How to get the most out of your recruiting process

As the Australian hospitality industry continues to take hits, hospitality consultant Tony Eldred has explained to Good Food: “The industry has expanded quicker than it has the ability to recruit and process people…it’s really reached a crisis level.”

And as the busy months quickly approach, finding the right people to fill your positions has become more important than ever. From posting your job vacancies on the right platforms to asking the right questions during the interview process, here are some ways you can effectively hire the right staff for your venue during your recruitment process:

Utilise the power of digital:

To ensure your vacancies are noticed and reaching as many eyes as possible, you need to utilise the power of the internet. Investing time and money within digital platforms has proven to be one of the most effective methods of recruitment, as it allows you to target your ads to the right job seekers.

To skip the clutter of the internet, share your vacancies across websites that specialise in hospitality job advertisements:

• CoffeeJobs.com – allows you to post jobs that are specific to coffee making and greater hospitality roles. On this site, you have the option for your ads to be shared within their regular newsletter and across their social media accounts.
• Sidekicker – finds you qualified temporary staff who can immediately fill the gaps in your kitchen. You have the option to hire staff on an hourly or daily basis during the busy periods.
• Skilld – a Sydney-based recruitment platform that is subscription based. The platform allows you to view candidates’ profiles and shortlist them for appropriate jobs you may have.

The ultimate interview checklist:

To help guide you through the interview process, there are a number of questions that can help distinguish the perfect candidate for your position. During the interview, answer the below (to yourself) to help make the decision-making process easier:

Have they showed up on time?

This is important as it will display if they are reliable.

Are they well groomed?

Presentation is everything, especially for your front of house staff.

Can they carry out a conversation?

If they are customer fronting, you want to ensure they can have a friendly conversation. A friendly personality ensures your customers are treated kindly. It’s important for staff to smile, make eye contact and have a warm personality if they are customer fronting.

Do they make eye contact?

Too many customers, eye contact is important because it shows that you are interested and taking in what they are saying. Eye contact allows your staff to develop a sense of what your customers want and need without having to ask – this is a great quality.

Can they handle a difficult situation?

Ask them about a difficult situation that could occur in the venue and how they would stop a scene from occurring. If a problem occurs, they must be able to remain thick-skinned and find a solution to turn a disappointed customer into a satisfied one, quickly.

Why you shouldn’t take too long making a decision:

Most importantly, avoid taking too long to decide after the interview process. A report by Robert Half found that 57% of Australian HR managers missed out on a qualified candidate because of a lengthy hiring process.

If you believe the candidate fits your position, place them on a paid trial before making the commitment. Once you have a clear understanding of how they will work within your kitchen, make a firm decision. The sooner you can do this, the quicker your team can mould and work together to deliver you the best outcomes no matter their position within your venue.

Conclusion:

Hiring the right staff member for your venue can be a difficult (and risky) task, especially in the busy months. But ensuring you have enough staff across your venue to help deliver profitable outcomes is important. That’s why you need to take the time to find the perfect fit for your vacancies.

To ensure you receive the best outcome for your business, publish your job advertisements on hospitality-specific websites, ask the right questions in your interview procedure and give the candidate time to prove their worth to you with a trial. Once they have ticked all the boxes, you are one step closer to closing the gaps within your team.