How To Hire Employees Quickly

The effects of COVID-19 on the job market have been catastrophic for many with layoffs in the millions. For a few industries however, the need for employees has never been greater.

Since the coronavirus pandemic began:

• Grocery delivery service Instacart signed on 300,000 new workers to shop and deliver groceries, more than doubling its workforce of independent contractors.
• Walmart has added 150,000 new staffers to warehouses and stores, with promises to get some people into new jobs in a matter of hours.
• E-commerce giant Amazon plans to hire 100,000 new delivery and warehouse workers in the next few weeks to keep up with the online shopping demand.

According to economic experts, transportation and logistics hiring is up 7% in mid-March compared to mid-February! So, how can these retailers continue to meet their demand while hiring at an unprecedented pace?

Here are five methods to help you maintain your brand’s standards and recruit employees quickly.

5 Ways To Hire Employees Fast

With social distancing guidelines in place, the usual fast recruitment strategies (job fairs and large events) are off the table. Here are five new ways you can hire large numbers of people while staying six feet apart (or further).

Text To Apply

Before COVID-19, the fast-casual restaurant chain Chipotle brought text to apply programs into the mainstream. Almost everyone has access to a mobile device, which makes it easy and accessible to reach them with job openings, application information, and hiring materials in a matter of seconds.

All you have to do is set your business up with a text-enabled number like a short code, or an easy to remember six-digit number. With SimpleTexting you can access a short code for free.

Next, set up a keyword that prospects can text in to access your mobile job application. For example, Chipotle uses the keyword: CHIPJOBS.

Finally, advertise your new mobile application system far and wide letting folks know they can apply right from their phones. On your end, it’s as simple as texting a link via an autoresponder to your online application. The system will practically run itself!

When you’re ready to speak to some candidates, you can even send an interview invitation text message right from our platform.

Reengage Your Past Employee Network

Your HR department can most likely pull up records from all your past employees (excluding those who were terminated for infractions).

It’s not a bad idea to reach out to that list of folks are share your current situation. There’s a chance they might have been laid off and looking for work, or looking to pick up something part-time. Either way, going through your former employee network behooves you for a few reasons:

• If they’ve given you permission to text them, you can send out one message sent in bulk. This could yield a high return on a minimal time investment.
• If you are able to generate interest from past employees, you won’t have to spend as much time and money training them as they’re already familiar with your business.

Drive-Thru Interviews

There’s a reason the drive-thru for Chick-fil-A during lunch rush rivals even the hottest club in NYC. Not only do they save time, but they’re equally simple and organized for the employees and the customers.

Global grocery store chain Aldi was quick to adopt the drive-thru interview method for their Charlotte, NC locations filling empty parking lots with drive-up application stations where workers can pick up an application, fill it out in their vehicle, and drop it off at the next station where they’ll be processed and receive a decision before they leave the lot!

It’s all the efficacy of a job fair with the speed and sanitation needed during these unusual times.

Offer Referral Incentives

Similar to the utilization of your past employee network, another great tool is to leverage your current employees. When you’re in a bind and you need workers fast, you may want to offer some type of incentive, such as a bonus or small raise, for every new hire that comes directly from an internal referral.

This is a helpful tactic for a few reasons:

• There’s some added accountability when a current employee refers someone to you. It’s their name associated with the referral, so they’ll want to send you quality candidates to reflect positively on themselves.
• Your dollars are recycled back into your own team members as opposed to third-party job boards and advertising sites.

This strategy is also one you can set and forget. Once your staff knows about the program it can continuously run itself for as long as you offer it!

Create A Virtual Interview Module

When you’re hiring quickly or from a distance, you may not be able to host traditional face-to-face interviews as you normally would. However, thanks to digital tools such as Zoom, you can simulate a virtual interview experience.

This could take shape a few different ways:

• You could create a timed quiz to take the place of your typical interview questions. With an added tool like LockDown Browser in place, you can ensure there’s no cheating or web surfing to find answers.
  
• You could utilize interactive video software (common with online HR training materials) to go through mock scenarios that serve as your real-life interview evaluations.
  
• You can host a video interview with anywhere from 1-100 attendees!

The need to grow your workforce in response to increased demand is not a bad thing—but it is a challenge. At SimpleTexting, we’re excited to be a part of this wave of innovation and all the possibilities it entails.