Hiring Retail Employees with Honesty in Mind

In the competitive retail market, offering great customer service is a key factor to your business’s success. When it comes time to add a new member to your team, it can be challenging to find the right person—especially if you don't have an HR department dedicated to supporting and completing the task. The hiring process can be costly and take valuable time away from helping customers. You may also be challenged by only having a small pool of interested candidates with limited availability. Because of these reasons, it is more critical than ever to hire and retain the best possible employees.

When you think about what makes a good employee, work experience and education often come to mind. Both are important and should be considered, but honesty can be equally important. Although there is no way to ensure a candidate is honest, there are actions you can take to increase the likelihood of hiring a trustworthy employee. Listed below are five steps you can take to hire with honesty in mind:   

1. When advertising a job opening, indicate clearly in the posting that you are looking for a candidate who is honest and has integrity. This will set an expectation from the very beginning and let all candidates know your business is serious about integrity. 

2. Have every candidate complete a job application, even if they have a good resume. Make sure your company's application is as thorough as possible. Review completed applications to ensure they were filled out properly and signed. Ask follow-up questions if you find any red flags.   

According to an article by Forbes, 70% of workers admitted they have lived on their resumes. The article further stated that the most common lies are related to the following:  

• Embellished responsibilities, 52% 

• Job title, 52%

• Employment dates, 37% 

• Awards or accolades, 13%

• Academic degree, 11% 

3. Ask honesty-related questions during the interview process. These questions can help you determine a candidate's honesty and gain some insight into how he or she may handle certain ethical situations.  

4. Contact references and complete criminal background checks on new hires. Make sure candidates know you will be completing these checks as part of the hiring process, which may discourage some dishonest candidates from applying. Reference checks can be a valuable resource, providing insight from a perspective you can’t get any other way. 

5. Make hiring honest employees a priority for your business. Have a list of desired values you are looking for in future employees and don’t settle.    

Having a team of employees you can trust is worth the extra effort and will save you time and money in the long run. Being able to hire and retain good talent means your business can spend less time hiring and more time focused on what’s important—your customers.