Recruiting from Outside Your Comfort Zone

In the quest to find the ‘perfect’ employee who ticks all the boxes, it’s easy to overlook the real potential of other candidates.

A candidate who looks great on paper, with the solid experience you need, may lack other vital qualities which could energise your workplace.

For instance, one person may have years of experience in the department with the vacancy. Yet they may lack the creativity, flexibility or personality of another candidate with little or zero experience in this area.

So, what should you look for in retail candidate assessment if you decide to recruit outside your comfort zone?

The importance of experience

While experience is important when filling a retail role, what kind of experience are you actually looking for?

Take a closer look at the vacant position and the standard experience you would normally look for in a selected candidate.

Chances are, candidates who have that experience may lack experience in other areas. This could make them rigid or less willing to look at things in new ways.

Candidates with rich, varied experiences of different retail roles could bring all sorts of new perspective to your shop floor, so don’t overlook them.

Starting at the bottom

You don’t have to fill every role with highly qualified and experienced candidates. Sometimes it’s possible to take a chance on a promising candidate who brings something else to the table.

A candidate with less in the way of standard qualifications and work experience may come in with few preconceptions and expectations.

This can mean a fresh pair of eyes and a refreshingly different way of looking at – and solving – workplace challenges.

Reducing costs

Choosing a candidate who is at an earlier stage of their retail career can also be highly cost-effective.

Someone starting at a lower level will start on a lower salary to reflect their lack of formal qualifications and experience.

This can of course be increased as they grow in confidence and capacity. The promise of a rising wage can also be an effective motivator in terms of learning and productivity.

Plenty of support

By selecting a left-field candidate and giving them all the help, support and encouragement they need to advance, you may be offering the best motivation of all to succeed.

Workers who feel genuinely supported and well regarded by their employer are more likely to knuckle down, push ahead and aim high in their retail career.

This has great knock-on effects for the employer who stands to benefit from higher levels of drive, efficiency and creative thinking.

Choosing a safe candidate may keep things on track. Yet you won’t be pushing the boundaries of what is possible in your retail business.

Consider a specialist recruitment agency to help revitalise your retail staff selection.