Hiring for one store is hard. Hiring for hundreds? That’s a different game entirely.
Volume hiring in retail brings unique challenges that traditional recruiting strategies simply weren’t built to handle. From siloed sourcing and inconsistent hiring standards to overloaded store managers juggling applications on top of daily operations—inefficiencies stack up fast.
Harver’s new white paper, Retail Volume Hiring in 2025: 6 Obstacles for Scaling Talent Acquisition, explores the top issues facing retailers today—and how the most forward-thinking brands are solving them.
In this blog, we’re highlighting three of the most urgent challenges in volume retail hiring, plus proven strategies to overcome them.
1. The Retail Talent Shortage Is Here to Stay
The problem: The supply of qualified retail workers isn’t keeping up with demand. And retailers aren’t just competing with each other anymore—they’re up against gig platforms, e-commerce fulfillment centers, and remote roles that offer more flexibility and appeal to younger generations.
On top of that, manual, location-specific hiring processes make it difficult to rebalance talent across store locations. One store may have too many applicants, while others go weeks without a qualified lead.
The solution: Expand your sourcing strategy and optimize how talent is distributed.
- Optimize job postings for local SEO
- Leverage social media recruiting to reach younger candidates
- Use programmatic job ads to get in front of high-intent job seekers
- Enable multi-location applications, so one candidate can be considered for multiple stores
- Use AI to predict workforce needs and reroute applicants where they’re needed most
2. High Turnover Is Crushing Productivity
The problem: Turnover in retail is nothing new—but that doesn’t make it any less costly. Many retailers lose new hires within their first 90 days. The most common reason? Misaligned expectations. Candidates accept jobs they don’t fully understand, only to leave once they realize the role isn’t what they thought it would be.
And while resumes remain the norm in retail hiring, they don’t paint a full picture—especially for hourly or entry-level roles. Resumes miss key retail traits like:
- Adaptability
- Customer service skills
- Communication
- Ability to handle fast-paced environments
The solution: Forward-thinking retailers are now shifting to predictive assessments to evaluate candidates based on potential, and better set expectations of the position.
- Situational Judgment Tests (SJTs) measure real-time decision-making
- Behavioral and Cognitive Assessments identify long-term fit and strengths
- Realistic Job Previews (RJPs) show candidates what to expect before they accept the job
It’s time to meet candidates where they are—and match them based on who they are.
Stat to Know: 62% of Gen Z workers believe resumes will be obsolete by 2028.
Learn more about which pre-employment assessments are right for you.
3. Store Managers Are Overwhelmed
The problem: Store managers are expected to run the store, manage inventory, lead a team—and somehow handle hiring too. But without HR training or tools, hiring becomes an added burden that takes time away from driving sales and delivering great customer service.
From reviewing applications to chasing no-shows, the process is slow, inconsistent, and often leads to the wrong hires.
The solution: With the right tools in place, store managers can focus only on the most qualified candidates, while automation handles the rest.
- Automated resume screening filters out poor fits instantly
- AI-driven matching highlights the top applicants
- Self-scheduling tools eliminate the back-and-forth of coordinating interviews
- Mobile-friendly hiring tools that make on-the-go hiring possible
Stat to Know: Harver’s retail customers have reduced time to hire by 40% or more, simply with video interviewing and automated scheduling.
Want to Explore All 6 Volume Hiring Challenges?
Download the full white paper to learn how top retailers are also tackling:
- Slow time-to-hire
- Poor candidate experience
- Lack of data-driven decision-making
If you’re ready to modernize your hiring process and scale with confidence, this is the playbook you’ve been waiting for.
Get your copy of Retail Volume Hiring in 2025: 6 Obstacles for Scaling Talent Acquisition.
