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THEPERSONNELTOUCH C-Store Employees Talent Pool Top tier or bottom of the barrel? O Terry McKenna is principal and co-founder of Employee Performance Strategies, Inc. (EPS), based in Chantilly, Va. You can contact him at (888) 788-9090 or perform@eps-i.com. NE OF THE MANY THINGS I ENJOY ABOUT the holidays is that I have some time away from the business to reflect on the past year.There was one comment that repeated itself last year among several of our clients and conversations in general at industry functions. That comment was, “The c-store industry doesn’t attract the best job candidates.We seem to attract the type of employees who can’t get a better job else- where.”Do you believe that statement? If you do, then rest assured your belief will certainly manifest itself into your reality. No, this column is not about the law of attraction and the powers of our minds and the universe. Although I will say this, our clients with the best store employees don’t believe in the afore- mentioned statement. They operate from a more positive/optimistic employ- ee mindset. You get what you expect in life, right? What employee mindset does your company employ as your mental operating system? WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO ATTRACT TOP TALENT? I’ve been in this business too long to be naïve. And don’t rush to look at my photo that accompanies this column to try to figure out my age! Let’s just say I’m younger than my business partner and sis- ter, Linda McKenna-Welch. Now I’m sure to get a phone call from Mom. In terms of attracting the best job candidates, working in a c-store is not as sexy or glamorous as working at Best Buy or Abercrombie & Fitch. Younger job candidates, like the Millennial gen- eration, associate their self-image with the type of job they have. Meaning, what will their friends think of them working in a c-store? Although this image perception is more pronounced among Millennials, this “c-store perception” is something that affects all job candidates. You know the perception I’m taking about: 1) job of last resorts, 2) dead-end job, 3) job not a career, 4) no training or skill development. Dead- end job? Most job candidates think your business www.npnweb.com NPN Magazine consists solely of the store they just applied for. They have no idea there may be potential career opportunities within your company beyond the transaction counter.Whose fault is that? MANAGING PERCEPTION If you’re not attracting top job candidates to your stores, the type of candidates who possess the compe- tencies and capabilities that will enable you to drive your business strategy, what are you doing about it? I’ve yet to see complaining as an effective strategy. Channel the energy your expending complaining and thinking about the problem and redirect it towards crafting a strategy that will change things. For example, in all your recruiting efforts, things like, advertising, website, job application, job inter- view, and store employees who can serve as a recruit- ing army for you,do you incorporate the WIIFM fac- tor? WIIFM: What’s In It For Me? The WIIFM answers the all-important question from the job can- didate’s perspective, “Why should I work for you?” The convenience industry as a whole can do a better job of answering the WIIFM question. Price of entry WIIFM components include compensation and benefits. Make sure your competitive in these two areas. The biggest WIIFM that you want to communicate is Transferrable Skill Development; skills that are portable that can be applied in any job in any industry that lead to success. Here’s a c-store specific list of transferable skills to incorporate into your recruiting efforts: • Interpersonal Skills • Customer Service • Conflict Management • Salesmanship • Teamwork • Merchandising & Retailing • Accounting One final thought: If we truly believe that work- ing in a c-store attracts the “bottom of the barrel” job candidates, how many CEOs, presidents, mar- keting managers, director of operations, district managers, and category managers, started out work- ing as a cashier in a c-store? I rest my case! MARCH 2011 13