“If you take care of your employees they will take care of your customers and your business will take care of itself.” - J. W. Marriott
Shortly after I opened my restaurant, my manager gave notice that she was moving back to her home state the following month. I was happy for her but, man, was I scared! We worked side-by-side since Day 1 to develop operations and manage the restaurant. I needed to find someone quickly so she could help me with training. We developed a job description and posted it in the restaurant window, on our Facebook page, and more importantly, told everyone we knew.
Shortly after, my friend Chris stopped by to pick up some burritos. He’s a hiring manager at a larger retailer, so I was excited to tell him I hiring. He looked at the job description asked me to describe the ideal employee. Would they arrive early, stay late, and have a positive attitude when times are tough? Chris reminded me to not only look at the mechanics of what was needed, but to think about personality fit.
I needed to connect with the person and feel like they “got” my brand. My place wasn’t just another quick-serve restaurant. We greet you by name; often times we would start your order as soon as we would see you park on the street.
We parted ways with me shouting, “Don’t forget to tell everyone you know I’m hiring for awesomeness!” He gave me a call a few days later and told me he had the perfect manager for me. “I’ve known her for years and you’re going to love her. Not only is she a hard worker with a great work history, she has a heart of gold. She is a perfect fit with your brand, Lisa.”
I was ecstatic and called her immediately to schedule an interview. She came in with a big smile on her face and it felt like she was already part of my restaurant. I hired her immediately and she was with me for years!
Takeaways:
Identify your top three qualities for an employee
Communicate the culture of your business, job requirements, and expectations of the applicant.
Cast a wide net. Let everyone you know you are hiring. When talking with people, paint the picture of your ideal employee. For me, a outgoing personality that can juggle several tasks at once.
Be prepared: Have applications ready to go when you submit your ad.
Leave lots of room in your schedule to dedicate to this process from fielding the random questions from applicants to really studying their application through hiring and training.
Trust your gut!