Restaurant Recruiter Reveals Best Hiring Practices in a Tough Economy

The following is a press release that recently went out:

With the current market negatively affecting the restaurant industry on several fronts, some concepts are cutting back on their recruiting efforts and many managers are hoping to ride it out with the concept they are currently with. The perception is often that the “sky is falling” and neither restaurants nor restaurant managers should make a move. “In some ways, this is the best time for a quality restaurant manager to make a change,” says Brian Bruce, a restaurant executive recruiter for Premier Solutions in Oklahoma City. “During uncertain times, restaurants need strong leadership from managers who can produce. My search practice is as busy as ever because the client restaurants I choose to recruit for don’t want to waste their time talking to restaurant manager candidates who can’t produce. Most of those can be found answering ads in the paper or on the internet.”

Recruiting and hiring great managers is a critical component to any restaurant’s success. And that means bringing in “A” players. The issue here is that high quality candidates tend to already have good jobs. How can a restaurant concept go about finding this caliber of candidate and get them onboard? “The most qualified and talented candidates are generally going to be passive candidates. In other words, they won’t necessarily be looking at other opportunities but will listen should something superior come to their attention,” says Bruce.

Bruce believes the best candidates aren’t generally on the job boards. The ease by which these candidates are accessed increases the risk when a concept puts them in the hiring process. “Looking past the potential performance issues that put these candidates on the job boards to begin with, a restaurant opens itself up to other risks inherent with hiring someone from an internet source. These candidates will still be receiving calls from other restaurants long after you’ve hired them, improving the likelihood that you’ll be back to square one trying to fill the position again should they leave.” “I know placing ads is popular methodology, but an unproductive one. Why should a restaurant company spend that kind of capital to advertise their need to ‘the masses’, spend the time filtering through the stack in hopes of finding a decent resume, and not even guarantee to have a viable candidate result from all their efforts?” “I’ve seen hiring authorities try to make a questionable candidate ‘fit’ in order to justify the money they’ve already spent. That will come back to bite them every time. A good restaurant management recruiter who works on a contingency basis won’t require any financial investment until the right candidate starts working for the company. That makes a lot more sense (and cents)!”

“You want to hire the candidate who’s next in line for a promotion. And that means contacting them directly.” This is where Bruce is called in by his client companies to pursue such candidates directly, making first contact, pre-qualifying the managers who are interested and properly motivated to make a change, and presenting them to his clients, already interested in making a positive impact for their concept.

Bruce also writes a blog for restaurant hiring authorities and restaurant managers who are considering making a career change. He meets some of his best candidates and clients through his writing there. “In my search practice, I use my communication skills to quickly develop rapport with quality prospects. I can often secure the interest of the most passive quality candidate because of how I approach them on the phone. And that’s what sets apart a good recruiter, bringing high-performing producers to the interview table and providing the information necessary to bring those producers aboard.”

Brian Bruce, author of multiple articles published on many websites and several industry trade publications, has been cited in multiple news stories as an authority in Executive Restaurant Recruiting. He's an Executive Restaurant Recruiter with Premier Solutions in Oklahoma City and Blogger. He can be reached at 877-948-4001, by email at HeadHunterBrian@gmail.com , or on his blog at HeadHunterBrian.com .