Imagine this: one of your customers is walking through a store during the holiday season, searching for the perfect gift. They have a question about the item but can’t find any sales associates to help. When they are ready to pay, the line is 10 people deep. Frustrated, they abandon the purchase, taking out their phone to order the item from an online retailer.

Staffing shortages are causing brick-and-mortar businesses to lose sales. This loss is felt most acutely in retail, where seasonal fluctuations necessitate high-volume recruiting on a tight timeline. Overall, 19% of annual US retail sales occur in November and December, according to the National Retail Federation. Yet in October 2022, heading into the holiday season, more than 18% of US retail job openings went unfilled.

Data-driven recruitment technology is revolutionizing high-volume recruitment by solving five of the most common mass hiring challenges.

Challenge 1: Enhancing efficiency

Efficiency is the name of the game for successful hiring on a large scale. Many of the consistently repeated tasks in high-volume hiring are ideal for automation. Recruitment technology can take over many of the most laborious tasks that monopolize HR resources and drive up cost per hire. These technology solutions can pre-screen and shortlist candidates, book interview times and initiate background checks.

Challenge 2: Scaling up fast

Seasonal mass recruitment is a rollercoaster: the intensity needs to climb sharply at just the right moment, then start slowing down. Data-driven recruitment technology is the ultimate partner in making that happen. It’s infinitely scalable, smart, consistent and it goes to work 24 hours a day at a moment’s notice.

Challenge 3: Accessing both quality and quantity

High-volume recruiting is more than a numbers game: quality is equally important. Hires who perform poorly or are retention flight risks can be costly mistakes. Often the knowledge of what makes a good hire is based on historical performance and expert industry insights— information that may be siloed with a few stakeholders.

Technology solutions for recruiting are changing this by allowing all stakeholders to collaborate and create a custom “ideal candidate” profile. Using data helps to supply the broadest possible talent pool and identify the individuals who match the profile.

Korn Ferry Nimble Recruit

Solve high-volume hiring with one high-tech, high touch solution

Challenge 4: Losing candidates along the way

How often do you get ghosted by potential candidates halfway through the recruitment process? In a tight labor market, seasonal retail workers have their pick of employers. If candidates get frustrated at any point in the recruiting process or aren’t excited about your brand, they can easily go elsewhere. Keeping the hiring process simple and engaging ensures a steady stream of candidates move through your pipeline.

Challenge 5: Thinking ahead

The next holiday hiring season might feel far away, but selecting an advanced recruitment technology system and implementing it throughout a large organization takes planning. Korn Ferry Nimble Recruit is a high tech, high touch solution tailored specifically to high volume hiring that identifies superstar talent and provides a candidate-driven experience that gets them on board.

To discuss your challenges around recruitment, contact us here today.