Discussion of H&W Produce
This paper aims to use the results of a job analysis for the position of “salesperson” at the organization H&W Produce to draft a new recruitment and selection program.
H&W Produce is a wholesale store chain that primarily sells fruits and vegetables. The company is locally owned and community-driven, which implies a business model that relies on a specific population to make a profit (H&W Produce, n.d.) However, this model also makes H&W Produce dependent on the local community since it is the main source of customers. The company’s staff has a high turnover rate due to the entry-level status of the majority of its jobs. Therefore, most of the vacancies are filled by young people. The marketing strategy of H&W Produce accentuates lower prices for fresh produce, as the business slogan is “Spend Less for Fresh”.
The company is based exclusively in Alberta, with no subsidiaries working in other provinces. In total, there are six stores, five of which operate in Edmonton and one in Calgary. The opening of a store in Calgary was a significant milestone for the business since it was the first time it expanded beyond Edmonton. The revenue of H&W Produce constitutes $4.9 million, while the number of employees is 26 (H&W Produce company profile, n.d.). On average, 300 customers frequent each store daily, although this number differs depending on the season. On holidays, the average foot traffic may be as high as 1000 people per day. H&W Produce sells more than fifty types of fruits and vegetables and around twenty variations of herbs and exotics.
Strengths of H&W Produce include customer loyalty and demand for the company’s products. Being a community-driven business, it has a stable supply of clients who frequent the same store. As shopping is a habitual behavior, many people choose H&W Produce over other alternatives, which determines the influx of customers. At the same time, the products sold by the company are in demand due to the increasing popularity of the healthy lifestyle. Vegetables and fruits are essential choices in this regard. Naturally, H&W Produce experiences the most profitable sales during summer, as the temperature is high and increased demand for water consumption leads people to purchase fruits. As long as the company can ensure a steady supply of fruits and vegetables that are competitively priced, its business model will be profitable.
Weaknesses of H&W Produce include dependence on local demand and the absence of outside investments. The company’s orientation on a specific populace underscores a potential threat of competition. If, at some point, a similar business with cheaper prices opens up, it will drain the company’s customer base. At the same time, the company has no other sources of income except for selling fruits. Being a locally owned company, it lacks financial attractiveness, which discourages investors from supporting the business. As a result, H&W Produce has to compensate by adapting to local demand. The company attempts to overcome this issue by expanding into Calgary, but the majority of revenues still stem from sales in Edmonton.
Discussion of Salesperson’s Tasks, Skills, and Abilities
Salesperson’s Tasks
The first task was ensuring that a sufficient number of products were on shelves. Before the store could open, it was necessary to check all the missing fruits and vegetables and refill them. It was also a routine inspection during the workday, as the number of products reduced as customers bought them. Three times a day, I had to monitor the shelves and refill the missing products. This routine was essential in creating the impression of a large selection of fruits and vegetables for customers.
The second task was preserving the products that had a limited lifespan. While most fruits and vegetables could lie on shelves for days, some had to be put in a freezer during periods between working hours. For instance, cut melons are extremely sensitive to high temperatures. Therefore, I collected all such products at the end of each shift, checked their condition, and put them in the fridge. This way, I helped the company preserve its produce and maintain it in an appropriate shape.
The third task was offloading trucks with newly arrived products. Each day, the store would receive a fresh supply of fruits, vegetables, exotics, and herbs, which had to be carried from trucks to the shelves or fridges. As a result, one time each day, I had to carry boxes of fruits and vegetables, which would then be distributed to the hall or the storage area. This task was essential to ensuring that the company’s logistics were swift and timely.
The fourth task was working as a cashier and processing customers’ orders. Before I could begin, I needed to open a cash box in case the clients wanted to pay in cash. I had to weigh each plastic bag with products and calculate the resulting price. After charging the customers, I ensured the accuracy of payments, gave them receipts, and checked the remaining cash. This was the most important position since it required me to participate directly in selling activities.
The fifth task was maintaining a clean environment on the shelves. As fruits and vegetables decayed, some of them would inevitably become misshaped. In other cases, inner juice would leak, spoiling the nearby products and the shelves. Finally, sometimes customers would go inadvertently squeeze a tomato. While monitoring the condition of shelves, I had to clean any dirt and remove all products that were no longer purchasable. This task demonstrated the company’s commitment to maintaining the store and all products in a proper state.
The sixth task was directing customers to the products they needed. As I participated in the preparation of the hall for the workday, I knew exactly where each product was. I answered each customer whether the piece of fruit they desired was available and showed them where it lay. By providing directions to visitors, I ensured the commitment of the company to communication-based customer service.
The seventh task was packing online orders, which was another service offered by the company. I was required to find the appropriate products and put them together in a container. Once the package was ready, I handed it to the courier, who would deliver it to the customer directly. Each order had to be made with caution since there was a probability of mistakes due to high overload.
The eighth task was communicating with unsatisfied and openly critical customers. There were numerous occasions when customers would ask for compensation for the low quality of products sold to them. However, my instruction was to ascertain at what point the defect became apparent. If the customer insisted that they bought an apple that had already been in poor condition, I would refer the customer to the manager.
Salesperson’s Skills and Abilities
The first skill that was required for the job was the ability to multitask. At any point, I could be asked to address a sudden issue, such as talking to a dissatisfied customer or cleaning the counter, while I was in the middle of performing other duties. Naturally, as soon as the distraction was handled, I had to return to my original activity and complete it. The better I could combine different tasks, the more I would succeed in accomplishing all my established objectives.
The second ability that was essential was attention to detail. Many activities, from spotting fruits that were no longer in a proper condition to cleaning, had many nuances. For instance, if I missed a soft spot on a tomato because it lay on the other side, it could result in affecting other vegetables on the counter. Due to the sheer number of fruits and vegetables, there were always some defects. As a result, it was important for me to develop the habit of paying attention to details.
The third ability was physical endurance, which was not really a job requirement, but it did help me. Throughout the day, I constantly found myself carrying a heavy container, cleaning a counter, or rushing to meet an angry customer. As these activities were compiled, I felt exhausted by the end of the workday. General fitness makes all these challenges significantly less strenuous and sustains energy levels.
The fourth skill is quickly calculating numerical equations in one’s mind. Although there is always a computer or a cell phone nearby that would help with calculations, it does help to be able to count the amount of money needed on one’s own. For instance, while working as a cashier, it is important to quickly withdraw the needed sum in cash, which is slower if one’s mathematical abilities are not sufficient.
The fifth skill is the ability to maintain a positive attitude in the face of angry customers and large work overload. A large part of the job is communicating with customers, and it is extremely important that the salesperson has an appropriate mood. The ability to make a smile and control facial expressions is critical in interacting with other people and ensuring that they continue frequenting the store. Ultimately, a positive attitude is the defining characteristic of proper customer service.
Salesperson’s Job Standards and Working Conditions
In general, there are no particular and precise job standards for a salesperson. Instead, it is essential for a person that his skills and abilities, such as physical and emotional endurance, excellent communication skills, multitasking in a time-sensitive manner, and attentiveness, allow him to work during a day performing identified tasks successfully. In relation to working conditions, they do not differ in comparison with work in other retail shops. Thus, the main challenges will be noise from people, working indoors, and a potentially stressful environment due to a rapid pace.
Recruitment and Selection Program for H&W Produce
As the majority of employees are young people who need to gain work experience or earn money, the company has a high employee turnover rate. Within a period of one week, up to five individuals can start working for several days and quit. Therefore, setting up training courses for newcomers is not a reasonable option. First, there are no responsibilities that would require advanced knowledge or practice for the position of salesperson. Anyone with basic education can start working with minimal instructions. Second, there is a high probability that the person will decide that the job does not appeal to them and quit. Instead, it is important to develop a recruitment and selection program that would target the main issue – finding people who would perform the duties and stay.
The main method of seeking job candidates is external recruitment. H&W Produce is relatively immune to the downsides of external recruitment identified by Fassina et al. (2019) due to the nature of the position. First, the company is accustomed to new faces who may or may not stay. Second, the recruitment process is not expensive, as most of the candidates respond first. Third, there is no strict corporate culture to become acquainted with. All work practices are universal for any fruit store, which enables a softer entrance for newcomers. Fourth, the larger exposure to the high number of candidates will likely yield people who are fitting and will stay at some point. Considering that the overall employee number is 26, the company is more interested in finding the few candidates that fit the job fully rather than many who are not as compatible.
The main recruitment method is walk-ins and write-ins, which presuppose that job seekers approach the employer on their own. The easiest option is to hang a board on a window with “help wanted” written on it. Write-ins apply to people who would like temporary employment but are not in the physical vicinity. The most likely candidates are domestic or foreign students who need a summer job. It is important to understand that young people are the primary candidates for the position of salesperson. Therefore, it would be useful to accentuate those individuals 17-20 years old are preferred. It is also possible to use advertising via the company’s website. The current page has no mention of vacancies, even though it would likely help a foreign job seeker who looks for vacancies via Google Maps. Once they see the store with open vacancies, they can immediately click on the link to the company’s website and ensure that vacancies are there. It is also beneficial to attract candidates with selling points that emphasize the appropriateness of this position for first work experience.
Job requirements for the position of a salesperson are not different from other similar openings. First, the worker has to know the English language since interaction with customers is an essential part of the job. Second, there are no education requirements aside from completing middle school. It is important that the candidate can count or work with electronic devices that would compensate for their lack of math skills. Third, the candidate has to be a well-versed communicator, which does not necessarily imply language command. In reality, the way a person can articulate ideas and attitudes via non-verbal means is more important than having proper grammar. In selling, a substantial part of the interaction is psychological since the customer’s decision to buy a certain product is greatly influenced by the salesperson’s behavior. Fourth, the candidate has to be stress-resilient, since a large workload will demand constant attention. However, psychological resilience is even more important in communicating with customers. In many cases, they can be dissatisfied with the price or condition of the product, which places certain pressure on the salesperson.
Aside from these four points, there are other job-specific requirements. The candidate has to be ready to work full-day, which implies that they should live in the same area. No preference should be given to either ethnicity or gender, as these criteria are not ethical. Previous experience is not required since it is an entry-level job. Furthermore, hiring newcomers without prior experience in the wholesale industry might be preferable. Without having other workplaces to compare with, these young people will likely stay in the position longer. Finally, the candidates have to value customer service since communication with clients requires respect and patience in regard to consumer needs.
The recruitment process is followed by the selection process, which sorts the best candidates for a specific job. As interviews nor employment tests cannot yield enough information to the employer about how well the job seeker will perform as a salesperson, it is necessary to judge them by their actual performance. Subsequently, it is reasonable to look at them over the course of one week, during which they will be evaluated by the manager. Essentially, their trial period is a long performance test that the manager makes to make a decision.
Once the applicant starts the trial period, they are assessed by a number of criteria. First, the manager should see whether superiors or peers express dissatisfaction with the new hire (Fassina et al., 2019). In order to ascertain this emotion, it is important to ensure feedback from other employees. Before the applicant can start working, the manager should ask staff to observe the new hire and comment on their behavior and performance. Peer feedback is valuable since it will showcase aspects that the applicant might want to conceal from the employer, such as mistakes and delays.
At the end of each workday, the manager should talk with the new applicant and explain their mistakes. The next day will show whether the candidate is willing to listen to the manager and pay attention to areas where missteps have been made or not. Either outcome will inform the manager how well the new hire responds to criticism. If the applicant takes the comments into consideration and does not make the same mistake again, it is a sign that they learn and are observant. However, if the same mistake persists, the manager will know that the new hire is either inconsiderate or irresponsible. The most likely selection outcome, in this case, is the termination of the trial process.
Another indication of the candidate’s suitability is the duration of the trial period. Although the average length is one week, the manager may decide to make a decision before or after seven days. This is important since monitoring the performance of a new arrival is also taxing on the manager’s time and attention (Fassina et al., 2019). The more unclear aspects about the applicant there are, the more time the manager needs to make a decision. However, sometimes, it is more cost-effective to terminate the trial period of such a candidate and switch to another person who is more consistent in the behavior.
Customer feedback is another source of information that can be sued to make a selection decision. Any time a client leaves a comment, whether it is positive or negative, the manager is notified. It is usually evident to whom the comment was addressed or who is responsible for the subsequent feedback. Although positive customer feedback involving the new arrivals is unlikely due to the later inexperience, it is possible that they will be mentioned by the customer. Depending on the content of the feedback, the manager may see that the new hire can be guided to correct the mistake. Alternatively, it is also possible to see a red flag that will convince the manager that the applicant does not fit the job. The absence of feedback can also be informative, indicating that the new hire is not motivated enough to impress the customer, which is not a positive sign.
Naturally, the selection process should be done in accordance with business ethics. The manager should make all observations as subtle as possible in order to relieve the psychological pressure put on the applicant. The staff should be instructed to remain friendly toward new faces regardless of their gender, ethnicity, and social status. Furthermore, the manager should ensure that workers do not abuse their experience by making the new hire perform additional duties. If all these conditions are met, the selection process will be free of biases and will provide objective information on the applicant’s suitability.
When the trial period ends, the manager should make the final decision on whether to sign an employment contract with the candidate or not. However, successfully passing the trial period is not a guarantee that the new employee will stay. It is more likely that they will quit as soon as a more profitable opportunity appears. Therefore, the selection process should also screen for people who are likely to continue working in the future. The most accurate indicators are the hire’s lack of experience, which will keep them on the job longer, and the enthusiasm to exceed initial expectations. Combined, these steps constitute a recruitment and selection program to help H&W Produce resolve its employee turnover issues.
References
Fassina, N., Uggerslev, K., Schwind, H. F., Wagar, T. H. (2019). Canadian human resource management. McGraw-Hill Education.
H&W Produce. (n.d.).
H&W Produce company profile. (n.d.). Web.