7-Eleven is Australia’s largest convenience chain with more than 670 stores across Victoria, New South Wales, Australian Capital Territory, Queensland and Western Australia.

7-Eleven Australia is Australia’s second largest private company, with 40 years’ experience in retail and franchising.

The network is made up of mostly franchised stores, with corporate stores making up approximately 10 per cent. The company’s newly established corporate store network is providing great opportunities to test and try new programs and initiatives before they are rolled out to benefit franchisees’ businesses.

One of the key initiatives rolled out to the business from the corporate network is the company’s group recruitment and induction program.

Sharon Beaumont, General Manager People and Talent, said that the group recruitment and induction program available to franchisees can reduce the time it takes to hire and induct, and help improve the quality of the new hires.

“Having excellent employees is a key for success for any business. We wanted to help our franchisees to recruit and train great team members, but to reduce the time and administration involved so that franchisees could focus on growing their businesses,” Ms Beaumont said.

“We run group recruitment sessions throughout the year in various locations, where a wide range of centrally screened candidates are invited to attend.

Franchisees also attend the recruitment centres where they interact with candidates and can make a decision to hire based on the capabilities and attributes demonstrated.

Franchisees can also opt in for their new team member to attend a two day induction that covers the paperwork and mandatory training to be store ready. The team members complete on the job training with their employer, but this initial training program gives them the knowledge and skills they need for a strong start in their new role,” she said.

According to National Manager Corporate Stores, Marc Costabile, the group recruitment sessions are a great way to assess which candidates are likely to be a good fit for the in-store roles.

“Our team members, through the friendly service they provide to our customers and the high operational standards that they deliver, are critical to a store being successful. The group recruitment sessions are designed to be a fun and interactive way for us to spend time with the applicants, and through the activities, see who has the potential to be a wonderful team member in our business,” Mr Costabile said.

Mr Costabile said the quality of the candidates recruited through the program has been really beneficial to stores, and supports the continued expansion of the 7-Eleven network, by making recruiting faster and simpler.

“Group recruitment gives us access to a wide talent pool very quickly. What you are looking for in potential team members is their ability to be great retailers. The group recruitment process has seen people applying to work in 7-Eleven stores from diverse backgrounds, from single parents looking for some part time work, university students looking to supplement their income, or people looking for a career in retail that see 7-Eleven as a great choice.

“This diversity of team members has delivered some great results in our stores through the service these team members provide, and the standards they deliver,” Mr Costabile said.

For more information about the 7-Eleven franchise model and the support it provides, click here.