8.2: Hiring Employees

How important is the employee hiring process? To begin, your restaurant is an organization. An ‘organization’ is indicative of many people coming together to achieve the vision and mission of the company. Said differently, it take more than one person to operate and grow the company. To define employees in a pragmatic way, they are generally the ‘sole contact’ the customer has with company. Given that role, they are in fact ‘the face of the company’ to the consumer. Back-of-the-house personnel produce the products they love. The service staff interaction creates the personal touch and ambience that makes customers feel at home and welcome. The management team gathers information about the consumer from the staff and keeps the operation on pace and growing. In all, every employee is important. You must hire individuals who can do what you need them to do. However, you first have to know what you need done, a ‘job description’, and the particular skills people need, a ‘job analysis’, to accomplish those tasks.

Job Description

A job description or JD is a list that a person might use:

• For general tasks, or functions
• Responsibilities of a position.

It may often include:

• To whom the position reports,
• Specifications such as the qualifications or skills needed by the person in the job, and
• A salary range.

Job descriptions are usually narrative, but some may instead comprise a simple list of competencies; for instance, 'strategic resource planning' methodologies may be used to develop a 'competency architecture' for an organization, from which job descriptions are built as a shortlist of competencies.

Human resources planning is a process that identifies current and future human resources needs for an organization to achieve its goals. Human resources planning should serve as a link between human resources management and the overall strategic plan of an organization. As defined by Bulla and Scott, human resource planning is ‘the process for ensuring that the human resource requirements of an organization are identified and plans are made for satisfying those requirements’. Reilly defined workforce planning as: ‘A process in which an organization attempts to estimate the demand for labor and evaluate the size, nature and sources of supply which will be required to meet the demand.’ Human resource planning includes creating an employer brand, retention strategy, absence management strategy, flexibility strategy, 'talent management ' strategy, recruitment, and selection strategy.

Talent Management

Talent management implies that companies are strategic and deliberate in how they source, attract, select, train, develop, retain, promote, and move employees through the organization.

Research done on the value of talent management consistently uncovers benefits in these critical economic areas: revenue, customer satisfaction, quality, productivity, cost, cycle time, and market capitalization. The mindset of this more ‘personal’ human resources approach seeks to hire the most qualified and valuable employees, with a strong emphasis on 'retention'.

Summary

A job description usually comes into focus by conducting a job analysis, which includes examining the tasks and sequences of tasks necessary to perform the job. The analysis considers the areas of 'knowledge' and 'skills' needed for the job. A job usually includes several roles. The job description can broaden to form a 'person specification'. The person/job specification can function as a stand-alone document, but in practice, it is usually included within the job description. A job description is often usable in recruitment by the firm's human resource department or hiring manager.

Roles and responsibilities

A job description may include 'relationships' with other people in the organization: supervisory level, managerial requirements, and relationships with other colleagues.

Goals

A job description need not be limited to explaining the current situation, or work that is currently expected; it may also set out goals for what might be achieved in the future.

Limitations

• Prescriptive job descriptions are a hindrance in certain circumstances:
• Job descriptions may not be suitable for some senior managers, as they should have the freedom to take the initiative and find fruitful new directions.
• Job descriptions may be too inflexible in a rapidly changing organization, for instance in an area subject to rapid technological change; other changes in job content may lead to the job description being out of date. The process that an organization uses to create job descriptions may not be optimal.

Position/Job Description (work, task, or both)

Example: one

For the job of a snow-cat operator at a ski slope, a work or task-oriented job analysis might include this statement: Operates Bombardier Sno-cat, usually at night, to smooth out snow rutted by skiers and snowboard riders and new snow that has fallen.

On the other hand, a worker-oriented job analysis might include this statement: Evaluates terrain, snow depth, and snow condition and chooses the correct setting for the depth of the snow cat, as well as the number of passes necessary on a given ski slope.

Job analysis methods have evolved using both task-oriented and worker-oriented approaches. Since the result of both approaches is a statement of KSAOs, neither can be considered the "correct" way to conduct job analysis. Because worker-oriented job analyses tend to provide more generalized human behavior and behavior patterns and less association with the technological parts of a job, they produce data more useful for developing training programs and giving feedback to employees in the form of performance appraisal information. In addition, the volatility that exists in the typical workplace of today can make specific task statements less valuable in isolation. For these reasons, employers are significantly more likely to use worker-oriented approaches to job analysis today than they were in the past.

Example: two

Outfielders - must cover large distances - speed, instincts, and quickness in reacting to the ball are key. They must be able to catch fly balls above their head and on the run. They must be able to throw the ball accurately over a long distance to be effective; they must also learn to judge whether to attempt a difficult catch and risk letting the ball get past them, or to instead allow the ball to fall in order to guarantee a swift play and prevent the advance of runners. Left fielders must also familiarize themselves with the varying configurations of different ballparks' foul territory, and prevent balls hit down the foul lines from getting past them into the left field corner. Amateur players may find it difficult to concentrate on the game, since they are so far from the action. Emphasizing the correct position will give outfield players something to concentrate on at each pitch. Hits to left field tend to curve toward the left field foul line, and left fielders must learn to adjust to that.

Of all outfielders, the left fielder often will have the weakest arm, as they generally do not need to throw the ball as far to prevent the advance of any base runners. The left fielder still requires good fielding and catching skills, and tends to receive more balls than the right fielder because right-handed hitters tend to "pull" the ball into left field. The left fielder also backs up third base on pick-off attempts from the catcher or pitcher and bunts, when possible. In addition, if a runner is stealing third base the left fielder must back up the throw from the catcher. Left fielders must also back up third base when a ball is thrown from right field and backup center field when a pop fly is hit into the pocket.

Knowledge, skills, abilities and other characteristics (KSAOs)

Regardless of which approach to job analysis is taken, the next step in the process is to identify the attributes—the KSAOs that an incumbent needs for either performing (1) the tasks at hand or (2) executing the human behaviors described in the job analysis.

• Knowledge: "A collection of discrete but related facts and information about a particular domain...acquired through formal education or training, or accumulated through specific experiences."
• Skill: "A practiced act".
• Ability: "The stable capacity to engage in a specific behavior"
• Other characteristics: "Personality variables, interests, training, and experiences"

Job/Work Analysis

Job analysis (also known as work analysis) is a family of procedures to identify the content of a job in terms of activities involved and attributes or job requirements needed to perform the activities. Job analysis provides information to organizations that helps to determine which employees are best fit for specific jobs.

Through job analysis, the analyst needs to understand:

• What the important tasks of the job are,
• How they are carried out, and
• The necessary human qualities needed to complete the job successfully.

The process of job analysis involves the analyst describing:

• The duties of the individual, then
• The nature and conditions of work, and finally
• Some basic qualifications.
• The mental requirements of the job.

The measure of a sound job analysis is a valid task list. This list contains:

1. The functional or duty areas of a position,
2. The related tasks
3. The basic training recommendations.

Subject matter experts (ownership) and supervisors for the position under analysis need to validate this final list in order to validate the job analysis. Job analysis is crucial for first, helping individuals develop their careers, and for helping organizations develop their employees in order to maximize talent. The outcomes of job analysis are key influences in:

• Designing learning for current and future positions,
• Developing performance interventions measures
• Improving processes as needs arise.

The application of job analysis techniques makes the implicit assumption that information about a job as it presently exists is usable to develop programs to recruit, select, train, and appraise people for the job, as it will exist in the future. Frederick Winslow Taylor and Lillian Moller Gilbreth began work analysis in the early 20th century. Since then, experts have presented many different systems to accomplish job analysis that have become increasingly complex over the decades. However, evidence shows that the root purpose of job analysis, understanding the behavioral requirements of work, has not changed in over 85 years.

Competency Compartments

Core Competencies

The Core competencies includes very general/generic competencies that all employees must possess to enable the organization to achieve its mandate and vision (e.g., Teamwork). These competencies describe in behavioral terms the key values of the organization and represent those competencies that are core to the organization’s principal mandate.

Job Family Competencies

Job Family competencies are those competencies that are common to a group of jobs. They often include 'General Job' competencies that tend to be required in a number of Job Families (e.g., Partnering), as well as 'Job Specific' competencies that apply to certain job families more than others. These tend to be related more to knowledge or skill required for certain types of jobs (such as accounting for jobs involving financial administration, or a background in food preparation or service techniques for back or front of the house).

Technical / Professional Competencies

The technical/professional competencies tend to be specific to roles or jobs within the Job Family, and include the specific skills and knowledge (know-how) to perform effectively (e.g. ability to use particular software; knowledge in particular professional areas such as finance, biochemistry; etc.). These competencies could be generic to a Job Family as a whole, or be specific to roles, levels or jobs within the family.

Leadership Competencies

These are the key competencies for roles in an organization that involve managing, supervising or influencing the work of others in some way. Some organizations view "leadership" to be a part of every job of the organization in that employees should contribute and offer new or better ways of working regardless of their level or role in the organization. Leadership is required in teams, project management, as well as at the managerial, executive and board levels. Consistent with the requirement for ease of use, organizations typically define a limit on the number of key / important competencies that are included in the profile for any job / role within the organization. As a rule of thumb, best practice organizations establish a limit on the total number of competencies included in any one profile in the range of 12 to 15.

Optimize labor efficiencies to cut costs

Between higher wages and new labor regulations, restaurants are facing a labor crisis — and their existing, outdated processes are doing anything but helping the problem. Outdated and inconsistent scheduling practices are running rampant in the majority of restaurants — and it is taking a toll on their bottom line.

According to Joshua Ostrega, 2015, co-founder and COO of Work Jam, more than 57 percent of restaurants rely on manual processes when scheduling hourly employees — leading to labor inefficiencies, schedule inconsistency and even worse, employee turnover. More than a third of restaurants report a quarterly turnover rate of at least 26 percent, and 33 percent claim that this rate has increased over the past two years. With the cost of replacing one minimum wage worker amounting up to $4,000, restaurants cannot afford to have their employees regularly jumping ship.

As restaurants face increasing challenges presented by higher wage requirements and new scheduling regulations, offsetting costs and improving labor practices is more important now than ever before.

Ways restaurants can optimize labor efficiency

Prioritize Shift Management

Creating schedules that work for both employers and employees is a complex issue. Sixty-eight percent of employers said the most difficult part about scheduling is setting shifts that align staff availability and business needs. With scheduling being such a cumbersome process, many managers leave it to the last minute – and in result, the majority of employees (56 percent) receive their schedules a week or less in advance. Such a tight timeframe leaves workers struggling to accommodate personal obligations such as education, childcare, elder care and/or other jobs. Due to conflicts, you will not fill some of the employee’s shifts, which ends up having a direct impact a restaurant workers economic well-being. When this happens often, there is little incentive for the worker to stay.

Rather than fall victim to the current problematic situation, managers must start making shift management a priority and seek out new employee-centric processes that give employees more say in their schedules. By accommodating employees’ preferred shifts and availability, restaurant managers will reap the benefits of having happier, more engaged employees with lowered absenteeism and turnover.

Streamline Communication

From phone calls to emails to handwritten notes, restaurant managers juggle a myriad of channels when communicating with their staff about availability and shift changes. Based off the 84 percent of employers who have processes in place for employees to share availability before constructing schedules, 43 percent of workers submit written requests, 31 percent have a conversation with their shift manager, and 11 percent submit availability via email. When managing these varying forms of communication, matching employee shift requests and availability becomes less of a priority and simply getting a set schedule becomes the most important thing to do.

By opting for an integrated communication channel that all employees can access autonomously, employers can cultivate consistency and alleviate the superfluous stress accrued from communicating across multiple channels. In fact, 65 percent of workers say they would try harder to find shift replacements if they had an easier way to communicate with coworkers, while 53 percent would be more likely to pick up open shifts. When restaurants are willing to implement efficient systems that allow employees to communicate across the company, they enjoy simpler, faster management as a result.

Eliminate Manual Processes

According to the Work Jam study, 67 percent of employers still use paper schedules and spreadsheets to create hourly workers’ schedules, compared to the 31 percent that use online tools or shift management software. On top of this, 68 percent of employers still share staff schedules via physical charts posted in breakrooms or other communal areas.

With the majority of restaurant managers still using manual processes for scheduling, it is nearly impossible to meet every employee’s scheduling needs. Regretfully, employees end up suffering. The study found only 29 percent of workers rarely receive consistent schedules and – despite nationwide pushes to stop ‘clopenings’ (back-to-back closing and openings shifts) – 48 percent of employers report their employees are frequently or sometimes scheduled to work these shifts.

These unstable and inconsistent practices often lead to understaffing, with 46 percent of employers reporting frequently or sometimes understaffing. This not only disrupts morale, but also hinders operations. In fact, the majority of employers claim that being understaffed compromises the customer experience — which can easily discourage restaurant-goers from dining there again. To combat the consequences of manual processes, restaurant managers must seek out more-efficient processes. Though technology can optimize efficiencies, these solutions must pair with transparent communication between managers and workers in order to be a success.

Recruiting the Right People

When you become sure about what people you are looking for, start finding candidates. Earlier is better than later. Thoughtful written job ads and the channels you choose to circulate them through will also service as ‘filters’ to include or exclude people.

Timing

Start your search for managers before you look for hourly employees. Key positions such as chefs and general managers should be brought on two to four months before opening day, meaning you will need to start posting job ads, planting seed with your peers, and working your network four to six months in advance.

The point of paying your two most expensive people before your doors open comes back to ‘culture’. You need the opportunity to spend time together getting on the same page with the kind of restaurant you are are going to open and making sure the relationship is good and of importance – trustworthy. Hiring individuals at the top of your leadership structure is much more than just checking a box. Chefs and managers need to align with your brand, share your values, and believe in your vision. It is particularly important to find a chef early on so they have enough time to develop a menu you are both happy with, test that menu, and work with your design team on laying out the kitchen.

Hourly employees can come later in the game, but leave your new employees with time to give respectful notice to their current employer and be on board in time for pre-opening staff training. Bringing on a couple of servers or cooks to fill open positions is very from onboarding a new team from scratch. Starting early and being honest with candidates about the fact that your timeline may shift a bit is better than starting late and having to hire bodies rather than Individuals who are an ideal fit for your restaurant.

Job Advertisement

The ads that you post should include keywords describing your company culture as well as your restaurant’s concept, style of service, opening date projection, and any relevant specifics regarding job description and schedule requirements. Incorporate the legwork you have done to define your brand and the types of person you are looking for to build ads that look and sound unique to your project.

Ads should be professional and with sharing through multiple channels, such as online job boards, and social media. Getting the word out among your network is also one of the most important ways of recruiting great employees. Let your friends in the industry know you are on the hunt for an awesome opening team and extend your outreach beyond your immediate market. People in the restaurant industry are always on the move, and you want your entire rolodex to be aware that you are looking to meet great candidates. Once you start hiring your first team members, encourage them to invite their peers to apply – these introductions are great ways to find good people efficiently.

Putting a Team Together

Before you can identify the best candidates for your team, you first need to figure out what you are looking for. Organizational structure and the specific qualities that make a person a good “fit” will be different for every restaurant, but the best practices around the process are largely universal. Identify the soft skills that reflect your concept and brand, determine what skill sets you need to perform critical operational responsibilities, and define what your own role will entail. Then, develop a hiring strategy to find people that fit your criteria. Your employees are your biggest asset, and in our industry, they are often the scarcest resource. Developing and executing a hiring strategy will pay off in the long run by reducing turnover, ensuring great guest experiences, and promoting brand consistency.

Prioritize Soft Skills

What qualities must every member of your team possess to create the guest experience you have imagined? When you hire a team, you are not looking for bodies. You are looking for people that you can work with, that are like-minded, and that want to grow and develop. When you surround yourself with people that have the same mission as you, there is no limit to what you can do.

Every restaurant will have different priorities when it comes to soft skills. Keep in mind that some of the qualities you look for while selecting your opening team may be different from those you look for months or years down the road. Try to understand the type of environment that best suits the employee. If someone is open minded, has shown his or her ability to be a chameleon, and can take whatever curve balls are thrown at them, we know they’re going to thrive during an opening.” Candidates who need structure and consistency to do their best work are better hires when the restaurant becomes established.

Identify Roles & Responsibilities

Identify the roles and responsibilities you need your team to take on at a management level and an hourly level. If you are already familiar with the size, scope, and service style of the restaurant you are opening, you likely have a good idea of what your organizational chart will look like. If not, talk to peers who have concepts and hours of operation similar to yours about their organizational structures, do some market research, and make modifications based on the specifics of your restaurant to develop a working model.

One tool that can be helpful is a comprehensive list of the major responsibilities you expect each person to own. Then, factor in the time each person will need to spend on the floor or in the kitchen during service. Your goal is to strike a balance here: make sure your team has the bandwidth to meet your performance expectations without burning them out.

Specific tasks will vary greatly from restaurant to restaurant. This is a sample list of management responsibilities here to help spark your thought process:

• Scheduling
• Hiring
• New employee training
• Disciplinary action and termination
• POS maintenance
• Payroll
• Ordering (food, beverage, dry goods, dining room supplies)
• Private dining sales
• Private event execution
• Bar program
• Inventory
• Cash handling

Establishing responsibilities as well as the size, service style, and concept will help you understand what hourly positions you need to hire. For a fine-dining restaurant, you will likely have a more layered front-of-house structure, whereas a more casual, counter-service concept may require only a few people who all have similar job descriptions.

When thinking about team structure, map out a typical guest experience and take note of the individual touch points necessary to provide great service. For example, let us say your typical guests are a group of four joining you for drinks and dinner. They will enter the restaurant to check in for their reservation, head to the bar for a cocktail, and then sit down for a multi-course dinner.

In this scenario, it is clear you will need a host and floor manager to ensure guests are greeted and directed to the right place, as well as a fully staffed bar team. Additionally, multi-course dinner service means many touch points with each table, which require support staff for your servers (think runners, bussers, and sommeliers) and your culinary team (expediters, polishers, and dishwashers).

By contrast, a counter-service concept might find many of these positions unnecessary. In a typical experience, these diners might simply enter and be directed by signage to a cashier to place their order. Once they have paid, they may receive a number to pick up their food from a window when it is ready and have no further interaction with the restaurant staff. In this scenario, unlike the previous, there is no need for much service or support staff, only cashiers, cooks, dishwashers, and a floor manager to facilitate.

There is no “one size fits all” guide to how to staff your concept, as each one varies. As a best practice, simulate service and ensure that each touch point with a guest is covered by a particular staff member equipped to deliver a great experience.

Define ‘Your’ Position

Be clear and honest about your strengths, availability, and the role you plan to fill at your restaurant. This is one of the most important steps in figuring out who needs to surround you. Irrespective of who you are and how much experience you have, there are things that you are good at and there are things that you are not. You need to be able to plug those gaps straight away.”

If you’re a chef but you don’t know much about the front of the house or running a business, your first priority will be to find a General Manager who is dedicated to your vision, is experienced in running a front-of-house team, and has strong business sensibilities. Do not assume you will be able to perform major functions that you have no experience in accomplishing. Conversely, if your strengths are business and operations, but your knife skills are not particularly notable, you will want to find a chef very early in the process.

The Hiring Process

Once you are clear on what you are looking for, start finding candidates. Earlier is better than later. Thoughtfully written job ads and the channels you choose to circulate them through will also serve as filters.

Timing

Start your search for managers before you look for hourly employees. Key positions such as chefs and General Managers should be brought on two to four months before opening day, meaning you’ll need to start posting job ads, planting the seed with your peers, and working your network four to six months in advance. It all comes back to culture. You need that opportunity to spend time together getting on the same page with the kind of restaurant you’re going to open and making sure the relationship is good and that it’s trustworthy.”

Hiring individuals at the top of your leadership structure is much more than just checking a box. Chefs and General Managers need align with your brand, share your values, and believe in your vision. It is particularly important to find a chef early on so they have enough time to develop a menu you are both happy with, test that menu, and work with your design team on laying out the kitchen.

Hourly employees can come on-board later in the game, but leave your new employees with time to give respectful notice to their current employer and be on board in time for pre- opening staff training. Bringing on a couple of servers or cooks to fill open positions is very different from onboarding a new team from scratch. Starting early and being honest with candidates about the fact that your timeline may shift a bit is better than starting late and having to hire bodies rather than individuals who are an ideal fit for your restaurant.

Job Ads

The ads that you post should include keywords describing your company culture as well as your restaurant’s concept, style of service, projected opening date, and any relevant specifics regarding job description and schedule requirements. Incorporate the legwork you have done to define your brand and the type of person you are looking for to build ads that look and sound unique to your project.

Ads should be professional presentations and shared through multiple channels, such as online job boards and social media. Getting the word out among your network is also one of the most important ways of recruiting great employees. Let your friends in the industry know you are on the hunt for an awesome opening team and extend your outreach beyond your immediate market. People in the restaurant industry are always on the move, and you want your entire rolodex to be aware that you are looking to meet great candidates. Once you start hiring your first team members, encourage them to invite their peers to apply -- these introductions are great ways to find good people efficiently.

Interviewing

Effective interviewing is the key to finding top performers for your restaurant -- do not rely on first impressions or gut reactions. Here are a few tips to keep in mind.

Develop a Core Set of Interview Questions

Assemble a thoughtful list of questions designed to determine whether a candidate shares your values and uncover details of their professional experiences. Often, the best way to do this is to work backwards. Figure out the five most important qualities you want a candidate to possess, then design questions that will allow them to demonstrate each one. For example, look for front-of-house employees who are passionate about food and drink. This may seem like an obvious quality to require, but for many restaurants, it actually is not a top priority for front-of-house employees.

Asking candidates questions about the role that food plays in their lives or having them describe favorite dishes and pairings is a great way to gauge interest. The content of their answer is much less important indicator than the emotion with which they deliver it.

If teamwork is a value that ranks high on your list, think of everyday situations that demonstrate teamwork and then come up with questions that provide candidates the opportunity to talk about those things. A good question to ask interviewees is what makes a shift feel fun and rewarding versus a shift that feels disappointing or frustrating. Usually, candidates who have a natural tendency towards teamwork will demonstrate that by telling you about busy nights in which everyone has to support each other to get through. Always ask candidates to give you specific examples so that you are more likely to get a real answer.

Ask candidates situational questions based on past-experiences as opposed to asking how they would deal with a hypothetical problem. People are way less inclined to try and work out what you want them to say when you’re asking about the past and they are more likely to give you an answer that’s representative of how you can expect them to behave.

Coming up with unique questions will help to determine ‘fit’ and increasing the likelihood that you are getting genuine answers from the people you’re interviewing. An efficient interviewing process also demonstrates your level of professionalism to applicants and gives you more objective-criteria for evaluating them. If someone is a total ‘rock star’ when it comes to knowledge but comes across as selfish and not a team player, it is best that you pass and look for someone who more closely aligns with your mission and values.

Make Interviewing a Two-Way Street

Never forget that candidates are also evaluating you. Show up on time, read their resume beforehand, and dress appropriately -- it will go a long way in creating a strong impression of what they can expect if they come on-board. Always put your best foot forward so that when you come across great candidates, you are able to hire them. Giving every candidate the opportunity to interview his team first is one of the most important steps in their hiring process.

You want people to analyze your culture, your philosophy, the environment, the people that they’ll be working next to, their superiors, so that you can ask them - is this an environment that you want to be in? Hiring someone for any position is a commitment and it is an understanding on both sides of what collective goals are.

Get More Than One Opinion

Passing over a great candidate can be as big of a loss as hiring a bad one, so consider more than one person’s opinion. Managers should synchronize up between interviews to highlight any areas of concern for others to investigate further. That way you know hiring managers all buy- in. Everyone who conducts interviews should take notes -- especially for an opening team, because you will be meeting with applicants constantly. It is easy to forget how you felt about someone or confuse him or her with a different person when you are in the throes of pre-opening onboarding.

Assembling Your Team

When it comes to assembling a team, diversity is your friend; this applies to knowledge, skill set, past experience, and personality. Pay attention to balance as you bring people on board, as a diverse and dynamic staff helps everyone to learn from one another. Be wary of hiring too many people from the same restaurant or company.

Create Balance

Having a team of great people will not do you any good if they are all great in the exact same way. You want to build a band, not a bunch of people that play the clarinet. Everybody has to be able to play in the sandbox together and that is key because there is a lot of intensity in an opening. Employees are not just adapting to their surroundings, they are adapting to each other, and you need to have people that can link arms going into it with a real sense of camaraderie.

Check References

Ask every candidate you under serious consideration to provide you with three professional references. Let the applicant know up front that you will need to hear back from at least two of them in order to move forward with the hiring process. No matter how great someone seems or how strongly you connected with him or her, do not skip this step. Hiring someone is a commitment to a relationship. Know what you are looking for and be clear with that person about your goals. Give them an opportunity to figure out if you have what they need to grow as an individual.

Each employee is a relationship, and relationships are hard. They can be tricky and they can be messy and they can be time consuming and they can be rewarding and they can be fulfilling and they can be rejuvenating and restorative, but they always take a lot of work. The process of building your team is all about ensuring that you are selecting people whom you are excited to work with.

Key Takeaways

1. Invest time in identifying what exactly you are looking for in prospective employees before you begin the hiring process. Know what values, character traits, and skills your team will need to have in order to make your vision a reality.
2. Prioritize soft skills when hiring. Teaching someone how to clear a table is easy, but teaching them to have a different attitude is usually impossible.
3. Define your role. Be honest about your areas of expertise and create realistic expectations around what you will be contributing to the restaurant on a day-to-day basis, then hire your leadership team based on the gaps you cannot reasonably fill.
4. Create a hiring strategy. Make sure that the recruiting, interviewing, and onboarding strategy is intentional, universally understood, and thorough.
5. Understand that employment is a relationship. It has to be a good fit for everyone involved, and both sides need to be working towards the same goal to be successful.