Finding the Right Talent at the Right Time: The Seasonal Scramble

By Nicki Harrison, Adecco Staffing USA

Finding top talent is no easy feat given current market conditions. In fact, it’s downright difficult. The national unemployment rate continues to hover steadily at a historically low level, meaning the once robust talent landscape is now limited and subject to heavy competition.

This situation presents a particularly unique challenge during seasonal hiring. Not only are retailers competing against numerous other companies for talent, but, to close out the year on a high note, holiday hires must be efficient, experienced and comfortable interacting with customers. Most importantly, seasonal hires should reflect the culture of your company and understand and embody its core values. And let’s not forget, seasonal hires must be made quickly to ensure ample opportunities for training before the holiday hustle.

But have no fear! The good news is that there are tried and true tactics for securing top seasonal talent that will result in a strong, cohesive holiday workforce:

1. Evaluate your needs. Before job postings for seasonal positions hit the web site, take the time to meet with your colleagues and discuss what roles will require additional support during the holiday season. From there, determine what qualities people in those roles require to be successful. For example, a stockroom associate will need to be highly organized, comfortable lifting heavy boxes, efficient and willing to help sales associates provide top-notch customer service. Remember, it’s far more difficult for an employee to be a cultural fit if they aren’t set up for success in their given role.
2. Understand your company. In addition to understanding the needs of individual roles, you should ensure that you and your team truly understand your company’s culture. Are people generally outgoing and assertive or are they reserved and thoughtful? Does your company encourage teamwork? Does leadership reward those that go above-and-beyond? Do you welcome people who challenge the status quo? Be honest about the qualities your employees need to succeed and map each job candidate against that list of qualities.
3. Ask the tough questions. Even though you may be in a time crunch to fill your pipeline of holiday employees, do not rush the interview process. Take the time to learn more than just a candidate’s experience and personality. Present them with a tricky situation and see how they respond. For example, ask a sales candidate how they would respond if a customer threatened to leave a scathing review on social media because the store didn’t have their favorite shirt in their size. These situational questions are important to understand if an employee embodies the core values of your company even under pressure.
4. Distinguish between “right” and “perfect.” Unfortunately, there are no guarantees when hiring an employee. Furthermore, you may know what a “perfect” candidate looks like in your head, but it likely doesn’t exist in reality. Rather than going for perfection, strive to find the “right” candidates. This means identifying candidates who can do the work, appropriately interact with customers, showcase team spirit and fit your corporate image.

Nothing ruins holiday cheer like a mismatched workforce. Even though this year’s hires will have to be made quickly thanks to a highly competitive candidate market, take the time to identify and attract the right talent for your company. Your happy, motivated holiday workforce will be worth every moment of extra prep time.

Nicki Harrison, regional vice president, Adecco Staffing USA, has a combined 19 years of experience in the employment field, including 12 years of experience in the staffing industry and seven years of direct, hands-on experience in employment screening. In addition, Harrison has more than 16 years of executive and management experience in a variety of functions, including sales, customer service, operations, compliance, purchasing, vendor management and payroll. In her current role, she is responsible for the growth, service, delivery and operations for centralized recruiting hubs, national recruitment and on-site client program management.