Once you’ve got candidates coming in the door, the next step is to find out if they are the right fit. To do this effectively it’s important to identify the qualities you are looking for. Kathleen Wood, president, Elliott Solutions, a consulting company specializing in human resources, says, “It is essential to develop a description for each job that not only includes skills but character and attributes.” The personal interview is often the best insight. Some successful strategies from restaurateurs:

“We show people the menu and ask them to tell us which item they would like to order and why. This tells us about their enthusiasm and knowledge of food. Energy level is also important and we can get a feeling from body language and eye contact—we can see if they seem excited about being here.”
- Barbara Sibley and Margaritte Malfy, partners, La Palapa, New York, NY

“For the second interview we have a ‘Peer Tour’ of the restaurant led by a member of the staff. This shows potential hires where they will be working, so there are no surprises and the staff members get a chance to form an opinion.”
- Jeff Phillips, GM, The Olive Garden, Ft. Walton, FL

“We only use open-ended questions during a series of four interviews (three with assistant managers and one with me) for potential hires. Asking questions that can’t be answered yes or no is our most effective tool for judging character.”
- Jim Guarasci, owner, Pasta Cucina, Suffern, NY

“I’m always sensitive to the demeanor of my staff — which is laid back — because if I hired people who were gung-ho or hyper, no matter how good they are, they wouldn’t fit in.”
- Joe Loughry, owner, Loughry’s Landing, Beauford, NC

Note: Like other business owners, restaurateurs must take care to protect themselves from charges of unfair bias by making sure the questions they ask on job applications and in interviews do not discriminate against applicants, even unintentionally.