Gatsby Valet reinvents recruitment with grassroots initiative

Finding top talent is always a challenge, and at Gatsby Valet, we’re always on the look-out for the best. 

 

As an organization built around integrity, professionalism, and a keen attention to detail, we work to build a team of like-minded individuals who are as passionate about the guest experience as we are. 

 

Taking recruitment beyond the traditional

While some job seekers search for postings through online job boards like Indeed or Kijiji, our recruitment team found there to be several challenges with this avenue. 

 

While the ease of use was a plus for both the employer and job seeker, we found that we were flooded with unqualified applicants, the majority of whom did not read the job requirements in detail. Some in fact did not even recall where/how they’d applied, making recruitment a time-consuming and frustrating endeavour. Since we are looking for candidates who are highly engaged and eager to join our dynamic organization, this type of candidate was not a fit. 

 

Rather than attracting individuals looking for a temporary position until a new opportunity presents, we want to reach and engage with job seekers who are interested in committing to an organization that values their skill set and provides them with an opportunity to learn, grow, and be a part of a winning team. 

 

To find these candidates, we went offline — a bold move in a highly digital age. As early adopters of technology ourselves within our business, we were curious to see how this new approach would play out, and the job seekers we would connect with.

 

The goal 

We wanted to generate applicants for Gatsby Valet by reaching a whole new potential candidate pool — especially those who may not have considered the niche industry of valet service in Toronto for themselves. 

The approach

We created larger-than-life signage promoting Gatsby as an employer of choice and opted to display them in a high-traffic public area, one that would allow us to generate an awareness of the Gatsby Valet brand and attract potential candidates to join our team. 

The signs were brought to Woodbine beach, placed near food vendors and washrooms and were manned by Gatsby Valet staff, there to greet and interact with passers by. They were also on standby to answer questions about the company and to promote it as an employer of choice. 

While this was a one-day event at this location, the grassroots awareness and recruitment will be mobile, appearing at new locations across the Greater Toronto Area. Our next stop? Look for our pop-up recruitment initiatives across Etobicoke and Mississauga in the coming weeks. 

Tracking success

To date, we’ve hired a number of individuals from this first grassroots recruitment outreach initiative and consider it a great successful first endeavour.

To better understand our success as we scale this initiative, we will be tracking our results in our internal customer relationship management (CRM) system.

We’re excited about not only meeting new people and introducing them to the Gatsby Valet brand and experience, but also reaching a previously untapped talent pool of individuals who would be an asset for our growing team. 

Look for our signs and staff at a pop-up location near you this summer and fall!