Successful restaurateurs have key processes in place to help their businesses achieve consistency. The dilemma is that many of these processes revolve around recipes, cleanliness, food safety, customer greetings, etc. Some restaurants have policies for scheduling and conflict resolution tactics, which managers can implement. However, far too many restaurants do not have structured recruitment and hiring processes in place, which leads to bad hiring decisions, high turnover and an overall poor employment brand. Restaurateurs can change their culture and implement effective restaurant recruitment practices, which will help build a strong brand.
- Attract the Right Candidates – Restaurants can easily tap into their customer base to discover potential candidates. They can utilize social media, online newspapers and even post “Now Hiring” notices in their restaurant. To attract several qualified candidates and make it easy for staff to conduct interviews, many restaurants set aside all-day interview sessions or even participate in local job fairs to talk to qualified culinary candidates. However, the drawback to open interviews is that restaurants spend a lot of time interviewing candidates that would not pass their basic screening process. While many restaurants use these techniques to solve high-volume hiring seasons, it does not always attract the best candidates. By leveraging employment application software for job applications, restaurants can narrow down their applicant pool for restaurant recruitment and select only those that are qualified for positions. This time-savings approach allows restaurants to reduce costs associated with interviewing and hiring qualified candidates.
- Identifying the Best Applicants – Restaurants want to hire the best, brightest and most talented employees. Great staff results in better dining experiences for customers, which translates into more return business. Bad hires can leave lasting negative impressions on customers and cost restaurants revenue. Restaurants recruitment should focus on targeting applicants that complete applications. Custom online job applications can pre-screen applicants while ensuring consistency in answers, give a glimpse into personality and aptitude.
- Evaluating Top Talent – Once a restaurant has a solid screening and interviewing process in place, they can focus on finding candidates that are good fits for their company culture and jobs. Equally crucial to skills is evaluating their communication styles, personalities and what motivates them to succeed. Developing a specific set of criteria that includes standardized interview questions will help management better select strong long-term candidates. Once management has found a reliable interview routine, it should be built into a repeatable system. Applicant Tracking Software is valuable, helping restaurants manage consistency during the interview process.
Read more about how COVID-19 can affect restaurant recruitment.
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