Interview techniques

Selecting the right staff is one of the most important decisions a licensee will make. John Porter offers advice for publicans who are facing this sometimes daunting task.

There is no shortage of information available on how to land a job. From professional CV writing services to websites offering grooming tips, a whole industry has sprung up for prospective employees.

For a publican looking to take on staff, it's another story. Selecting the right staff is one of the most important decisions you will make, and there's no doubt that it can be a daunting prospect.

Without the back-up of the dedicated personnel staff employed by the big operators, and lacking the budget to use one of the growing number of specialist licensed trade recruitment consultants who work with the major pub chains, you're more or less on your own.

Recent research carried out for the British Institute of Innkeeping by Professor Conrad Lashley of Leeds Metropolitan University shows just how important it is to get the basic recruitment and induction process right.

The average staff turnover in the industry is 180 per cent, which in practical terms means publicans have to replace staff roughly twice a year. Induction programmes can have a positive impact on the problem of high staff turnover.

After analysing a wide cross-section of pubs, Professor Lashley concluded that those with a particularly high staff turnover face what he calls "an induction crisis" in which recruitment is rushed and new employees are arriving at frequent intervals.

"In these circumstances the induction crisis is in part a response to a mismatch between the job role and the recruit, and is rooted in poor selection and recruitment," he said. In other words, many pubs are routinely appointing staff who are not suited to the job.

What are you looking for?​

A little preparation will pay off. If you decide exactly what qualities you're looking for, and clearly set them out, it will make the selection process much easier for both you and the candidates. You can either set out all your requirements in an advert, or draw up a one or two page job description to give to applicants in advance.

Start by defining exactly what the job involves and what experience, skills and qualities are needed to do it.

Don't ask for experience and qualifications greater than needed - you probably don't need to be a graduate to work behind the bar, but basic English and maths qualifications would be helpful for counting change and writing out receipts or food orders.

Consider whether you are going to look for experience. If the candidate will be expected to take charge in your absence, someone who has worked in the pub trade before is probably needed. On the other hand, if they are to work alongside more experienced team members, someone willing to learn might be fine.

Experience outside the industry, such as working in a shop, might still be relevant when deciding if someone is able to relate well to customers.

Keeping your requirements realistic will make it easier for you to find a suitable person, and easier for applicants to decide whether the job is right for them.

You should try to judge people on the basis of the job description they have applied for. It would be unfair, and might limit your choice, to only interview candidates with experience of working in the pub trade if your advert said "no experience necessary".

The interview​

Two heads are better than one. While you probably don't have the resources to assemble a large interview panel, it is usually helpful to have someone else interview candidates with you. This might be a reliable member of staff who will be working with the successful applicant.

It means that you will have two different perspectives on the suitability of a candidate, and is also of practical help. Taking notes can be very helpful when deciding between candidates afterwards. If you take it in turns to ask questions while the other interviewer takes notes, it will be less off-putting for the candidate - and it will help you to appear friendly and maintain eye-contact if you don't have to keep stopping to scribble notes.

Plan in advance who is going to ask which questions. You could each cover an area of the job description, such as the duties required and the candidate's previous experience.

You should also write out and rehearse the questions in advance - good interview questions are open-ended and give the candidate a chance to talk about themselves rather than simply answering yes or no.

"Tell us what makes you a good bar person" will get you more information than simply "are you a good bar person?"

Start the interview by explaining a few basics, such as:

• introducing the members of the panel
• explaining that you will be asking question in turn and taking notes
• saying roughly how long you expect the interview to last
• giving a basic description of the job
• explain that there will be a chance for the candidate to ask questions at the end.

This gives you a chance to answer some basic questions the candidate may have - rate of pay, hours etc, and also gives the candidate a chance to settle down - remember that interviews can be nerve-wracking.

During the interview, listen to the candidate's answers. This may seem obvious, but it's sometimes easy to get caught up in the process and be thinking about the next question instead of listening to the answer. This is another reason why having someone else take notes is a good idea. Be ready to follow up any points of interest with supplementary questions.

At the end, have the information ready to answer any obvious questions the candidate has. These might be about promotion prospects, holidays, or start date. If they ask you something unexpected - on a point of employment law, for example - resist the temptation to waffle. If necessary, offer to check and phone the candidate with the correct information later.

We'll be in touch​

At the end of the interview, tell the candidate when you expect to make a decision, and make sure you have a contact phone number and address, either by asking them to write it down, or checking it against an application form. And even though breaking bad news is never a pleasant task, you should always do unsuccessful candidates the courtesy of telling them - a letter may be better if you can't face a difficult phone call.

You are not alone​

If you find the calibre of some of the candidates applying for jobs hard to believe, don't worry - many other bosses feel the same way. A recent survey of employers showed that the four biggest mistakes committed by job applicants at interview are:

• inappropriate dress
• arrogance
• monosyllabic responses
• arriving late without apologising.

Interview checklist​

If you have a simple checklist of half-a-dozen or so points which you can tick off during or immediately after the interview, it will help you to quickly identify those most suitable, and weed out no-hopers.

It is not a substitute for an interview, but can help save time.

A candidate scoring all or mostly "yes" ticks should obviously be given strong consideration, while one scoring all or mostly "no" ticks can be eliminated without taking too much time to think about it.

The points should be something easy to make a quick judgement on. Deciding whether someone's appearance fits the image of the pub is easier than deciding if they would work well with other members of staff, which might depend on other factors.

Some of the points of the checklist can be general, others might relate specifically to the job on offer. So, for prospective barstaff the checkli