Careers Focus: Catch a rising star

Staff training is key to the success of our pub. It's great having friendly barstaff who can chat to customers and pull decent pints, but for us that's not enough. We employ confident workers who are keen to learn about the industry and competent enough to take charge when needed.

We sit down with all new starters to find out what they already know and ask them what they'd like to achieve. If someone aspires to be a manager we will back them all the way, pointing out their strengths and weaknesses so they know how to improve.

Our training is like a 'filter system'. We invest time in our staff, passing down our own knowledge and experience to make sure that everyone knows about all the aspects of running the pub.

I firmly believe that all staff should know how to use tills efficiently, how to order stock, change barrels, keep the pub clean and deal with suppliers. Barstaff should know the law and be confident at dealing with awkward or unusual customers. We train our team to management level so they feel confident they can handle any situation without relying on someone else.

Rewarding staff for their hard work is also very important. Customers want to see happy workers who enjoy their job and who do it well. Nobody works excessive hours at the Shooting Star, so they have time to socialise outside of work.

We hold appraisals every quarter so we can talk to our staff about any problems they may have and find out which aspects of their job they want to concentrate on in future.

I feel good staff are vital to any pub. The team at the Shooting Star work as a family and our customers warm to the atmosphere that creates.

In the future we'd like to take on other venues and create our own handbook on staff training and pass on our winning formula.

• This article was originally written for Admiral Taverns' in-house magazine On Tap​