Easier application Merchants also have been forced to make applying easier. Many malls, including Great Lakes Crossing in Auburn Hills, Mich., held job fairs this fall with stores setting up interview tables just outside their doors. Potential employees call and answer questions. Their names are entered into a database and if a good fit appears they could be called in to a local store for an interview. Limited stores also are recruiting on the Internet.
Customers can submit key information at the kiosk.
Then the store's management office is alerted that someone is applying, and an in-store interview can be arranged on the spot. Instead of intense interviews, candidates got a chance to chat casually with managers. The store completed 50 percent of its holiday hiring through the event, said Marla McDonald, a human resources officer for the company. Kleiman suggests retailers offer other incentives to get people to apply, such as scholarship drawings or donations to charities of an employee's choice. Retailers also should consider advertising seasonal openings where potential workers are most likely to be, he said.