A lot of opportunities exist in the food service industry, and the industry is growing more and more as more individuals are going into the food sector either as a chain food business, sole proprietorship, or partnership.
Employee selection processes are critical to hiring a superior staff. A career in the restaurant and hospitality business is a profession, and those who acquire professional credentials distinguish themselves as being highly skilled, trained, motivated, and career-minded. They make themselves immediate candidates for better pay and better jobs.
The biggest concern for food service managers today is human resources. Managers are worried about employee skill levels, compensation, recruiting, motivating, training, and retaining.
The food service operations model describes steps in the production and service of the menu; however, these steps are not automated ordinarily (though in recent times many food service operations have automated their purchasing, inventory, sales, and human resource systems) nor do they operate in a vacuum.
These steps or processes involve people, a manager or supervisor directing people via instructions, and this is where human resources management (policies and processes involved in the recruitment, employment, training, placement, compensation, etc.) comes in the food service operation. Employee selection is a critical issue in any business venture, including the food service sector.
The food service industry is becoming more and more sophisticated, and there is a need to carefully choose employees and train them systematically in the organization’s standards.
The success of a food service operation depends on its employees, and the success of a food service manager depends on his or her ability to manage and work well with the people.
Diverse Career Paths in the Food Service Industry
A broad range of employment opportunities exist in the food service industry. The food service industry provides career opportunities for persons of almost every age, experience, and education.
A career in the food service sector can be very interesting, especially for individuals who are highly creative, innovative, and sociable. The work offers excellent opportunities for one to use his/her initiative, express ideas, and earn the satisfaction that comes from serving one’s fellow and the advancement of social contact at the same time.
The jobs in the food service industry can be classified as:
i. Entry or First-Level Positions: These may be unskilled or semi-skilled.
ii. Second-Level Positions: These require some skills (skilled).
iii. Third-Level Positions: These are supervisory or executive positions.
However, training, experience, and individual initiatives are the prerequisites for success in the executive and managerial positions in the food service industry. On the other hand, this does not mean that those with little formal education cannot perform well in the food service sector.
There exist quite a number of people today who have no formal or very little education, and they hold responsible, high-level positions and are doing excellently well on their jobs; all the experience they would have garnered on the job while working over a long period of time will make up for the lack of formal education.
This is not to say that formal education is not important; acquiring a college or university training before venturing into the food service industry is an added advantage, giving one a competitive edge and the finesse required to do the job in the food service operation with all the high level of sophistication in the food service industry today.
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Positions in the Food Service Industry
| Position | Level | Nature of Job |
|---|---|---|
| CEO/Business Owner, Research & Development, Human Resources, Quality Assurance, Marketing | Third-Level Position, Supervisory or Executive Position | Corporate |
| Professional, Director of Training, Director of Franchising, Catering Director, Restaurant Manager, Purchasing Director, Food Production Manager, etc. | Third-Level Position, Supervisory or Executive Position | Corporate |
| Dining Room Manager, Dining Room Supervisor, Bar Manager | Third-Level Position, Supervisory | Front of the House |
| Dietary Manager, Dietitian | Third-Level Position, Supervisory | Specialty |
| Host, Head Server, Head Waiter/Waitress, Server, Bartender, Server Assistant | Second-Level Position, (Skilled) | Front of the House |
| Roast Cook, Fry Cook, Cook | Second-Level Position, (Skilled) | Back of the House |
| Vegetable Preparer, Kitchen Helper, Dishwasher, Worker Assistant, Counter Server, Store-Room Helper, etc. | First-Level Position, (Unskilled) | Back of the House |
From table above, one can see that a host of opportunities exist in the food service industry; however, this list is not exhaustive. These positions are not restricted to only the food service industry but also all other places that serve food, for example, one can get any of these positions in a hotel, restaurants, cafeteria, hospitals, nightclubs, schools, supermarkets, cruise lines, stadiums, airline in-flight food service, etc.
The single largest segment in the food service industry is fast food, though most students tend to look down on fast foods as having no career features and somewhat inferior when compared with a career in hotels and high-brow restaurants and would willingly opt for positions in hotels, which they believe to be more challenging.
However, these impressions students have about fast food service operations cannot be said to be very accurate; in fact, a wide range of opportunities are available at every job level from entry to executive, and responsibility comes quickly to young people in fast food who demonstrate interest and ability, which is increased as rapidly as the new employee can handle it.
It is indeed a wise decision for persons aspiring to a career in food service to consider all segments of the industry and not to disregard any segment. The fast food segment is indeed an exciting and growing segment that provides challenges and opportunities for young people.
Effective Recruitment Process in the Food Service Industry
Recruitment refers to the mobilization or conscription of employable candidates from a large pool of job seekers for an organization. The objective is to systematically find, hire, and retain qualified employees; this is done through a clear definition of job qualifications, which allows for easier identification of potential candidates. Recruitment consists of attracting capable individuals using methods such as outsourcing and the internet.
Every enterprise, business, startup, and entrepreneurial firm has some well-defined employment and recruitment policies and hiring procedures. The human resources departments of any organization, business, government office, etc., are generally vested with this responsibility.
Professionalism in food service management is essential in today’s highly competitive market. The overview of food service management is intended to reveal the scope and seriousness of food service management and to underscore the importance of training and education for potential food service managers and also the importance of selecting and retaining well-trained and motivated staff to achieve the goals and objectives of the food service operation.
For any recruitment process to be effective, there are well-defined procedures to be followed. The employment manager who coordinates the hiring process has to do a job analysis to be able to define or describe the job (job description).
Conducting a Job Analysis for Recruitment
Before managers can hire an employee, they need to know what they should be looking for. A job analysis involves an in-depth study of a particular job, breaking it down into different bits and pieces in order to know what it takes to do the job. A job analysis can be carried out in several ways, which include:
i. Observation of the Employee Performing the Job: Though this method is not solely reliable as the employee may adjust the speed of their work if they are aware that they are being watched, and this may distort the information required.
ii. Interview with the Person Doing the Job: This involves asking the employee to list, in chronological order, everything they do as part of their job. There may also be some distortions as the employees may tend to exaggerate the importance of the job or diminish the importance of the job with a poor attitude.
iii. Interview with the Employee’s Supervisor: This is, however, the most reliable of the three methods of carrying out a job analysis, though there is the possibility that the supervisor may not be very conversant with the processes involved in the job. All the same, the supervisor’s contributions will make up for any loopholes in the other two methods mentioned above.
Developing a Job Specification
When a job is completely analyzed, the manager comes up with a job specification. A job specification is the listing of the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to perform a job. This information is obtained after a thorough study of the job, i.e., all that it takes to be able to do the job.
Creating a Job Description
The job specification for a particular job comes from a document that lays out the purpose, scope, and major duties of a particular job. This document is called a job description. A job description is developed as a result of job analysis. A minimum job description should include the following:
i. Job Title
ii. Title of Immediate Supervisor
iii. Job Summary: 20 to 30 words identifying the purposes of the job
iv. Essential Functions: What should be done, time to be spent on each task, equipment used, materials to be used
v. Reporting Relationships: To whom the job holder reports and vice versa
vi. Qualification Standards: Personal professional qualifications, skills, education, experience required, physical and mental demands, amount of responsibility, personal characteristics for job success, etc.
There is a need to update a job analysis from time to time. With the high level of sophistication in the hospitality business, especially in the food service sector with a whole lot of innovation, a restaurant may initiate a change of theme or menu without updating the job descriptions required to perform the work.
Managers should always have it at the back of their minds that as they introduce changes in the operations, the need will also arise for them to pair the jobs with the right employees needed to perform these jobs.
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Guidelines for Recruitment and Selection
All the information gathered from the job analysis, job specification, and job description should guide the employment manager in preparing job postings, newspaper advertisements, and planning the overall selection process.
Time invested in thoughtfully planning the recruitment and selection process can make the difference between good and poor hiring decisions. The guidelines for recruitment and selection include the following:
- Submission of recruiting documents
- Selection process
- Search committee/interview panel
- Interviewing
- During the interview
- Reference checks
- Making hiring decisions
- Documentation
Steps in the Hiring Process
Although restaurant operators cite employee referrals, walk-ins, and newspaper advertisements as the most effective methods for attracting new employees, additional steps can be taken in the hiring process. Each of these steps costs money but reveals more information about potential employees. These steps include:
- Preliminary interview
- Completion of application form
- Employment tests, which include personality tests, skills tests, job simulation, and assessment centers
- Interview in the human resources department, i.e., structured interview
- Background investigation, which includes background checks and reference checks
- Medical examination, such as drug tests
- Preliminary selection in the human resources department
- Supervisory interview
- Realistic job preview
- Hiring decision
At the end of all these steps listed above, it is important that the hiring decision be made in a timely manner and that applicants are made aware of that date.
Informing both those who will receive job offers and those who will not makes for good public relations and keeps those who did not get the job interested in applying for other opportunities within the operation in the future.
In making a job offer, the following elements should be covered:
- Position title
- Person to whom to report
- Salary to pay
- Shift
- Starting date
- Starting time
- Ending time
- Days off
- Equipment needed
- Clothing required
- Meal arrangements
- Parking
- When to come for processing of documents
When all these steps are taken, the working relationship will certainly begin on the right footing.
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