Holiday How-To’s: How to Host a Holiday Hiring Event

The holiday season is one of the busiest times of year for businesses. Almost every household heads to retailers to buy gifts for their loved ones. As seasonal sales and foot traffic pick up, you may have concerns about being understaffed. 

With adequate staff to meet the excess demands of the holiday season, your customers will have a better experience. A hiring event is the perfect way to prepare for a successful holiday sales season. 

Read on to learn how you can make your holiday hiring event a success.

Promote the Event

You want the most qualified people to represent your store to your trusted customers. To hire the best people, you want a good turnout at your hiring event. Thus, it becomes vital to promote your event to spread the word. 

To market your event, make sure that you use both online as well as offline channels. Sending emails and posting an ad on your website are some effective ways to get online traction. 

For offline marketing, you can use banner stands and signs to spread the word. You can also print flyers and distribute them to passersby or design flags to bring attention to your storefront announcement. Sending direct mail to your customers with a referral incentive is another way to bring skilled workers to your store.

Do Not Forget to Mention Important Details

If you plan to put up signs across town, make sure that you give all the essential information. For instance, if you forget to mention the event date or location on the sign, you may not have your desired turnout. Clear communication will combat confusion and help you achieve success.

Offer New Hire Incentives

Because the holiday season is the busiest season of the year, several other stores will be out in the market to hire staff. It is advisable to offer something unique to attract the best candidates. Incentives such as employee discounts, hiring bonuses, or advancement opportunities incentivize top talent to work for your company over the competition. A message centered around employee support will help you recruit the best holiday workers this season.

Promote Employee Training

Great work ethic is not always tied to extensive experience. Oftentimes the most qualified candidate doesn’t have to have the best background, they just need a great attitude and a willingness to learn.

Invest in motivated candidates by offering them training opportunities. If you find the right employees, you may benefit from keeping them on the team well after their holiday duties are completed. 

Prioritize training sessions for all of your new hires. Share your company values, mission and protocols to give your new employees a better understanding of your business operations. 

Share Employee Testimonials

You have to give prospective talent reasons to join your team when they meet you during the event. Apart from providing details of salary, incentives, and training, you can also share employee testimonials.

Testimonials help in building your credibility as the employer of choice. When your potential hires hear from your previous employees about how much they have learned with you or how content they are in your workplace, candidates will feel compelled to learn more. 

If you have the space at your event venue, you can show a video of your employee sharing their stories. Adding short testimonials to signage is a great way to establish trust with prospective talent at your hiring event. You can take this initiative a step further and have employee quotes printed on your flyers.

Finally, the look and feel of your event will make a huge impact on the candidates walking in for interviews. To make sure that it is well-organized, put up banner stands across the venue. Apart from branding your business, these displays can showcase your upcoming hiring events and referral program incentives. Secondly, using table covers can also make your event look more professional and sorted. 

A strong brand presence and adequate communication will catch the eye of potential new hires and help you recruit the best candidates for your hiring events. 

Follow-Up With Ideal Candidates

If you have found the candidates who are perfect for your store, be sure to follow up with them. It is important to follow up with candidates as soon as possible to establish a great working relationship early on.

A welcome email and a branded t-shirt or mug is a great way to welcome new team members and help them feel at home ahead of the busy holiday season.