Recruitment in the catering industry: 5 valuable tips
Reliable staff and a well-coordinated service team are important basic prerequisites for smooth operations in your restaurant business. Finding qualified staff in the catering industry is becoming increasingly difficult due to the shortage of skilled workers in the industry. In addition, the uncertainty caused by the Corona pandemic has made the search for good employees much more complicated. We give you five simple tips to help you stand out from the competition and quickly find qualified staff for your restaurant.
Create attractive working conditions & incentives
Attractive working conditions and incentives not only help you to find new staff for your catering business, but also to retain employees in the long term. Working in the catering industry can be extremely demanding and stressful. Digital solutions, such as the all-in-one cash register system, QR code table ordering, or the modern kitchen manager from SIDES, can simplify the daily work routine and relieve your service- and kitchen staff. Through simple operation and a lower error rate, you avoid frustration among your employees and at the same time increase their motivation.
Furthermore, you can attract staff in the catering industry with additional incentives, such as free drinks or free meals during working hours. Flexible working conditions, fair tipping and a pleasant working atmosphere are also becoming more and more important for service staff in the catering industry.
Formulate an appealing job advertisement
If you want to find qualified staff for your restaurant, you should create an attractive and structured job advertisement. You should start by briefly introducing your restaurant and highlighting why employees should join you. Also communicate what you expect from the new team members, so that the specific job description is clear. Describe which professional qualities and soft skills, such as teamwork or communication skills, you require for the position in your restaurant.
In order to convince qualified personnel of your company, you should also list the advantages you can offer your employees, such as a positive working atmosphere or free meals during working hours. Finally, you should indicate where interested persons can apply. When writing the job description, make sure that you use short, snappy sentences and phrases.
Place your job advertisement online
After you have created an appealing job advertisement, it is important to reach the right people. The internet is a good way to reach as many potential employees as possible. Young people in particular focus on job search on the internet. Post job vacancies free of charge on your website and your social media channels, such as Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn. You can also advertise your vacancy on social media to reach even more people in your direct environment. Furthermore, you can place your ad on popular job portals for the hospitality industry, such as Gastrojobs by Stepstone or Hogapage. You can also advertise jobs for free on eBay Classifieds.
Use offline channels for your job advertisement
As a restaurant owner, there is hardly any time in your daily business for a comprehensive search for personnel in the catering industry. Nevertheless, you should use various platforms to find qualified employees for your catering business. In addition to various online platforms, you can always fall back on your personal network. Tell your friends, acquaintances or co-workers that you are looking for suitable staff for your restaurant. Referrals are a proven method to get new professionals. It may be a good idea to offer a reward, such as a voucher for your restaurant, to encourage referrals.
You can also post your job advertisement in your restaurant to attract local attention to the recruitment process. Local newspapers are also a good place to place job ads. This is a great way to catch people in your area who are not primarily looking for a new job digitally.
Have a friendly interview
As soon as the first applications come in and you start interviewing potential candidates, it is important to be convincing in the interview. Create a pleasant, relaxed atmosphere so that your candidates feel comfortable. Due to the shortage of skilled workers in the catering industry, it is becoming more and more important to make a good impression and to convince with sympathy. If an interview has convinced you, you should get back to them quickly with an offer and not let too much time pass.
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