Bijay Sahoo, President - HR, Retail & Infotel, Reliance Industries Ltd. shares that hiring demand in retail sector would reach 17.6 million by 2022. He discusses hiring trends, skills and qualities required, future outlook, etc.
What are the hiring trends that you foresee for the retail industry this year?
Retail industry is on the eve of a second growth phase after the first phase was punctuated by the slowdown. Despite the uncertainties looming again on the economic landscape, I foresee major players expanding operations this year. This expansion will require talent in all retail functions including store operations, merchandising, supply chain and support functions such as Marketing, Finance, HR and IT. However, the industry will be cautious this time not to go overboard in recruiting based on long term growth projections. The hiring is likely to be closely aligned with annual business plans.
What are the major challenges that the industry is facing today?
At the macro-level, retail industry faces the challenge of bridging the gap between demand and supply of talent. According to a research report by NSDC on skill gap in the retail industry, the aggregate talent demand in Indian organised retail is projected to be 17.6 million by 2022. The current employment figure for the sector is roughly 0.6 million. Thus, on the demand side, we need 17 million additional employees in organised retail within a decade. In other words, for every employee we employ currently, we need to recruit, train and productively engage 28 additional employees in the next 10 years. It is not about finding people - it is more to do with skills, training and development investments all retailers have to commit to.
Since Indian economy is growing at a rapid rate of 7-9% per annum, there are opportunities for young Indians in multiple industries. Attracting talent in such a competitive scenario will be a big challenge.
Where do you see this industry headed in the next few years?
The industry will become more mature over the next few years. There are quite a few emerging trends one can notice. The organised retail will grow beyond metros and will expand greatly in the second and third tier cities. Retail will employ a large share of Indian workforce. The need to attract and develop large pool of talent within short span of time will stretch people development capabilities of retailers. We will have to show the same ingenuity and drive in developing people that Indian IT and BPO industries demonstrated in the last decade. During initial period, we need to invest in experienced expat talent to fast forward the business while developing Indian talent.
What specific skill set (training, qualification, certification, projects handled etc.) do you seek in a candidate looking for job in the retail sector?
Our approach is to recruit freshers at the associate trainee, graduate trainee and management trainee levels and develop them to assume higher responsibilities over time. We do look for basic educational qualification and minimum required aptitude at all the three levels of intake.
However, above all, we emphasise on value orientation of the individual. We hire intelligent people who are aligned to our values of being hardworking, honest, humble and helpful. Retail is a service industry touching day-to-day lives of customers. Value orientation is critical for superior customer service and delightful client experience.
Apart from core competencies, tell us about personal qualities in a candidate that impress you the most.
The most important thing in this industry is customer service, which makes service orientation the most important personal quality for success in retail. We often say, ‘Hire for smiles and train for skills’.
How important is it for hiring managers to test the overall fit of a candidate with the company’s culture?
Cultural fit is very important for the success of employees in any organization. Organised retail is ultimately all about service and consistency. The consistency and reliability of customer experience depends on standardised processes and shared values.
What advice would you like to give to fresh graduates applying for jobs in the retail industry?
Retail industry has enormous opportunities for youngsters who have the right attitude. This is the only industry globally where we have ubiquitous examples of people who join as associates and rise to become director or CEO. If you focus on the goal, work hard with service orientation and continuously move up the learning curve, sky is the limit for you in retail sector.
(Source-: shine.com)