Recruiting that All-Star
Having spent many years in the hospitality sector, kitchens, in particular, it has been an all too familiar sight to see my inbox full of CV’s. It seemed like recruitment was never-ending; struggling to find my next rough diamond whilst fighting for talent in a wildly competitive space. Many candidates appeared to apply at random without knowing what they were applying for (the whole ‘throw it out there and see what sticks’) or worst of all — scheduled interviews that turned to no-shows.
We are all acutely aware that the talent pool is a shrinking one and did I say competitive? Because competitive it sure is. Trying to find that All-Star chef, barista or waitron could be compared to herding cats these days — many out there, but not as many with the pedigree you’re looking for. Throw Brexit into the pot and you have the perfect ingredients for a ‘now what’ situation when it comes to hiring.
So, with all that said, here are my top 7 tips that have helped me build successful kitchen brigades across London over the past decade –
The beauty of chefs and managers working side by side…
1. Know what you are looking for.
“Hire above what you need, by this I mean if you need a barista, hire an expert barista. If you need a supervisor, hire someone who is almost a manager.” — Bronte Aurell, Scandikitchen
Sounds obvious, I know. But why is this step so important? Understanding what you are looking for and what your expectations are for the role will help you streamline the process and shortlist CV’s. Be specific about what you need in the role. What experience is actually relevant? What skills are your deal-breakers? Potential new employees who are serious about the role will want to know exactly what they are getting into — and you need to make sure that the job spec and your interview process is therefore specific to that. It will also help you focus your advertising for the position, making it easier to get the word out to only those people who may be suitable.
2. Company Culture.
Get potential candidates to come and spend some time with you. Let them show you who they are, without the pressure of an interview, and get them to spend some time with your current team. You’ll quickly be able to see if they fit in and also gauge feedback from staff. At the same time, they’ll be able to speak to your staff and get a real understanding of what the day-to-day role is. In that way, when they accept your offer of employment, they’ll know exactly what they’re signing up for and you’ll have the buy-in of your team to welcome and train the ‘newbie’ when they start.
3. EIQ is more important than IQ.
“ I don’t micromanage my team. I want them to have an environment and the support to be able to work with personality. I employ staff on personality as that’s the most important aspect of our environment. I can train coffee making skills much more easily than I can train personality. I don’t want to stifle by micromanagement.” — James Armitage, Jericho Coffee Traders
In my experience, it’s easier to teach someone to steam milk correctly or to brunoise an onion if they have the right attitude and are willing to be taught. Emotional Intelligence is demonstrated by things such as how they take on feedback; assist difficult customers, or deal with a bad day in the office. People are watching — this includes your customers and how they watch your staff interact. Those who are able to demonstrate a professional and mature response in the face of adversity will shine — and will become ambassadors for your business.
You can do some simple tests for this interview stage, both through specific questions (and challenging their answers — not just taking them at face value) and even role-playing situations. Does it take longer to ask the more difficult/probing questions? Of course, but it’s worth it…which leads me to my next point.
4. Be patient.
Don’t allow the pressure of a thin rota to make you panic hire. A ‘bum in a seat’ is not always the solution and the damage the wrong hire can do to your team can end up being a bigger problem for you. It’s the age-old dilemma of recruiting quickly so as not to lose good people but taking your time to find those good people in the first place. If a candidate really wants to work with you, they will wait — but it’s your responsibility to ensure that you communicate with them frequently (don’t leave them without feedback for days!) and be sure that you’ve sold the role to them accurately and with the enthusiasm it deserves. You can’t expect someone to be keen to join you if you don’t come across as passionate about the role or business — or them! — in the first place. If you’ve taken the time to really get to know the candidate and respect their recruitment journey, they will likely show respect in return (and hopefully inform you of other interviews or offers they have on their plate).
5. Do your references.
I’m amazed by how many employers don’t do references and suffer the consequences. A 5-minute phone call could save you endless headaches and quite a few quid. It goes without saying that you should ask permission to conduct the references, but don’t take the candidate’s agreement to references as though they have nothing to hide. You still need to take the time and ask the relevant questions from people who worked with them before. You likely wouldn’t buy a car without test driving it first and asking several questions, so why would you hire someone without finding out from a previous employer what they were like on the job?
6. Find recruiters that work with you.
If you need to use recruitment to assist you with sourcing top candidates, make sure that they know you and your business intimately. Get them in regularly and deal with only those that you connect with and who really understands what you’re trying to achieve. Recruitment agencies can have quite a bad rep in the industry for many reasons, so be loyal to those who are loyal to you. Be constructive with your feedback and treat them as an extension of your recruitment process. After all, they’re often the line between you and your dream candidate, so you need them on your side. That being said, don’t tolerate mediocrity. If an agency isn’t working FOR you in sourcing candidates that really fit what you’re looking for, you shouldn’t feel pressured to partner with them going forward.
7. Be present.
It sounds daft, but you need to ensure that you are fully present in the interview. Don’t allow yourself to get side-tracked or distracted by what you may witness around you, such as emails on your phone or other staff chatting. Deal with that afterwards and be present in the interview. Candidates notice when you’re not paying attention, and you wouldn’t want the roles to be reversed in that situation. Give the interview the respect it deserves — they’ve taken the time to attend and prepare (hopefully!) so you should too.
And finally, trust your gut. More often than not, it won’t let you down. Recruitment is not an exact science and sometimes your diamond in the rough is simply someone that you feel you need to take a chance on even though you can’t quite put your finger on why. Some of my best hires have been gut instinct hires, and I would hire them again if given the chance. So if you’ve done the prep required for the interview journey, trust yourself to know when you’ve found the right person for the role. Your All-Star could be sitting right in front of you.
