Finding restaurant workers today is one of the biggest challenges for restaurateurs
By Colin Kopel, Operations Consultant, Goliath Consulting Group
How long have you been staring at the door to your restaurant for the perfect server, line-cook, manager or, even dishwasher, to strut in, place a golden resume in your hand and inform you of all the restaurants in the city, he/she would like to be your employee? How many times have you settled on a less than perfect candidate after sifting through resume and resume that was less than impressive?
Staffing is a different animal than it was a decade ago when there were fewer restaurants and a large pool of hospitality employees to draw from. The United States Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics pins the median age of Food and Beverage employees at between 29-34…also known as the Millennial Generation. When the employment pool is composed of a younger demographic, recruiting techniques must align with that demographic’s media intake. As Goliath Consulting’s recruiting manager, allow me to share a few tricks we’ve learned to target the right audience.
Facebook. You may have read in some business weekly or internet article that the social media giant is losing its relevance, and that’s true, among younger audiences. As it stands today, 88% of Americans aged 29-33 are active on the social network, checking for updates multiple times a day. In the past year, Facebook increased its presence on the job hunt scene by pushing their “Jobs” page and sending users daily openings and recommendations. Cities are organically developing their own Facebook communities for hospitality employees to connect with local openings. Here in Atlanta, the “GK Restaurant Workers/Metro Atlanta” Facebook group is nearing 10,000 members and sees multiple employment posts each day. These posts provide employers with free opportunities to reach out to the established hospitality community and receive a quick turnaround on resume submissions.
Online recruiting websites like Monster.com and Indeed popped up on employers’ radars over a decade ago. Hardly a Super Bowl went by where the public wasn’t introduced to the hottest new headhunting site. Eventually, employers and jobhunters were left scratching their heads wondering which site will net them the best applicants or the best positions. There are recruiting solutions that focus on the restaurant industry. Founded in 2012, Harri is one of those solutions for restaurant staffing. Harri integrates a social network feel with sleek restaurant profiles and phone apps to connect prospective employees to employers. Employers utilize “swim lanes” to organize and schedule applicants and can even email them onboarding paperwork to streamline and condense the orientation process.
This year at Goliath Consulting, we have seen an uptick of clients seeking our recruiting services to outsource this time-consuming process. The average job opening requires a minimum of 20 hours of dedicated labor to fill and hospitality managers are finding there is not enough time in their weeks to perform an effective talent search. Through our website, Goliath Consulting Restaurant Jobs, we’ve created an online portal to connect our clients with top talent. We utilize a series of metrics to rank potential candidates on standards ranging from qualifications to personality to potential career longevity.
Reach out to us at GetResults@GoliathConsulting.com to find out how Goliath can optimize your recruiting and help you find your next all-star employee.