With more than 45 stores across Australia and New Zealand, and 300 staff in Australia alone, luxury retailer HUGO BOSS needs to hire the right people to represent the brand. As HR head Alicia Gangell explains, even one unsuitable hire could tarnish the brand’s reputation and hurt the bottom line.
No size fits all
Just like their designer clothing, there’s no one-size-fits-all when HUGO BOSS recruits new staff. Head of Human Resources at HUGO BOSS, Alicia Gangell, says staff need to reflect and promote the brand’s premium status to a wide range of people.
“We offer a premium product. Shopping in one of our stores should be a memorable experience,” says Alicia. “The staff also reflect our customers, with diverse backgrounds and ages.”
But it’s not enough to simply have a passion for fashion. People who work for the retail industry giant are also expected to put the company’s corporate values – quality, passion, respect, cooperation and innovation – into action.
Alicia says this is important because,
“Our employees represent a brand, and they are role models for our company’s core values.”
Industry challenges
Despite its efforts to set itself apart from its competitors, HUGO BOSS still faces the same challenges as the rest of the industry. One of those challenges is retail shrinkage – a term which covers theft and administrative errors.
According to the 2015 Global Retail Theft Barometer, around 39 per cent of Australian retail shrink in 2014/15 was due to shoplifting. A further 25 per cent was due to employee theft.
HUGO BOSS has a range of measures in place to address these security issues, one of which is a thorough recruitment process.
Rigorous recruiting
With more than 300 staff in Australia alone, recruitment is an ongoing activity for HUGO BOSS.
“Our selection process is quite rigorous,” says Alicia.
“First off is an initial phone interview or video interview, then if we feel the candidate is suitable, they are invited to attend a face-to-face interview. At this stage, if they are successful we go ahead with employment checks.”
Because the process is so intensive, HUGO BOSS works with CVCheck to screen their job applicants.
Alicia explains, “Candidates are sent a link to CVCheck, where they upload their identification documents. A thorough check is then carried out on that individual. When the results come back within a few hours, we know whether that person is suitable or not.”
Alicia says the background checks are both cost-effective and reliable. “With the support of CVCheck, we are confident that we are employing the most suitable candidates for the business”.
