Undercover Worker Spills Corporate Secrets

So how do big-name companies like Starbucks(SBUX Quote) win over employees?

Journalist Alex Frankel found out by getting hired at top employers such as Gap(GPS Quote), Apple(AAPL Quote) and UPS(UPS Quote).

He tells TheStreet.com how any small business can learn from the management strategies he uncovered.

Undercover Worker Spills Secrets

TheStreet.com: You've been to the other side and seen what tactics work for big companies. Which of these can small business benefit from imitating?

Alex Frankel: I applied to 12 places and worked at five. The screening process varied greatly, but if the employees matched a company's corporate mission, the company eventually had an easier job retaining them.

The Container Store does this extremely well. They basically just hire their best customers. Similarly, Apple employees knew a lot about the product and got jazzed about helping customers.

Starbucks, on the other hand, only asked me one question about my interest in coffee. They didn't give me the time to express myself about how much [or little] I drink and care about coffee.

Basically, if employees don't care about what they're doing, the customer won't be excited about shopping there.

Isn't this tactic a no-brainer for small biz?

Not all small businesses know what they should look for in employees.

Most companies tend to copy other companies in terms of creating a corporate culture. I was struck by how unique The Container Store's interview process was. They asked people to bring back products from the store and talk about them.