Alison Arth, an expert in the hospitality industry, shares her top 10 tips for finding and hiring the best candidates for open jobs in restaurants. You can’t have a thriving restaurant business if you don’t hire the right people. One statement may be sufficient to sum up the situation. As workers are your most important asset and in our industry they are frequently the rarest resource, you need to have a strategy in place that will help you locate the candidates who have the most experience and talents before you begin the recruitment process.
How would you characterise greatness?
Don’t assume that the restaurant’s management all have the same standards for what makes a successful employee. You should have a conversation with them at the initial interview to establish the core values that all employees and team members are expected to maintain.
Don’t just put up any job ads; make them informative and thorough.
Include phrases that represent the company’s values and ethos as well as the restaurant’s concept, service philosophy, expected opening date, and other relevant details about the position’s responsibilities and expected hours of availability in your job postings. Job postings need to be advertised in a professional way and disseminated to as many people as possible (online, job boards, word of mouth, and social media). For restaurant recruitment it is important.
If possible, have at least two managers conduct interviews with each candidate.
Due to the high cost of hiring the wrong person or passing on a great prospect, it is crucial to take the advice of several sources into account before making a final choice. Managers need to communicate with one another during interviews to flag any areas of concern that need further inquiry. This strategy also ensures that all recruitment managers agree on the hire, avoiding the possibility that a single manager’s advocacy led to the hiring of an unpopular team member.
Produce a set of typical interview questions Preparing a list of questions in advance can assist you avoid asking questions at random and maintain objectivity during the interview. These inquiries should be geared at learning more about the candidate’s professional background and ideals to see whether they align with your own. This will not only ensure a successful interview, but will also send a strong message to the applicant about the level of professionalism you have.
Write things down
When hiring for a new team, this is of the highest importance since you will be meeting with prospects on a regular basis. In the midst of pre-opening onboarding, it’s easy to lose track of personal feelings or mix one person with another.
