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BIS MAGAZINE/Your Staff. Your Business greatest asset. The selection process.Content:The Spanish Property Market today New Taxation Reforms in Spain New Anti Tobacco Laws in Spain Click here to read our article ´Spanish Interior...The Next Big Thing" Click here to read our article "Lost in translation" Click here to read our article ´Pet´s Abroad´ Your Staff: Your Business Greatest Asset.
The selection Process
“If you had to rush off for a few days, would you be happy leaving your business in someone else's hands….?” If we analyse the constituent parts of a successful business ..…. then location, style, theme, product and merchandise are all important. But none of these things will work for you if they are not presented in the right way. This is where your staff come in. Don’t under-estimate the value of great staff. The people you hire can be your greatest business asset….. or the cause of your downfall. Your reputation is as much based on good service as anything else and as we are all fond of saying 'good service costs nothing'! So the true secret of success? Find, select, train, motivate and most of all, look after your staff … and they will look after you too! We've just moved to This is a tricky one! The Most bar owners tend to search for staff by placing an ad in the local paper or in the window of the bar, yet interestingly the best candidates are not usually looking for jobs! Often you’ll already know the ideal person or know of them. Asking friends and colleagues for recommendations is another good way to find the right candidate for you. A referral from someone you trust and respect can help much more with selecting the right candidate than 50 anonymous replies to your newspaper advertisement. Always trust your instinct. It’s hard to ask for evidence of honesty, common sense and a willingness to learn. You’ll be able to judge communication skills fairly easily but apart from asking for references, you have little to really go on when hiring bar staff. Instinct however is a great judge of character, so if you feel a person will fit in with your team, has the right personality for your bar and that you ‘like them’… chances are you will be right. If you have a nagging feeling about someone and you are just not sure why, then the chances are that this person is not for you. Either way you should try to involve the rest of your staff in your decision, particularly if you run a family business. At the end of the day you all have to work together, so making the hiring of staff a joint decision is a great way to build team morale and show your employees that you value their contributions.
So what should you be looking for in the perfect bartender? There are a few things you should always look out for. Initial contact is important. Have they sent a CV or letter? Is it clear, easy to read and well presented. You might argue that the merits of a CV are not of great importance to someone who is going to be serving drinks behind a bar, but a letter or CV are similar to someone’s own opinion of themselves. A well written, neat and tidy, honest and factual CV or letter suggests that the person who has written them has the same qualities. Likewise a polite, chatty voice on the phone is much more likely to be a hit with your customers than someone who is shy, nervous or hesitant. Don’t forget to look past nervousness however, some people come to life when the pressure is off! Always suggest a trial shift or interview ‘on the job’ to get a feel as to how your candidate interacts with the customers. Personal presentation is a great way to gain an initial impression. While it is acceptable to turn up to an interview for a bar job in trendy clothes rather than business suits, you should note the small things. Clean hair for example is important! Sounds odd perhaps, but if the person hasn’t bothered to wash their hair for a job interview, what will they look like when they turn up for work! Have they arrived on time or early? Lateness in an interview suggests someone who might not turn up on time for work, and the most important… have they turned off their mobile phone. Someone whose phone rings constantly through an interview is more likely to be concerned with chatting to their friends than doing the job you will be paying them for. Personal qualifications are more important than formal qualifications. So while previous bar experience, knowledge of book keeping and stock taking or even the ability to make a great sandwich are useful skills, the perfect employee should be honest and trustworthy, should have common sense and the ability to think on their feet. They should also demonstrate excellent communication skills together with a willingness and ability to learn and be part of your team. You might also be looking for someone with a good memory, someone who can cope with adding and subtracting bills in their heads accurately and quickly, and someone with a lot of physical and mental stamina! Bar tending is hard work as you need to be quick on your feet and able to think on your feet! Think about your customers and the type of people they are. In some ways you need to tailor your staff to your clients needs. For example are they are all British or do you tend to have customers from all over Europe? Are they all of a certain age? Do they tend to like a particular type of atmosphere? Your obligation to your clients is to find staff that they will like and be able to relate to! You need to be able to see a long term future with this person and most of all you need to be able to trust them. If you are trying to decide whether or not to employ someone then imagine yourself in an emergency. If you had to rush off somewhere for a few days would you be happy leaving your bar in this persons hands? Now you have your answer! The simple truth is, as we’ve said before, that instinct is the best judge. If you need to draw up lists of pros and cons then you probably know deep down that the candidate is not right for you. If you like someone and it feels like this could be a good decision, then go with your first instinct. Most of all, your candidates must be keen. You don’t want someone who sees your job as a short term stop gap or someone who doesn’t care. Even if your would be staff member isn’t planning to make a long term career out of bar tending, for the length of time they are in your employ they should be focused, motivated and happy to be there. Basically if they haven’t got ´bars in their eyes´ they might not be for you! We’re not saying that every single person you meet will be desperate to work in a bar, but as the employer you do deserve an employee with enthusiasm and this is the one quality you should be looking for at the interview stage. Next Month - Now you've found them … how to keep them! Training and Motivating your staff. Bars in To find out more call 952 499 400 or visit www.barsinspain.com
The Spanish Property Market today New Taxation Reforms in Spain New Anti Tobacco Laws in Spain Click here to read our article ´Spanish Interior...The Next Big Thing" Click here to read our article "Lost in translation" Click here to read our article ´Pet´s Abroad´ |
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