Crafting Great Interviews

Interview Form

Summary

Transcript

Crafting Great Interviews

The right candidate solves a specific need in your organization. Finding the right person for a particular role begins with an interview that gives you a clear indication of what kind of person is sitting in front of you, knowing whether they are qualified for the job, and truly understanding what you need for the position.

To hire the right person, you need to make sure you know everything about the role that needs filling. The right candidate will learn and grow to fill this role perfectly. To clarify what’s required, write thorough, honest job descriptions. It’s also a good idea to get different points of view. Ask at least two other managers to interview the candidate before deciding to hire.

Let’s take a look at how you can set the stage and conduct a great interview.

Send the right signals. Offer water or coffee and treat the candidate with friendliness, respect, and kindness because that is the behavior you expect to see from them if they were brought into your organization. You also want them as relaxed as possible during the interview so they can be themselves.

Host a conversation, not an interrogation. Get to know the candidate by asking broad questions in addition to specific personality and technical skill questions. Do they have any hobbies? What makes them tick?

Look for 51 percenters: 49% technical skill and 51% emotional intelligence (as noted by Danny Meyer). Though experience is important, kind and empathetic people are easy to teach and can usually learn any technical skills, they may be lacking. Look for a curious, passionate candidate who knows a lot but isn't a know-it-all. Being coachable is the essential personality trait you’re looking for.

Look at the dates of their previous employment. 2-3 years at one spot before moving on is preferable to someone with a new job every few months. Also, dig into their motivation for moving on from job to job. You don’t want complainers or people with no discretion. “Time for a change” and "New opportunity” are good things. Things like, “Nobody does their job right at my current restaurant” indicates this candidate may not be a good fit.

Always ask follow-up questions. If they say they were the top salesperson at their last job, ask them what the competition was like (“Everyone else was lazy” is not a good response), their selling methods and motivations are better answers.

Save your spiel about your company culture and hospitality until the end. Find out how they see the hospitality business first. You want someone who is a natural fit with your company, so be careful not to guide their answers.

Split the talking 80/20. Let your candidate speak for about 80% or more of the time, and you talk for about 20% of the time or less. Their answers are more important than your questions, and the goal here is to discover how they think, act and conduct themselves through their answers.

Hire tough and manage easy. Don’t settle. Always make sure to be thorough, call references, and only move forward with someone who checks all the right boxes. Coachability is the most important personality trait. Only hire people who are excited to learn and take a pass on the “know-it-alls” even if their experience seems great. Your future self will thank you.

Let's take a look at Form 17 from the toolbox for Personality Questions, Job History/Experience Questions, and the Time to Make a Decision sheet.

Summary

• It is critical to the success and efficiency of your restaurant that you build a team with the right people, and it all begins with conducting good interviews.
• To know whether a person is a good fit for a position, you need first to understand what the position needs from a person fully. Then, it is about whether the person has the personality, values, skill set, and experience required.
• During an interview, make the person feel comfortable by offering them something to drink, making conversation about personal things and not only work-related topics. And always get at least two other manager’s opinions by having them conduct separate interviews.
• Always follow Danny Meyer’s 51% principle: someone who has 51% of the emotional intelligence needed and 49% of the technical skills. It’s easier to teach someone new skills than struggling with someone who doesn’t have the right attitude.
• Pay attention to how long someone has been at their previous few jobs and ask for their reasons for moving.
• Keep the talking to an 80/20 split: 80% of the time, they should be talking, 20% of the time, you. And always dive deeper into a topic with follow-up with questions.
• Avoid directing answers from a candidate, by leaving information about the restaurant, its culture, etc. until the end of an interview. You want their answers to be authentic and not skewed by what you’ve shared.