How to Hire Entry Level Employees in 2023

I recently walked into one of our local stores.?Let’s just say it has the word dollar in its title. I picked up a few things as I navigated my way around the skids loaded with goods. I made my way to the very long line at the front of the store. I was patient, and once it was my turn, I had a conversation with the very overwhelmed cashier.

I asked if she was the only team member working.?She said she was. She finished an eight-hour shift at her home store, then was asked to come to this store because no one showed up and they were going to have to close. I asked about the stores hiring practices, and this is what she told me.

• They get about ten applications a week.
• The manager, if there is one, sends them to the regional manager.
• When the regional manager comes to town, she calls the applicants for interviews.?This could be weeks after the application was received.
• If they do come in for an interview and are selected, they’re scheduled for a drug test and are told there will be a background check. This could be weeks.
• By the time all this is complete, the applicant has moved on to the next entry level position that moved faster.
• The process starts over, and customers continue to climb over skids and wait in long lines.

Having managed hundreds of entry level positions in my career, I’d like to offer some unsolicited advice. Maybe this could help you streamline your process.

• If you have an applicant, interview the applicant on the spot or within 24 hours. This is 2023.?Use Zoom or Teams.
• Have a weekly hiring day. These folks are looking for jobs today, not in six weeks. Every business is hiring, and many have figured out how to hire on the spot or are using technology.
• If you aren’t already doing most of this electronically, you’re way behind.?Catch up.
• Be very honest about compensation. If there is a raise in 90 days of service, state that. If that raise is determined by performance, state that. (I encourage young people to get this in writing)
• Be very specific in the job description: lifting, counting money, customer service, etc. Make sure the candidate is qualified.
• If you are drug testing, work it out so they can go that day. Let them know if you are or are not testing for marijuana. Sorry, but it matters.
• If you are doing background checks, let them know what you are checking. Is it felonies, what type, how old? Sorry, but it matters. ?
• If they have schedule restrictions and you can’t meet them, don’t hire them. If you do hire them, meet the restrictions. (I encourage young people to get it in writing)
• If there is mandatory overtime, tell them up front, not on their third day of work.
• If you have a NO Cell Phone at work policy, stop texting them and asking them to pick up a shift or stay late while they are at work. This just negates the policy and tells them they should have their phone out and ready in case you text them.
• If you have a dress code, tell them when you interview them.
• Make schedules in advance. The biggest complaint I hear from young people is, “I don’t get my schedule for next week until Friday”. Maybe if you managed their time better, they would show up. That also gives them time to move things around or switch with coworkers. If you mess up the schedule, work the shift yourself. Stop asking people to miss their kids’ play or their own soccer practice, because you messed up the schedule.

I recently spoke with a young man who has a certificate as a machinist, earned through a local high school career education program. He was hired by one of the community’s larger manufacturers. The hiring process was smooth, the communication was good, the pay was fair, and he was excited.

On his second week, they told him about mandatory overtime. He was young and happy to make the extra money. But many of the other 12 people in his hiring group had families and were unwilling to work mandatory overtime.?They could do some, but not all. This created a culture that everyone hated and by the six-month mark, there were only two team members left in his hiring group. He eventually left for a better job, with more honest human resource practices and a much better culture.

We continue to hear that this generation doesn’t want to work, that this generation is spoiled, that this generation blah, blah, blah. If you believe this generation is different, adjust your hiring and human resource practices to this generation.

I get it. Human Resource leaders are exhausted and will do anything to fill positions. But the cost to your organization is ridiculous if you continue to foster these cultures. If you are not calculating the cost of attrition, retention and lost productivity to your bottom line, you probably need a new CFO or accountant.

I once heard someone say “if these businesses had an interruption in any other part of their supply chain, they would immediately fix it. If they can’t get steel, they’ll find a new vendor. If the store can’t get shopping carts, they’ll find a new vendor. But they don’t see employees as part of the supply chain. And until they do, they won’t see how to fix the problem.”

Lisa Brooking, Retired

Executive, Entrepreneur, Manager, Leader, Sales, and Customer Service Professional

[email protected]