Background Interview on the Job Store of Berlin's transport company (BVG) in the Mall of Berlin: I ask Elena Erbes, Personalmarketing Manager, what the idea was, how they implemented it, and came out of it.
Over 1,600 visitors, 36 events, and more than 300 applications: these aren't the stats of a blue chip company's booth at a graduate fair but of a pop-up store by a public transportation company. Achieved in 18 days. Impressive!
Some say there is "no shortage of skilled workers," only a "shortage of courage and ideas," and when it comes to tram, bus, and subway staff, BVG goes all in and puts a lot on one card.
As you can imagine, such a campaign is neither logistically trivial nor paid for out of petty cash. And as Elena confirms, there is certainly a significant amount of pressure in recruiting. Because what if fewer people want to get up at night to drive our trams and buses? Courage and ideas are indeed in demand.
I was at the Mall of Berlin myself (a huge, very central mall near Potsdamer Platz) and have to say: It felt a bit surreal to enter a stylish-futuristic, neat shop next to a supermarket, drugstore, and stationary shop, which exists solely for BVG jobs. Almost like an Apple Store in yellow. And inside, HR professionals I usually only encounter in client meetings and conferences who here met the Berlin public unfiltered.
Is recruiting finally entering our physical everyday lives?
Twenty years ago, shopping in Germany meant going to the pedestrian zone, and to apply for jobs, one read newspapers and sent applications by mail.
Today, there's no escaping online offers. Advertising bombards us 24/7 and dominates browsers and phone screens. And personnel marketing follows suit: According to Potentialpark studies, around half of young people have seen jobs and career content on Instagram. How can an employer stand out?
This brings offline initiatives into focus. Are employers now going the opposite way and conquering shopping malls? Will job interviews after grocery shopping become normal?
Let's ask Elena Erbes, Personnel Marketing Manager at BVG and co-organizer of the Job Store:
Julian: Elena, how did the idea of the Job Store come about?
Elena: The idea initially arose in the middle of last year, similar to Deutsche Bahn and the Bundeswehr (German railway and military), to create a job store where potential applicants could drop by.
But it then evolved into a temporary pop-up idea because we said we also need to deploy employees for it.
Then it also has a nice pop-up character and is something unique, where you really have to come by because it's only there for that time. And we can use it as a pilot test.
Julian: How did you proceed?
Elena: Among other things, we asked the shopping centers because we needed a local store where people could reach us easily.
The location was only finalized in December. And then it went rapidly from December until the opening in April.
Julian: The mall is not exactly a train station. Why did you choose a shopping center?
Elena: Interestingly, it did not consistently meet with approval internally either. We got a lot of headwinds: Why in the mall? It's just tourists there!
But we wanted to go where we weren't expected.
Elena: In the mall, we rarely had visitors who wanted to buy a ticket or asked for a city map. That was very different from a previous event at Alexanderplatz station.
Julian: Did you have more registered visitors or walk-ins?
Elena: Both.
The events requiring registration were better attended than those where you could just drop by. We also didn't have a very high no-show rate.
And there were many who didn't come to the events but wanted information and applied directly. We worked closely with the Employment Agency, which sent their clients over.
There were also spontaneous walk-ins, but that was the smaller part.
And, which I think is super important, and we didn't expect this beforehand: a lot of internal employees. It was also about employee retention.
Julian: So it was less about people stumbling in with a shopping bag and suddenly going home with a job, and more about people coming to you consciously and purposefully?
Elena: Exactly. I would have thought it was the other way around, but that's interesting too.
We could have had a more prominent store space. But it was too small. And we were aware that a decision for a job is not an impulse decision.
So it was more important to us that the store was big enough for events. And then we put a lot of time and budget into communication beforehand so that people knew we were there. And it worked.
Landing Page of the BVG Job Store (in German): https://karriere.bvg.de/job-store
Julian: Was the three-week duration a good decision in hindsight?
Elena: Yes, it was definitely worth it. And we noticed that people adjusted to it. It tapered off a bit towards the end.
Julian: Were all the applications for jobs, or were some speculative?
Elena: The 300 applications break down into 180 actual applications and 120 who entered the talent pool. Our talent acquisition team can approach these 120 when suitable positions are posted online.
Julian: Did this meet your expectations?
Elena: From the beginning, we said our main goal was not to generate as many applications as possible. Most of them were for the driving service, which is good because we need a lot there.
But we also wanted to strengthen our employer brand outside of the driving service in the minds of the target groups.
We wanted to be more tangible and have visitors leave with a wow effect. This should last long-term. And then maybe applications will follow later.
Julian: How did you create this wow effect?
Elena: From experience, we know that people drop out of the application process, don't attend online tests, or interviews. So we said, we don't want to talk anyone into an application quickly, but inform transparently about our jobs and make ourselves approachable.
That's why many colleagues from different areas were there, so people could just talk to them.
Julian: And how did it work if I wanted to apply? Did I submit my resume or fill out the online form?
Elena: We did it with the applicants. We recorded the application for them or scanned their documents.
We could have said: Apply online. But we didn't want that at all. We wanted them to leave with a good feeling.
Julian: Did you also conduct interviews and assess participants on site?
Elena: Yes, we said if we do this, we get as much out of it as possible and involve our departments.
For the bus area, we conducted interviews on-site, which was new for us in such an environment. Our employee representatives were also there. And we conducted memory tests. So we checked almost everything except the visit to the company doctor.
Julian: What surprised you personally the most about the whole campaign?
Elena: I didn't expect it to be such a moment of pride for many employees. We were so focused on the external part that we only realized afterwards how well it was received by colleagues.
They came by and said: Wow, this looks beautiful! They took time to have coffee with us, share their experiences, and just look around.
Julian: And if someone wants to do a pop-up and experience event like this, what tips would you give them?
Elena: Plan as much time as possible.
The three months of preparation was very tight. We were three or four people. It was tough because we had other tasks.
And we didn't want it to look like we just had a consultation stand but nothing special to offer. The events were our USP.
So I would recommend thinking about what the USP is - despite the store character - and creating something that makes you tangible as an employer.
Julian: Maybe you could bring the European Tram Championships to Berlin... But seriously, would you repeat the Job Store?
Elena: As a team, we would say yes, with some distance, because we now know how it works. But we already have other ideas in the pipeline.
There was already a recruitment tram. Now we plan a recruitment bus that will visit various points in Berlin where you can apply. And not just for bus drivers but for all target groups.
But nonetheless, the store was successful for us, and we would do it again.
Julian: Did you have partners and providers who helped you? And can you say something about the costs?
Elena: Yes, our exhibition partner Better Day implemented the room concept with us. Everything had to be designed and built, from the floor to the walls.
And then, of course, our creative agency Die Botschaft, which helped us with pre-communication and imagery.
It was a very large investment, and the rent for the store was the smallest part. It probably cost more than ten career fairs, definitely a six-figure amount (in EUR), but it was worth it.
Julian: Your campaign is both recruiting and employer branding in one. Would you say the two areas are growing closer together?
Elena: Yes, we have indeed grown closer together in these areas. The personnel marketing team alone has almost tripled in recent years. This allows us to implement projects strategically and operationally better and find new employees.
Now we are looking at how we can build on the Job Store so that the story continues.
Julian: A nice closing word. Elena, thank you for this behind-the-scenes look!
Elena: Thank you for the exchange!