If running job interviews makes you feel like you're in the hot-seat, here's some simple advice.
Job interviews can be just as stressful for the employer as they are for the candidate. According to our industry experts, if you take some of the pressure off, you'll get a better result.
Make it a conversation
Lachlan Ward is Operations Manager for one of Melbourne's busiest family of cafes, which includes St ALi and Sensory Lab. He runs interviews all the time as says the most vital thing is to do it in person.
“I like meeting people face-to-face and getting a feel for who they are and whether they'd fit. For me that's kind of more important.” Lachlan says.
The person doing the hiring should be qualified enough to know whether the candidate is right for the role. For example, if you run a homewares shop but you're looking for someone to join the design team, it's a good idea to get your creatives involved.
Two interviews are better than one
As General Manager across all of Andrew McConnell's restaurants, Oliver Shorthouse oversees recruitment and training for between 200 and 300 staff. Even at this scale he insists on running two rounds of interviews, for waitstaff right through to venue managers and head chefs.
“The first interview covers all the basics and does that first screening,” he explains, “Maybe 15 or 20 per cent get through that first interview stage and get put up to the next stage.”
While trial shifts have long been a go-to for the hospitality industry, Shorthouse warns to steer clear of them.
“We don't do trials, we don't believe in them,” he explains, “You're not going to get a true representation of what they are capable of, you'll just get a stressed out person.”
He willl take chefs through a skills test though, which may include preparing a recipe or checking knife skills.
Be open to training
If you've got a great candidate who's skills aren't quite up to scratch have an open conversation and see if a bit of training could fill in the gaps.
“Probably the best question is, 'What do you want to learn?',” Shorthouse says, “It separates the people who are just after a job from people who are actually seeking development and something specific.”
“You look for a grounding in the industry but I don't necessarily think that's the be all and end all,” Lachlan says, “A willingness to learn and a great, hardworking attitude is what I'd look.”
You should see new hires as an investment, someone who can improve and grow with your company.
“I actually got a job at Sensory Lab when I finished uni in 2011 just as a barista and I had always kind of wanted to work in coffee,” Lachlan Ward explains. “I sort of worked up the ranks. So I guess I'm testament to that if you stick with it and you can make a career out of it.”
