The Do's and Don'ts of Hiring Employees For Your Retail Store

Employees are the backbone of any successful retail store or business. In addition to offering another set of helping hands, they'll represent your store's brand when you aren't along. This is why it's important for owners to choose dedicated, passionate employees who are willing to go above and beyond the call of duty at work. To learn more about the do's and don'ts of hiring employees at a retail store, keep reading.

Don't: Hire on a 'Gut' Feeling

One of the biggest hiring mistakes retail store owners make is hiring candidates based strictly on a 'gut' feeling. It's easy to feel the need to hire a candidate on the spot when he or she maintains a positive and energetic attitude. However, you need to set your feelings aside to perform a more thorough analysis of the candidate. Only then can you decide whether or not they are a good match for your retail store. Basing your hiring decisions strictly off a 'gut' feeling could have disastrous consequences for your business in the long run.

Don't: Under-Hire

Another all-too-common hiring mistake among store owners is not hiring enough workers. Yes, the more workers you hire, the more money you'll have to spend on payroll. However, under-hiring could place you between a rock and a hard place. In the event that one or more of your employees is injured, becomes sick or quits their job, you won't have enough workers to effectively run your store. It's always good to over-hire employees rather than under-hire, so keep this in mind when you're going through the stacks of applications.

Do: Perform a Followup Interview

Performing followup interviews on job candidates will give you a better assessment of their personal traits, work ethics and characteristics. Use this time to ask candidates more about themselves, including both personal and professional goals. Ideally, you should hire candidates who are eager to learn more about your store and work their way up the ladder. This is especially important if you plan to open additional stores in the future, as you'll need someone to manage the current location while you handle the second store.

Do: Ask For a Resume

If you really want to cover all of your bases with hiring employees, ask job candidates to submit a resume. Just because the job is retail business and not office-oriented doesn't make resusmes any less important. On the contrary, resumes offer a more in-depth look at candidates' backgrounds, allowing you to see what type of education they have, where they've worked in the past, character references, etc.