With schools letting out, tourists arriving, and wedding season in bloom, it’s important to have a dream team to back up your business. Get in front of the summer crowds with spicy strategies to hire and retain top talent.
Seasonal Strategy
Avoid the pressure to fill positions quickly by rounding up just anyone. Meeting with your partners to develop a hiring strategy is crucial. The goal is less turnover, therefore fewer resources spent on training. Of course, every hire should represent your brand, but also — make the time to outline exactly what different positions need filling and who precisely should fill them.
Some positions might be ideal for a high schooler looking for a first summer job. Other positions might benefit from the knowledge held by a college grad student. By not settling, you reduce the risk of hiring the wrong candidate.
Outreach
To attract people looking for their first job, a more direct explanation of daily duties will be most effective. Also consider where certain demographics are going to look for job postings. The best place to start is your own website — an eye-catching banner on the homepage is a great way to draw in candidates who already love your brand and know what you're about. An email newsletter is another way to reach those already invested in you.
Or reach out to the small business centers on your local campuses to team up for internship opportunities. Use hiring apps specific to the restaurant industry. Post a creative reel on social media that shows viewers how much fun they could be having working for you. If retirees looking for extra income might be a good fit, it's not a bad idea to submit an ad through traditional media.
Screen Time
Automated email responses are great for folks responding to your listed email address — however, a recent survey showed that nearly 80% of candidates actually prefer scheduling an interview via text — and texts have a whopping 98% open rate versus only 20% with email. Get candidates started on the process immediately, even if it's after business hours, by creating an automated text that leads them to an assessment they can start filling out before they've even talked to you in person.
Talk Shop
You can always teach new skills with a clear, defined training program, but it’s difficult to gauge personality upfront. An interview is necessary to get a true feel for the candidate's attitude and demeanor. Whether in person or on camera, it's essential that you have multiple managers present or viewing so you can collectively decide as a team if they have what you're looking for.
By creating and adhering to a hiring process that works best for you, you can ensure you'll get quality seasonal hires that will most likely return and could even become full-time employees down the road, saving you valuable resources you can instead put back into your growing establishment.
