Florist News

I've been advertising a job for a trained florist for 8 months and have not had 1 applicant!!! I'm not asking for qualifications just a nice friendly personality a bit of shop experience and somone who will be able to cope if i had a lunch break as i haven't had one for a year and a half!
Where are all these florists who say they can't get a job, I wish i could find one!

I live in essex - I have no shop experience which is prob why I cant get a job, catch 22 situation! Hope you have a lunch break soon!!

Hi Elaine just an idea but you could try ringing your local college and speak to the floristry department they always have students willing to take jobs. When I worked at our college we would always recommend the students who were in our opinion the better workers and able to cope on their own. Hope this helps

Hi Elaine, you poor thing!!
Where do all the florists go after college?
We put a big 'A' board outside the shop advertising the vacancy, that had more response than any other.
wish you all the best.

Hi, I did try one collage and they told me that I had to get the staff and then send them to collage and not the other way around! very strange i thought, there is one more for me to try though although its about an hour away.

Its really hard trying to get someone who might take the job seriously and not just want something to do before going off to collage to do something else or the 60 year old who does a lovely carnation arrangement for the local church and obviously knows more about floristry than you because shes been making these arrangements in a pin holder for years! Ha ha

Hi Elaine,
How I empathise with you, when my best florist left last year to move up north I was devastated and had a nightmare trying to replace her. I ended up taking on a lady going into her 2nd year, her portfolio was great and she did a really good interview, though she had never worked in a shop she seemed an ideal candidate to train up - hmm how wrong can you be. Her work can be good but she is really slow and her customer skills are terrible and despite intensive training with her I feel I'm getting nowhere. Christmas and Valentines was a nightmare with her, she completely panicked over everything, I kept her at the back of the shop with easy orders to do but even doing a simple gift wrap she lost it. She has definately cost me money because others have had to stay late to complete the orders she couldn't do. I now have the dubious task of sitting her down and telling her that she will make a great flower arranger but never a florist and thats going to be tough because despite everything she's a lovely lady. The only thing thats kept me sane is that my lovely gal that went up north is back - albeit on a semi temporary basis but I will endeavour to keep her even if it means stapling her feet to the floor Moral of the story however desperate you are be very, very careful. I hope you find someone soon.

Breezy

Elaine,

I had the same problem here in Ireland, advertisign for florists for over 8 months without anything - plenty of flower arrangers but no forists applying with me.

So I contacted a number of recruitment agencies in Poland and I wan overwhelmed by the response, great candidates, plenty of retail experience, hard working. I am going to bring over 2 or 3 to work in my florist and garden centre.

It seems strange to brign someone over from eastern europe to fill a flroist vacancy but the recruitment companies do all the initial spade work for you and they send you CV's - do a phone interview with them first to gauge their english and then bring them over for a month trial.

It is the only way I will be recruiting staff from now on. Any I have had in the past have been more than excellent.

__________________
Gareth Austin
1800 MyFlorist
www.myflorist.ie
www.flowersinahurry.ie
www.designerflorist.ie

Have to agree Gareth last year we had a girl from Latvia absolutely brillant worker and so clean and tidy also did really nice floristry they will work their socks of also have helped a friend out evenings time permitting before xmas who had a girl from Romania thought I was quick doing handties for every 3 I did she di 5 show them a picture and you will have it in less that 5 mins. Don't begrudge any of these girls work but the more we employ I reckon there will be less work for our kids/grandkids someone loses out. Rach

Hi Gareth/Rach

That sounds like my only option if things carry on the way they are, god knows how we'll cope with mothers day we're just getting busier and busier there's only 3 of us at Valentines we cut the delivery area which ended up being more profitable because we got more delivered and got super organised, Mothers Day is fast approaching (too fast) even my dutch man was looking pale at the thought of it today! and i'm feeling the rising panic in my stomach, it'll be ok (I keep telling myself!)
Last year I worked all night on the sat and said i'd never let it happen again, a year on and i'm still in the same possition.

Elaine;
How lucky you are to have THREE staff!
I'm soldiering on on my own these days and have to call in the cavalry (Wife) when the going gets really tough. Yes, Mother's Day is going to be a nightmare as was Valentines. Luckily, daughter has passed her driving test and managed to deliver a lot of the local orders. Working all night is par for the course, but don't know what we'll do for a midnight snack now that the French Restaurant cross the road has closed down. Caffeine sandwich?