Top tips on how to recruit for pub staff

Recruitment costs are the bane of many operators' lives, but a few changes to recruitment and retention methods can mean significant reductions, argues Dawn Redman.

The starting process for the majority of vacancies is someone leaving. If it's a voluntary departure, employers should take a step back. If you understand the reason behind their leaving, you can potentially prevent having to recruit and to re-train. If you need to recruit new staff, it's time to adopt a different recruitment strategy. Finding the best possible people who can fit into your culture and contribute within your business is a challenge, but also a great opportunity.

1. Why are they leaving?​

Many individuals leave over what seem the most ridiculous of reasons. Most recently we heard of a sous chef who left because of the rise in the price of petrol, which meant he was £10 a week worse off due to his travel costs. When we asked the chef what his employer said, he merely remarked: "I didn't bother to mention it and they didn't ask." So we urge employers to talk regularly with their team and have one-to-one sessions, understand their issues and manage them before they resign or cause a negative rumble within the wider team.

2. Look under your nose​

Often the ideal recruit is within the team itself. It may be someone looking for their next career move or front-of-house staff looking to start a career in the kitchen and vice versa. There is a tendency to pigeonhole staff in their current roles. And because there is no succession planning in place, employers often fail to see that staff want more responsibility or a change in roles. Take a look at the skills and the passion you already have — providing promotion and opportunities for current employees boosts morale and makes your staff feel their talents, capabilities and accomplishments are appreciated. And of course it's a chance for you to see if you have your next head chef, general manager or business development manager in place.

3. Benchmark, interview, recruit​

In today's tough environment every pound you get from your customer has been fought for, hard. So don't recruit the first person who walks through the door — even if they are good. Use them as a benchmark for all the other interviews that subsequently take place. Then if it turns out that this person was the best candidate, hire them. Remember to have a clear interview process, structure it consistently and prepare your interview questions. Most importantly, run the same process for every candidate and you will have a clear benchmark, and know that when you have made the decision it's the right choice.

4. Use agencies as partners not suppliers​

There is always a time and place for agencies. Good agencies can act as your resourcing partner and working with them can take away a lot of the leg work, significantly reducing the time you actually spend in interviews and making sure that only those candidates who fit your culture and meet your needs are sent to you.

5. Reward recommendations​

Your staff may know the ideal recruit and, with a little encouragement, you may find the perfect candidate with little effort and the offer of a reward will get that CV onto your desk. Use your internal network of staff — there's a good chance the people they mix with are equally good — and then incentivise them with a cash bonus or day's holiday if you are able to recruit someone through their recommendation.

6. Take up references​

In today's increasingly litigious society it is amazing that any employer would risk their business by not taking time to seek out the thoughts of past employers. It is something we would do without thinking if we employed a builder to work on our house. So why not follow the same principle when you are giving someone access to your cash, your stock and your customers? I would recommend that you take up references for the past five years or the two most recent jobs.

7. A shift on a busy lunch or evening service​

When you are down to your last couple of candidates, get them to work a shift for you — and make sure it is one of your busiest ones. Add the candidates to the rota and see how they get on with your team and your way of working. It is worth explaining to them that this enables them to make the same decision as you are having to make — is the position you are offering right for them? And don't forget to ask your existing team for their thoughts. If you take their opinions into consideration, they will feel engaged in your business.

8. You can't train passion​

Their CV may be great, your candidate may look the part, but — and it is a big but — if they are unable to manage a smile or can only communicate via text-speak language, don't bother recruiting if you expect them to integrate with your customers. Passion is not trained in; it is a natural talent that the best employers are careful to harness — and harness well.

9. Train, train and train ​

We believe that if a candidate leaves within the first three to six months of taking on a new job, the reason lies in three simple variables: the recruitment process was poor, the job was misrepresented or a lack of training has been offered. Remember all those important things that you organised at the beginning, such as pre-shift meetings, wine tastings and team days out? Do you still do them? Put an induction process in place and then don't forget to review at defined intervals of three, six and 12 months. As the belt has tightened, the hours worked have become longer, but these things are the reasons why your business and turnover should be surviving and booming in these tough times. And finally it pays to remember a simple quote from Henry Ford: "Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success."

Dawn Redman is managing director of licensed and hospitality retail recruitment specialists Retail Recruitment Company.​