Insider Reveals Strategies for Recruiting Elite Personnel at Food Lion
Modernizing Grocery Retail Hiring: Food Lion's Transformative Approach
Food Lion, a leading grocery retailer, is revolutionising its hiring and talent acquisition strategies to cater to the evolving labour market and attract top talent. Jessica Griffin, Food Lion's Talent Acquisition Manager, has spearheaded these changes, drawing on her background in the fast-paced tech world and certification as a career coach.
Griffin's innovative approach focuses on enhancing communication with potential employees, adapting to shifting labour market trends, and leveraging technology to streamline the hiring process.
Enhanced Candidate Engagement
Communication is key in Food Lion's new strategy. Griffin emphasises the importance of communicating with potential employees through methods beyond traditional means, such as text messaging, digital interviewing, and social media ads. This approach helps in attracting younger workers who often reject traditional formal retail roles.
Adapting to Changing Labour Market Trends
The grocery sector is facing difficulties in filling formal retail positions due to changing worker preferences. Griffin addresses this by shifting focus towards apprenticeships and niche skills that provide long-term career security. She also encourages making connections with potential candidates, even if they are not right for a specific role, to keep them in the pipeline for future opportunities.
Leveraging Technology for Efficient Hiring
Technology plays a significant role in Food Lion's hiring process. Griffin notes that small changes, such as using DocuSign, can have a substantial impact on the business. For instance, the offer process for hired candidates has been accelerated through the use of DocuSign, increasing the offer acceptance rate by 160%. Food Lion also uses Indeed Smart Sourcing to find the right talent more efficiently, reducing the time to find interested candidates from 45 days to 24 hours.
A Strategic Approach to Hiring
Griffin emphasises the need for grocery retailers to stress the opportunities available in the industry. She encourages being strategic in hiring, focusing on finding a special niche of people who are suitable for the company. She believes in making the hiring process easier, better, and more meaningful for both the company and the candidates.
Griffin documents data about potential candidates in SuccessFactors and advises her team to keep such candidates close through regular email contact. This approach has helped Food Lion reduce its turnover rate from 88% to 67%.
In conclusion, Food Lion's new hiring strategies are designed to attract and retain top talent by enhancing candidate engagement, adapting to shifting labour market trends, and leveraging technology to streamline the hiring process. This holistic approach helps Food Lion build skilled, motivated teams aligned with evolving market and technological realities.
Technology is used to streamline the hiring process at Food Lion, with the adoption of tools like DocuSign reducing the offer acceptance time and increasing efficiency. Food Lion also utilizes Indeed Smart Sourcing to find the right talent more efficiently, accounting for a significant reduction in the time to find interested candidates.
