Pizza Today - November 2023 - 27

of Kezner Consulting Group, which
consults for new and existing restaurants
and other hospitality enterprises.
" The best platform that we work with
is Poached, but I also encourage my
clients to have an applicant tracking
system that can aggregate multiple
places where you're posting jobs, so
you don't lose potential employees.
Our customizable tool lets you track
people visually through a pipeline,
whether it be screening, call, first
interview, second interview, all the
way through to job offer, or rejecting a
potential candidate. "
" Make it easy for them, " says
Hebert. " Utilize everything online,
have something on your website, use
Indeed, use social media, go to where
they are and don't disqualify based on
lack of experience. "
SELL YOURSELF
" You need to sell yourself to the
applicant just the same way that you
sell yourself to the consumer, " advises
Ken Batali, owner of Batali Associates
Hospitality Consulting, serving the
Pacific Northwest.
Hebert agrees. " You really have to
market your business and your culture.
Sell what you're offering beyond just
pay and benefits - growth opportunities,
a lifestyle, a work family. "
Hott affirms that a positive work
culture is critical. In addition, he says
workers value pay, job descriptions and
career opportunities. " People want to
know they can advance. "
VETTING APPLICANTS
Hott suggests you start by " writing
down your must-haves, your nice-tohaves,
and any deal-breakers, " to use as
an evaluation framework.
Hebert recommends making your
non-negotiables clear in online
applications and postings and relying
on " some preliminary questions to help
you screen people before they come in
so you're not wasting anybody's time. "
This is also a good time to identify
any deal-breakers, such as scheduling
conflicts or a history of theft or harassment.
INTERVIEWING
APPLICANTS
" Make it professional, " says Hebert.
" Have a system in place and be consistent.
I highly recommend a two-step
process, whether it's the same day or
not. Have them meet with multiple
team members, do a working interview,
really take the time to make sure
it's a good fit on both ends. Give them
that opportunity to investigate you. Be
an open book. "
Batali also likes to bring prospects
in for a stage (working interview), " for
both front and back of the house. Just
be in the environment for a couple of
hours to see how they fit in. " He also
advises that operators have written
questions to provide structure and
consistency to their interview process.
" One of the biggest things we try to
establish is if the person has a hospitality
mindset, if it's truly in their
DNA to provide good hospitality "
reflects Kezner.
Hammers says " I try to picture -
could I go to a baseball game with this
person? Could I sit with this person
for three hours and have a conversation
and walk away and say, that was
fun? To me, that's the biggest thing.
That person can communicate and
connect with someone that they've
never met before and be instantly
friendly and give great customer
service. "
Reminding your candidates about
the interview will increase the likelihood
they'll show up. It's easy for people
to forget these types of appointments,
especially when they set it up
while riding a bus or dashing between
classes. Hott says that the Poached
tool includes a friendly automated
reminder which helps set both parties
up for success. He also advises that
" you have a consistent process for all of
your candidates. You want them all to
go through the same interview process
and you want to document this. This
will help with any legal considerations
and help remove any unconscious bias.
So have a form, take notes and retain
the documentation. "
WHAT'S AN IDEAL CANDIDATE?
Having an idea about who you're
looking for is always helpful.
Batali says " an ideal candidate's
probably somebody who's a fan of
the restaurant, because they're already
going to have a sense of pride and
excitement to be there. "
" First and foremost, a hospitality
mindset, " offers Kezner. " A willingness
to work and keep a schedule, and
potentially a proven track record. " He
notes that low energy and a lack of
enthusiasm are deal-breakers.
" I believe that as much as we're in
the pizza business, we're in the people
business too, " says Hammers. " There's
an expectation that our employees will
be outgoing and really connect in a
very short amount of time with their
customers. " Even the cooks need to
have some charisma. " They're throwing
the pizza right in front of the customers.
And even if they're not having
direct conversations, the eye contact
with the kid that's mesmerized with
the pizza flying in the air, it's important. "
Our
sources also emphasize that hiring
and retention are two sides of the
same coin. Master the retention game
and you won't have to hire as often.
Nail the hiring and you'll be bringing
employees on board who you want
to keep for the long haul. Prioritize
retention and they will.
With wages up and competition
fierce, don't treat hiring as an afterthought.
Screen, interview, and hire
as if your business depended on it -
because it does.
ANNELISE KELLY is a Portland, Oregonbased
freelance writer.
NOVEMBER2023 / PIZZATODAY.COM / 27
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