Tesco takes recruitment to the front-line
Store staff to target potential employees
Tesco has launched a secret weapon to help recruit an extra 12,000 temporary Christmas employees – store staff are looking for likely candidates among customers.
In the first recruitment trial of its kind, Tesco checkout staff will look out fo customers who may also be potential recruits to work in stores over Christmas.
Tesco retail director, David Potts, said: “Christmas is our busiest time of year. We are always looking for extra staff to make festive shopping easier for our customers.
“With 12,000 roles to fill this year, this is going to be quite a challenge – so we’re enlisting our existing staff to help us.”
The initiative means staff in the trial stores will be looking out for potential new recruits. They will be encouraging shoppers who show classic retail skills, such as friendliness and helpfulness, to apply for a job.
Potts said: “Our shoppers are the first to tell us how to improve what we do. So we know that encouraging them to come and work for us means they will help provide the best Christmas for Tesco customers.”
Vera Howland, a checkout operator at her local store, in Asford, Kent, is one of the workers who has been asked to be on the lookout for retail stars during her shifts.
She said: “We’re probably in the best position to check out our customers as so many pass through each day. You can get a good idea of whether they’d enjoy working in our stores by how friendly and chatty they are.”
