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Category: Mystery Shopping

Tales From The Hiring Front

 

Job seekers know that the landscape is competitive, and it’s important to stand out when applying for a job. As a hiring manager, you may have seen some interesting tactics job candidates may use to achieve their goal of standing out and staying front and center during the hiring process.

 

CareerBuilder recently surveyed hiring managers to learn more about ways candidates have tried to make themselves memorable – some were good and ended up landing them a job, while others, while I’m sure talked about within the company, did not lead to gainful employment.
What have some managers seen? Based on the results from the CareerBuilder survey, here are some ways candidates ended up landing the job:

1. Candidate contracted a billboard outside of employer’s office.

2. Candidate gave a resume on a chocolate bar.

3. Candidate showed up in a suit with a red T-shirt underneath a white shirt. The red T-shirt had a message – “Hire me, I work hard.”

4. Candidate asked to be interviewed in Spanish to showcase his skills.

5. Candidate crafted the cover letter like an invitation to hire her rather than a request (similar to a wedding invitation).

6. Candidate climbed on a roof the employer was repairing and asked for a job.

7. Candidate performed a musical number on the guitar about why he was the best candidate.

8. Candidate volunteered to help out with making copies when he saw interviewer’s assistant was getting frazzled.

9. Candidate repaired a piece of company’s equipment during the first interview.

10. Candidate sent a message in a bottle.

 

Now for some techniques that weren’t as effective:

 

1. Candidate back-flipped into the room.

2. Candidate brought items from interviewer’s online shopping wish list.

3. Candidate sent a fruit basket to interviewer’s home address, which the interviewer had not given her.

4. Candidate did a tarot reading for the interviewer.

5. Candidate dressed as a clown.

6. Candidate sent interviewer some beef stew with a note saying “Eat hearty and hire me J.”

7. Candidate placed a timer on interviewer’s desk, started it, and told interviewer he would explain in 3 minutes why he was the perfect candidate.

8. Candidate sent interviewer a lotto ticket.

9. Candidate wore a florescent suit.

10. Candidate sent in a shoe to “get their foot in the door.”

 

If you’ve ever been responsible for hiring within your company, what have you seen? Please feel free to share with the community – we always love to hear your stories!

 

 

 

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Give Franchises Tools For Success

 

As companies grow, it can be difficult to endure the “growing pains” that come along with it, and franchising a business is no exception. Franchise owners are provided support and guidance, especially in the beginning, and providing ongoing support and tools to be successful will help them be successful while maintaining consistency across all locations.

 

One trend we’re seeing is offering customer experience measurement service tools to franchise owners, Area Developers, and Territory Managers within companies nationwide. This can come in the form of offering mystery shopping and customer feedback tools for franchises to monitor their progress, ensure they are adhering to corporate policy, and give peace of mind to those at the corporate level as they begin to grow.

 

Many larger companies will contract with a provider that offers such tools and secure a discounted rate for services. Once that is in place, corporate can offer these services to franchises at that reduced rate. Some may opt to use their own, internal, program, or contract with another provider for similar services. Offering a uniform set of tools, however, provides many benefits to all, including:

 

1. Cost effective programs: because pricing is reduced for the company, franchise owners can take advantage of the lower price points, making it more cost effective than seeking out services individually.

 

2. Monitor health of franchise locations: if desired, those at the corporate level will have access to the data from mystery shopping and feedback programs for all locations. This will allow corporate to ensure that standards and operational procedures are being met. It also gives the franchise owners a gauge of how they are doing compared to other locations, as the reporting capabilities allow for location vs company trending and analysis.

 

3. Identify where support is needed: often times the results of these programs can shed light on additional areas where support may be needed to help a franchise owner be successful. This may come in the form of additional training and education, or assistance with marketing and promotional materials.

 

Companies who offer these tools to their franchises have reported success. Franchise owners and Area Managers have taken advantage of these programs and reported that the data collected is extremely useful in gauging success and identifying challenges across locations.

 

These tools can also be used as a discussion guide during corporate meetings, franchise teleconferences, or other similar meeting opportunities Franchises can share their experiences and results from these measurement programs, and together can get feedback and share best practices, often times with guidance at the corporate level, to help each owner be successful.

 

Does your company offer customer experience measurement tools/services to franchise locations? Feel free to share how your company does this, and how successful it has been for your company.

 

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Mystery Shopping Has Its Limits

 

Mystery shopping programs provide a wealth of information, from staff performance to competitive intelligence. Having an objective, third party vendor providing this information is more valuable and effective than trying to conduct an in house program.

 

That being said, there are limits as to what a mystery shopping program can provide. One example is the case of an inquiry for emergency room evaluations. The inquiry seemed simple enough – evaluating the effectiveness of an urgent care triage system. However, the criteria that was to be used required mystery shoppers to feign a medical emergency, ranging from a potentially sprained ankle to chest pain. This went beyond the scope of what is possible on many levels – in this situation, it would require shoppers to go beyond what is typical of a shop and put themselves in an unwanted situation. Furthermore, in the case of medical care, mystery shopping programs cannot interfere with the health of the general public.

 

Another example is the case of theft. There are times when parking facilities or event businesses that offer valet parking will ask if shoppers can leave money or other valuable items in their car to evaluate if they are still there when they return. Again, this puts shoppers in a precarious situation, especially if their valuables are NOT there upon return, and it also creates a legal situation that goes beyond the scope of mystery shopping.

 

If there are situations, especially in the case of potential theft or fraud, that are of concern, it’s wise to speak with your mystery shopping provider to determine what can and cannot be done. If it falls outside of the range of the program, the company can offer recommendations in the way of a  PI firm or other avenues in which to monitor for these types of concerns.

 

 

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