December 10, 2007
GHQ: You’re hired
By Kim Ann Zimmermann
Through a special arrangement, what follows is an excerpt of a current article from Grocery Headquarters magazine, presented here for discussion.
If you asked today’s teenagers to apply for a job the old-fashioned way, by filling out a paper form, they might not even remember how to work a pen. Text messaging and e-mailing come more naturally to the up-and-coming generation of supermarket workers.
But it isn’t just tech-savvy teenagers who are becoming more adept at filling out electronic forms. As the public’s comfort level with technology rises, more supermarkets are deploying hiring kiosks to streamline the process of applying for all types of jobs at the store.
In many ways, retailers say hiring kiosks are initial screeners in the employment process. Candidates who are at ease with using them or other hiring systems will likely have a higher comfort level with point-of-sale systems and other technologies proliferating in the store.
Supermarket executives also want to ensure that the right people are in the right jobs, a task that can be made easier by sorting electronic applications by skill level, experience and availability. While paper applications can be organized in a similar fashion, an electronic database makes the task less time-consuming and more accurate.
Some supermarkets are also incorporating some level of personality testing by using answers to specific questions to see where the candidate might best fit in the organization.
“Our software can help with behavioral assessments to match the right people to the right jobs. There’s not much point in hiring the wrong people faster,” says Steve Earl, director of product marketing for the talent management division of Kronos, Inc.
“The system makes it easy to identify candidates that are likely to succeed, those who may succeed and those who are not likely to succeed based on how they answer in the screening process,” adds Greg Buehler, director of training and development for Buehler Food Markets, which uses a web-based version of the software and plans to roll out kiosks in stores next year.
Another benefit of the paperless hiring process is that applications can be kept on file and referenced for a period of time, and shared among managers.
“While this is possible with a paper-based system, realistically, it is much less likely that the manager is going to dig an application out of a stack of paper,” says Eric Edwards, principal product manager for Peopleclick, Inc., a hiring software provider. “There is a constant need for good employees. But with antiquated hiring processes, some talented people may be shut out if they don’t walk through the door at the right time.”
Discussion Question: What do you think of the advantages of in-store hiring kiosks over paper hiring forms? What other ways can retailers improve the initial steps of the store hiring process?
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The hiring kiosk can be a great help in sorting out candidates, and can aid in filing etc. As a parent of a teenager seeking employment, I am seeing that it doesn’t work as well as one would think. My daughter has applied to numerous major chains and never even gets to meet or talk with a manager. She just does the online or kiosk application and never even gets a call back. If most of these jobs are in the customer service sector of fast food or retailing–wouldn’t it make sense for a manager to at least meet and talk with applicants either in person or over the phone to judge appearance, attitude and communication skills? You can’t get that judgement of a person just by having them answer a few questions on a computer.
I used to work in this sector myself and as a consumer, I see a lot of rude and uncommunicative cashiers and servers out there–and yet my daughter and her friends who are good students, friendly, and out-going are sitting here frustrated because they cannot even get an interview.
I agree that technology can make the hiring process more efficient and help screen candidates better. The other thing that would help is if managers set aside more time to TALK to potential applicants.
My point is that technology can help us do things faster and better if used right, but automated systems can also tempt hiring managers to devote too little time to get to know potential employees and see what the screening system might have missed. So, it’s the combination of technology and one-to-one dialogue that works best.
Tech native millennials will be all over this, but I wonder about the retail logic. Seems like a big investment in store-based hardware just to get an application when the web is already in place as a conduit.
If the stores can allocate space and pay for the infrastructure to manage a kiosk, why not use it for shopper communications as well? There are so many technology options that give shoppers more of what they want and need in stores that aren’t widely available for marketers due to lack of infrastructure and scale. Let’s encourage retailers to invest in expansion of technology to support both their staffing and better shopper relationships.
Kiosks are a great way to get a lot of applicants quickly and weed out the ones you don’t want. However, this is still the first step in an H-R process that must include a personal interview.
By the way, it would help when the kiosks work properly. Too often, they are out of service and a lot of potential applicants just walk out the door and go across the street to a competitor. I’ve seen it happen a lot.
Non-paper job applications would be of significant benefit for stores employing big staff. For small operators, it’s a non issue.
In the latter case, the KISS advice would be applicable.
I think both paper and kiosk methods have their weaknesses.
I used to work for a retailer that used a much better method. We did not accept job applications. We hired by invitation only. We went to other competitors and observed who was doing a good job. Then approached them to come in for an interview. We also asked our existing employees for recommendations.
For part-timers we just got out the high school year book. We had our high school employees simply tell us who might make a good employee. Existing student employees would tell us who was in band, played sports, or was a bad student so they could be eliminated. We did not want to hire kids who would be asking for time off. Then we discussed this person with the principal to get his recommendation before approaching the student. This way you get good people without dealing with paper work.
I’ve hired other consultants from time to time, often sight unseen. If they have the recommendation of certain people I trust, I have no problems hiring them, regardless of whatever flaws they might have. I’ve never had anyone fill out a job application.
Retailers who want merit-based hiring often appreciate software that helps them screen for the best possible candidates. Retailers suffer from high staff turnover, and the highest turnover group is the folks most recently hired. All too many retailers primarily hire based on shift availability and assume there’s nothing that can be done about the high turnover. Many times, when questioned about their staff turnover, retail executives immediately say, “It’s high, but that’s normal for this industry.” The second part of the phrase is a defensive rationale for mediocre results. If you want superior results you need to do something superior.
This conversation has digressed and broken down to a couple of different discussions. But all with the same objective: How do we hire a better person?
I would like to make a couple of quick points.
1. Technology does work in smaller locations. One of the first adopters of automated hiring was the C-Store industry. With companies like Sheets, Tesoro, Flying J, BP, WaWa, and The Pantry all using automation. It does work in smaller footprints.
2. When it comes to hiring the best you need to use all of the channels to get the best people to apply. Web, IVR, Kiosk, etc.
3. Yes you need to be proactive in going after the best employees. Using automation make these employees recognize that you adapt technology and are not looking for someone to just do busy work. Applicants prefer automation when applying.
4. With automation, make sure that everyone is treated the same to reduce legal exposure and increase compliance.
5. Automation makes for a better hire because you can prescreen the applicant and that way, the manager is only talking to the best so is willing to spend more time since they know the person at least meets minimum requirements.
6. Automation can give the manager a script to follow when interviewing based on the answers that the applicant gave.
7. Kiosks actually will get you more applicants. A Study by Gartner showed that 80% of the applications that are taken home never come back. With a kiosk, they don’t have to take them home.
8. Yes, floor space is scarce, so if you need to, the kiosk can be used for different purposes. The only problem is that somebody applying for a job may tie it up for 20 or more minutes.
9. I could go on but let me sum it up this way. Why do you think that companies like Target, Wal-Mart, Home Depot, Lowe’s, Kroger, and I could go on with the list…not only use kiosks but also put them at the front of the store which is some of the most expensive real estate? Answer: the most important thing anyone can do to increase sales and have more satisfied customers is to have a great staff. Automation will help you to have a better staff.
It sounds like an interesting and useful tool so long as it’s kept in perspective and used along with other tools as part of a sensible and consistent hiring plan. I strongly agree with others that checking references and meeting applicants face to face are at least useful if not essential steps in the hiring process. Those who pointed out the value of online applications are also right as are those who stick by the old fashioned method of filling in a paper form. BUT one of the advantages of application by kiosk is that at least you know the applicant has taken the trouble to come and have a look around before deciding that this is an environment in which he or she would like to work.
I heard from a grocer who ended up disabling their kiosk for applicants. The problem for them was two-fold: for non-cashiering positions, they were primarily hiring Spanish speakers and their online application was not in Spanish, and most of the applicants were not very tech-savvy–they would bring their children in with them to help them fill out the online app. This grocer found out that their kiosk was knocking out too many applicants–ones they would have considered simply because it was the majority of people applying.
So while I agree that kiosks have value in smoothing over parts of the hiring process, you have to be really careful and monitor who it puts out as much as who is comfortable with it–for some positions, you may be inadvertently screening out people who would make good candidates, simply because the technology got in the way.
Years from now, we’ll wonder why anyone thought that paper was an effective way to gather and share information on job candidates.
Retailers who deploy new systems, however, need to be vigilant about securing them. Retail has already had one well-publicized security breach that was exacerbated by an unsecured USB port. Whenever there’s a system node in a retail store that customers are free to use, that node has to be carefully assessed for security risks….
Regarding Mr. Livingston’s comment: It seems to me that you can potentially find yourself in big trouble by selectively hiring for a retail store by invitation only. Hiring people, yet not being able to produce hiring materials or equipment to the general public can raise red flags. If you are in the private sector, or are a small business with only a few employees, or are an immigrant running a party store, I suppose you can get around it, but this reminds me of the 1950s, when a motels had vacancy signs up, but told “certain people” there was “no vacancy.”
Regarding the referrals by high school students: Isn’t it true that they would recommend only their friends? I mean, say a kid would make a great employee, but he/she doesn’t have any friends that work for you. How does he/she get referred? Wouldn’t you get referrals pretty much within a certain clique?
I love computers and such, but I have noticed that not only do many employers not look at a bunch of what’s on the kiosk system, but applications have been “magically deleted” by certain employers for convenience sake, like the Kroger situation in Michigan. The larger the chain, the more chances you have to get your application looked at, but when one particular store deletes your application, no other store can look at it, and your big chance has disappeared.
How much are we expecting from our potential employees anyway? I’ve noticed that quite a few employers have super long kiosk or computer-based applications, and these applications ask tons of psychological questions, but when you go to these actual stores, the employees seem to have limited intelligence. Why are we asking 50 to 75 psychological questions, then turn around and hire people that seem like they dropped out of school in the 3rd grade? Also, why ask all of these questions, and then hire people and offer them minimum wage or not much more, and little or no benefits? Or give them 2 days a week, six hours a day? Or instead of hiring unemployed people in their 30s or 40s with loads of experience, we hire 16 and 17-year olds with no experience that don’t even show up for work?
The kiosk/computer system is great. Some employers just need better hiring practices.
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The hiring kiosk can be a great help in sorting out candidates, and can aid in filing etc. As a parent of a teenager seeking employment, I am seeing that it doesn’t work as well as one would think. My daughter has applied to numerous major chains and never even gets to meet or talk with a manager. She just does the online or kiosk application and never even gets a call back. If most of these jobs are in the customer service sector of fast food or retailing–wouldn’t it make sense for a manager to at least meet and talk with applicants either in person or over the phone to judge appearance, attitude and communication skills? You can’t get that judgement of a person just by having them answer a few questions on a computer.
I used to work in this sector myself and as a consumer, I see a lot of rude and uncommunicative cashiers and servers out there–and yet my daughter and her friends who are good students, friendly, and out-going are sitting here frustrated because they cannot even get an interview.
I agree that technology can make the hiring process more efficient and help screen candidates better. The other thing that would help is if managers set aside more time to TALK to potential applicants.
My point is that technology can help us do things faster and better if used right, but automated systems can also tempt hiring managers to devote too little time to get to know potential employees and see what the screening system might have missed. So, it’s the combination of technology and one-to-one dialogue that works best.
Tech native millennials will be all over this, but I wonder about the retail logic. Seems like a big investment in store-based hardware just to get an application when the web is already in place as a conduit.
If the stores can allocate space and pay for the infrastructure to manage a kiosk, why not use it for shopper communications as well? There are so many technology options that give shoppers more of what they want and need in stores that aren’t widely available for marketers due to lack of infrastructure and scale. Let’s encourage retailers to invest in expansion of technology to support both their staffing and better shopper relationships.
Kiosks are a great way to get a lot of applicants quickly and weed out the ones you don’t want. However, this is still the first step in an H-R process that must include a personal interview.
By the way, it would help when the kiosks work properly. Too often, they are out of service and a lot of potential applicants just walk out the door and go across the street to a competitor. I’ve seen it happen a lot.
Non-paper job applications would be of significant benefit for stores employing big staff. For small operators, it’s a non issue.
In the latter case, the KISS advice would be applicable.
I think both paper and kiosk methods have their weaknesses.
I used to work for a retailer that used a much better method. We did not accept job applications. We hired by invitation only. We went to other competitors and observed who was doing a good job. Then approached them to come in for an interview. We also asked our existing employees for recommendations.
For part-timers we just got out the high school year book. We had our high school employees simply tell us who might make a good employee. Existing student employees would tell us who was in band, played sports, or was a bad student so they could be eliminated. We did not want to hire kids who would be asking for time off. Then we discussed this person with the principal to get his recommendation before approaching the student. This way you get good people without dealing with paper work.
I’ve hired other consultants from time to time, often sight unseen. If they have the recommendation of certain people I trust, I have no problems hiring them, regardless of whatever flaws they might have. I’ve never had anyone fill out a job application.
Retailers who want merit-based hiring often appreciate software that helps them screen for the best possible candidates. Retailers suffer from high staff turnover, and the highest turnover group is the folks most recently hired. All too many retailers primarily hire based on shift availability and assume there’s nothing that can be done about the high turnover. Many times, when questioned about their staff turnover, retail executives immediately say, “It’s high, but that’s normal for this industry.” The second part of the phrase is a defensive rationale for mediocre results. If you want superior results you need to do something superior.
This conversation has digressed and broken down to a couple of different discussions. But all with the same objective: How do we hire a better person?
I would like to make a couple of quick points.
1. Technology does work in smaller locations. One of the first adopters of automated hiring was the C-Store industry. With companies like Sheets, Tesoro, Flying J, BP, WaWa, and The Pantry all using automation. It does work in smaller footprints.
2. When it comes to hiring the best you need to use all of the channels to get the best people to apply. Web, IVR, Kiosk, etc.
3. Yes you need to be proactive in going after the best employees. Using automation make these employees recognize that you adapt technology and are not looking for someone to just do busy work. Applicants prefer automation when applying.
4. With automation, make sure that everyone is treated the same to reduce legal exposure and increase compliance.
5. Automation makes for a better hire because you can prescreen the applicant and that way, the manager is only talking to the best so is willing to spend more time since they know the person at least meets minimum requirements.
6. Automation can give the manager a script to follow when interviewing based on the answers that the applicant gave.
7. Kiosks actually will get you more applicants. A Study by Gartner showed that 80% of the applications that are taken home never come back. With a kiosk, they don’t have to take them home.
8. Yes, floor space is scarce, so if you need to, the kiosk can be used for different purposes. The only problem is that somebody applying for a job may tie it up for 20 or more minutes.
9. I could go on but let me sum it up this way. Why do you think that companies like Target, Wal-Mart, Home Depot, Lowe’s, Kroger, and I could go on with the list…not only use kiosks but also put them at the front of the store which is some of the most expensive real estate? Answer: the most important thing anyone can do to increase sales and have more satisfied customers is to have a great staff. Automation will help you to have a better staff.
It sounds like an interesting and useful tool so long as it’s kept in perspective and used along with other tools as part of a sensible and consistent hiring plan. I strongly agree with others that checking references and meeting applicants face to face are at least useful if not essential steps in the hiring process. Those who pointed out the value of online applications are also right as are those who stick by the old fashioned method of filling in a paper form. BUT one of the advantages of application by kiosk is that at least you know the applicant has taken the trouble to come and have a look around before deciding that this is an environment in which he or she would like to work.
I heard from a grocer who ended up disabling their kiosk for applicants. The problem for them was two-fold: for non-cashiering positions, they were primarily hiring Spanish speakers and their online application was not in Spanish, and most of the applicants were not very tech-savvy–they would bring their children in with them to help them fill out the online app. This grocer found out that their kiosk was knocking out too many applicants–ones they would have considered simply because it was the majority of people applying.
So while I agree that kiosks have value in smoothing over parts of the hiring process, you have to be really careful and monitor who it puts out as much as who is comfortable with it–for some positions, you may be inadvertently screening out people who would make good candidates, simply because the technology got in the way.
Years from now, we’ll wonder why anyone thought that paper was an effective way to gather and share information on job candidates.
Retailers who deploy new systems, however, need to be vigilant about securing them. Retail has already had one well-publicized security breach that was exacerbated by an unsecured USB port. Whenever there’s a system node in a retail store that customers are free to use, that node has to be carefully assessed for security risks….
Regarding Mr. Livingston’s comment: It seems to me that you can potentially find yourself in big trouble by selectively hiring for a retail store by invitation only. Hiring people, yet not being able to produce hiring materials or equipment to the general public can raise red flags. If you are in the private sector, or are a small business with only a few employees, or are an immigrant running a party store, I suppose you can get around it, but this reminds me of the 1950s, when a motels had vacancy signs up, but told “certain people” there was “no vacancy.”
Regarding the referrals by high school students: Isn’t it true that they would recommend only their friends? I mean, say a kid would make a great employee, but he/she doesn’t have any friends that work for you. How does he/she get referred? Wouldn’t you get referrals pretty much within a certain clique?
I love computers and such, but I have noticed that not only do many employers not look at a bunch of what’s on the kiosk system, but applications have been “magically deleted” by certain employers for convenience sake, like the Kroger situation in Michigan. The larger the chain, the more chances you have to get your application looked at, but when one particular store deletes your application, no other store can look at it, and your big chance has disappeared.
How much are we expecting from our potential employees anyway? I’ve noticed that quite a few employers have super long kiosk or computer-based applications, and these applications ask tons of psychological questions, but when you go to these actual stores, the employees seem to have limited intelligence. Why are we asking 50 to 75 psychological questions, then turn around and hire people that seem like they dropped out of school in the 3rd grade? Also, why ask all of these questions, and then hire people and offer them minimum wage or not much more, and little or no benefits? Or give them 2 days a week, six hours a day? Or instead of hiring unemployed people in their 30s or 40s with loads of experience, we hire 16 and 17-year olds with no experience that don’t even show up for work?
The kiosk/computer system is great. Some employers just need better hiring practices.