces of information about new employment: the work environment, location, amount of compensation, any career advancement opportunities, and how they will be able to prioritize their work/life balance in this new role. So, don’t forget to include this information in your job ad. It’s important to get them excited about the perks and benefits of the job!

Convey Next Steps

They’re nothing job hunters hate more than being left in the dark after an application. There’s no quicker way to send top talent running away from a hiring process than having a vague timeline or interview process. Talent shouldn’t have to guess about the next steps.

In the job description, detail your plans for the interview steps and the date you’re looking to make the hire by. Will they be hiring from a hiring manager? Will this be an email or a phone call? By clearly laying out the process, candidates won’t be left in the dark about “what happens next”. This is especially important if you have a role you need to fill quickly. Candidates that are immediately available will jump on roles like this as they can get a job in days vs weeks.

Want to learn more about how to efficiently manage and pay your staff? For more information, or to see a full demo of the AllWork platform, contact us at info@allworknow.com or schedule a demo here.

Laura Dutile

Director of Marketing at AllWork

Recent Posts

The Invisible Effect of Friction in Flexible Work

Business moves fast. And "flexibility" isn’t a buzzword—it’s more so how work just gets done…

3 weeks ago

Inside the $4.6 Trillion Contingent Workforce Market in the Americas

A new Staffing Industry Analysts (SIA) report shows the contingent workforce in the Americas was…

3 weeks ago

Removing Barriers at Work: Understanding and Implementing Accommodations

People who learn, think, or move differently often face barriers that can make work harder…

1 month ago

The 5 Most Common Mistakes in Seasonal Hiring (And How to Avoid Them)

If you’ve ever walked into a store the day after Thanksgiving, you’ve seen the embodiment…

1 month ago

AllWork Employment Compliance at a Glance

At AllWork, we help businesses manage employment compliance across the U.S. and Canada as a…

2 months ago

Want a Flexible Workforce? Here’s How You Can Build One That Works

When people hear “gig economy,” they might still think of food delivery or rideshare drivers.…

2 months ago