Why Confidence Is Key To A Successful Job Search

Why Confidence Is Key To A Successful Job Search

by | Dec 21, 2015 | Career

Confidence plays a huge role in the success of your job search – don’t underestimate its value. You could be sabotaging your success because of the way you feel about yourself.

Something to consider:

If you don’t believe in yourself or at least believe that you have something to offer, how can you expect someone else to believe in you during a job interview?

I just gave a presentation about the importance of trying to remain confident during the oftentimes unpleasant task of finding a job. The audience was interested in part because I’m so fascinating (that’s an example of crossing the line from confidence to arrogance, by the way – and something you DON’T want to do).

But I think the main reasons for audience interest were because most of us have felt shaky during our job search plus the research that’s now been done around the importance of confidence is compelling.

Olivia Fox Cabane is an executive coach who has written about and given presentations on the effects of negative thinking.

Research has shown that when you’re not feeling good about yourself your sympathetic nervous system is directly affected.

For those of us who’ve forgotten what this part of the body does (like me): that’s the system that’s in charge of “fight or flight.” In other words, your reaction could be “I’ll stay” versus “Get-me-out-of-here NOW.”

Self-doubt and self-criticism kill confidence.

And even more significantly, these feelings lead to a collapse of our sympathetic nervous system.  By collapse I mean you’re in the get-me-out-of-here mode. When this happens you can’t think straight, respond well, or listen well.

Imagine the effect that has on how you present yourself in a job interview. Not so great.

This is powerful information and shows the importance of doing whatever you can to feel good about yourself and avoid negative self-talk – especially just before a job interview.

If you don’t get this under control, you are sabotaging yourself. So here are three things you can work on to boost your confidence.

  1. Know your material backwards and forwards. For job seekers, be clear about the value you offer an employer. Then tailor your conversation during your interview to highlight the skills/experience you have that are most relevant to that employer. Practice what you will say during your interview. The more you practice, the more confident you will be, leading to a stronger interview.
  1. Don’t always believe what you think – it’s not necessarily right, and worse, if it’s a negative thought, you’rethe one who will suffer the consequences. Have you heard the expression about one’s mind being a bad neighborhood? Well, if it is, stay out of that neighborhood. It’s a powerful reminder that what you thinkothers think about you is not necessarily true.
  1. Practice your responses to dreaded topics. We all have dreaded topics – questions you hope won’t be asked in a job interview.  They can kill your confidence. These topics might be gaps in employment, the perception you’re over-qualified, too young or too old. Tackle these topics head-on in an interview. They must be addressed, not avoided. And the clearer you are about what you’re going to say (practice), the better you will feel and the more confident you will be.

In your next job search, as a part of your preparation, take stock of how you feel about yourself. Get clear about your value in the work world, practice presenting yourself, and ask yourself: “Do I deserve a good job?”

If you have the slightest hesitation, do what it takes to change this mindset. As a confident person, you will present yourself in a markedly different way, leading to a much greater chance of getting the job you want.

Source: ColoradoBiz

Hiring Millennials For Your Restaurant

Hiring Millennials For Your Restaurant

by | Dec 14, 2015 | Business Toolkit, Management

Did you know more than 40% of restaurant employees fall between the ages of 16 and 24? This means a large number of restaurant staff are millennials, who are just entering the workforce and are re-shaping the world of work.

Are you ready?

The restaurant industry is one of the country’s fastest growing industries, projected to employ an additional 1.8 million people in the next 10 years. Extending from this, millennials are expected to make up 75% of the workforce by 2020.

What does this mean? That you need to develop a recruiting and hiring strategy to attract these workers. To do this, first take a look at some of the perks and benefits millennials want, and expect:

  • Clear growth opportunities and career paths: Career progression is a top priority for this generation —  even above competitive salaries. Millennials are committed to their personal learning and development.
  • Flexible and lenient work conditions: Millennials believe strongly in work-life balance, and many are enrolled in school. They want flexible working hours to fit those needs. Luckily, the industry is one of the few that offers flexible work schedules.
  • A fun and open environment: This generation wants to work in an enjoyable environment where they can have fun and build friendships.
  • Brand is everything: Millennials want to be proud of where they work, which means your brand is key. They want to do something that feels worthwhile, and need to believe in the values and vision of the company.

How do you attract millennials?

It’s apparent from their “wish list” above that millennials are motivated by more than just money. Attract millennials by offering more of what they want!

Put them on rotational assignments more frequently to gain a variety of experiences and give them a sense that they are moving toward something. Offer flexible work conditions so they can balance school and other social activities.

Offer fun incentives like work outings and friendly workplace competitions.

And remember, your brand and what it stands for matters. This means sharing your brand voice and workplace culture everywhere: in your establishment, on your website and social media, and in job listings.

How do you recruit millennials?

First and foremost, know that mobile is the device of choice for younger job seekers. So, make your jobs accessible via phones and tablets. Posting your jobs to social and mobile-enabled job sites allows applicants to react quickly to new postings and apply quickly with less barriers. At Sirvo, we’ve found that posting to social media increases the number of job applications and overall engagement.

Every unnecessary step or click in the application process is a barrier and reduces engagement.

This generation is tech-savvy and will spread their love for their workplace through word-of-mouth and social media platforms, which can help recruit local talent. Social recruiting has some benefits that the traditional, print classifieds lack, such as targeting your jobs to those that are likely to be interested in that position/industry/location. To cash in, be as specific as possible in your job listings.

This will enable you to reach a higher number of candidates that are qualified for the position you’re advertising, with the skill set and experience required, making it easier for you to hire in the long run.

Read more about why Sirvo is right for your restaurant here →

Restaurant Hiring Questions to Ask your Applicants

Restaurant Hiring Questions to Ask your Applicants

by | Nov 30, 2015 | Business Toolkit, Management

 If you were to poll your neighborhood foodservice managers or restaurant owners and ask them what their biggest challenges are, you’ll likely find that hiring and keeping the best staff members is at the top of their list.

Turnover is high in the Food and Beverage industry, particularly for restaurants – averaging  66.3% annually, according to the National Restaurant Association – and all that turnover is expensive.The payroll cost standard is 30-35% of your restaurant’s total sales, according to Baker Tilly’s Restaurant Benchmarks. On top of that, training falls into the hands of not only your managers, but your strongest staff members as well, taking valuable time away from their own tasks.

While it may sound daunting, you’ll find that your money and time will be well spent when you can suss out the candidates who will reflect the culture of your establishment and who are dedicated to giving your guests a fantastic experience that keeps them coming back again and again.

So, how do you find someone that is worth the investment?

Get to the heart of your potential new hires by asking these questions during your restaurant hiring interviews:

1. Why do you want to work in the food and beverage industry? 

The best restaurant employees take pride in their ability to provide guests with a wonderful experience. Whether you’re hiring a server to handle a white-tablecloth dinner service or a line cook to make pizzas during a busy lunch rush, the desire to make people happy is a must!

Are your candidates having trouble coming up with an answer? Or are they excited to tell you why they want to be a part of this challenging industry? Hopefully, it’s the latter!

2. What does “hospitality” mean to you? 

The dictionary defines hospitality as “the friendly and generous reception and entertainment of guests, visitors, or strangers.” A great candidate will sum this up in their own words, giving you a warm and fuzzy feeling.

3. Tell me about your most memorable hospitality experience. 

Tack this on to question #2, and see how it connects. Do you feel the candidate is being genuine in their answer? Does the person go into great detail? This should give you insight into what type of service they feel they should provide to your guests. A thoughtful, detailed answer, be it a positive or negative experience, shows that you’re interviewing someone who will put a lot of thought into their job.

4. If a customer presents you with a coupon that clearly states “not valid with other offers,” and they try to use it with another offer, how would you handle that? 

It’s a given that the candidates probably don’t know the policy when it comes to special offers at your restaurant, and you may not even have offers in the first place! The “correct” answer lies in their reaction. Do they clam up, get nervous? Or do they stay calm and keep a smile on their face?

How they react to this question is a great indicator of how they’d react under pressure; if  a candidate can’t keep their cool here, how are they going to do so in the middle of a busy service, when the level of pressure is much higher?

5. What do you do when you’re not working? What are your hobbies? 

This is a great question, especially when hiring a server or bartender! The ability to build a relationship with guests throughout their experience can make the difference between a one-and-done guest or a loyal advocate for your establishment. Having interests outside of work is essential for making small talk, as well as maintaining a healthy work-life balance. Any of us who have worked in F&B can attest to how easy it is to burn out when your job is to make others happy!

6. Tell me about a conflict you’ve had to deal with involving your co-workers, and how you handled it. 

Much of the focus on hiring is on guest satisfaction, but being a team player, behind the scenes, is just as important. With this question, you can judge someone’s maturity level, and the ability to overcome difficult situations and hold themselves accountable for their relationships in a team setting. Patrons absolutely love to be taken care of by a staff that is clearly having fun and enjoying the time spent with their coworkers.

While the best answers to these questions will depend on your food business’s specific needs, they will certainly help you gain much better insight into a candidate that you won’t be able to get from a resume.

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Serving Hacks Part 4: Selling Wine

Serving Hacks Part 4: Selling Wine

by | Nov 24, 2015 | Career

For me, wine is a fun, elaborate sect of the food and beverage industry. From finding the right wine to pair with right food to the structures and characteristics of a grape, to the history and geography of different varietals, there is an endless amount to absorb. Most important to the server or bartender, is being able to get people to buy good wine without having a sommelier’s mastery of knowledge.

The Basics

First thing’s first: having basic knowledge of the varietals and characteristics of the wines will greatly improve your ability to sell. At the very least, become very familiar with one or two wines in order to show that you have some knowledge and are not only BSing your guests.

Before we get into selling, here are a few notes to use when selling wine:

  • Body: (Light-Medium-Full); this describes the structure of the wine on your pallet. Pinot Noir, for instance is a light-bodied red while Cabernet Sauvignon is Full-bodied
  • Tannic: Referring to the presence of tannins, this is almost all about the finish. The grippy, lasting taste at the finish is primarily caused by the tannins.
  • Acidic: having a distinct feeling and taste of acid, almost tartness
  • Dry vs. Sweet: these are opposites and a wine can not be both. A wine is either sweet and fruity or dry.

Other terms I like to use to indicate the character of wine include: bright, fruit forward, buttery (mostly for Chardonnay), peppery (Cab. Sav.), crisp, earthy, elegant, jammy, refined. These are mostly broad terms that will help you designate tastes and characteristics that are attractive and accessible to your guest.

Since wines differ so greatly by varietal (grape type), vintage (year produced), location (where wine or grape is made) and taste, there are countless ways to describe a wine and it is important to find what works for you.

Selling wine

1. Plant the Seed

When greeting a table, make sure to mention the ‘great wines’ you have to offer and indicate that you are there to help them with pairings or explanations.

Immediately, this plants the seed of drinking wine even if that was their initial intention. If you are convincing in your approach, you can use their eagerness to guide them toward a food and wine pairing that you are familiar with and have confidence explaining.

Mention the ‘great wines’ you have to offer.

2. Upselling

Upselling wine is crucial to your check average. If you can get a guest to buy a $13 glass of wine over a $9 glass, you’re on your way to a higher check average.

My style of upselling is to offer 3 different wines, explaining them in depth. The goal here is to not deprecate the cheaper glass but to simply use more elegant verbiage as you describe the higher-priced wines. Instead of saying that the $13 glass is ‘better’ than the $9 glass, explain that there are great qualities to the $9 and that $13 glass has these qualities PLUS many more.

My style of upselling is to offer 3 different wines, explaining them in depth.

For instance. If you have two pinot noirs ($9 and $13, respectively), the first one should be described as a “solid, light-bodied pinot with soft cherry flavors.” Easy, simple, to the point.

The second glass, however, “is a bit lighter and more finessed, with a much more approachable finish and a brightness that pairs well with everything on the menu.” Here, you see that you’re speaking vaguely and using words like ‘finesse’ and ‘approachable’ to express that, even though you said nothing bad about the first, the second is the clear winner.

3. Tastings

If you work at a restaurant that allows you to offer tastings, use this to your advantage! Tastings are the easiest way to gain a tables trust and get them to conform to the service that you are most comfortable with.

Again, using the 3-tier system, offer tastes of a cheap, medium and expensive wine. The goal here is to showcase your knowledge and get them to trust it. Always be sure to be well-versed in the wines you choose to taste and have a recited explanation for both.

Wine A is light-bodied with ‘these qualities’ and ‘this type of finish’ and goes well with ‘these food items’. Wine B has a ‘more complex body’ offers ‘these qualities AND these qualities’ and pairs with ‘these foods’. Wine C, however, has ‘great structure’, ‘these characteristics’, AND ‘pairs with almost anything on the menu’.

it is always easiest to sell something you actually care about.

It is crucial to show both knowledge and interest in the wines you’re selling. For me, it is always easiest to sell something you actually care about. If Wine C is a wine you would drink on your own time, it is a much easier sell to your customer. Show passion for your sales and they will respond to that.

4. Pairings

Pairing wines is a refined skill but there are some basics that are important to know as a beginner.

Start by trying to pair similar flavors of the food and the wine. For instance, a Sauvignon Blanc is a light, crisp varietal that usually contains some type of citrus (lime, grapefruit) and would do well with light, citrusy, acidic foods like ceviche, light fish, sushi.

On the other side, heavy food and heavy wines typically go well together. A Cabernet Sauvignon with a full body and peppery, tannic finish will do well with red meat like steak.

With this knowledge, it is easy to decipher which wines pair with which foods simply based on taste profile and the heaviness/lightness of the dish vs. the wine. One of the most important things to know is that a wine should not over power food.

Always opt for wine as an enhancer as opposed to a dominant flavor for your food.

Do not pair a big, oaky, buttery chardonnay with a light, citrusy cod because the wine will overpower your fish. Always opt for wine as an enhancer as opposed to a dominant flavor for your food.

Here they are, all my tricks for selling wine! Remember, the more wine knowledge you have, the better, so study up.

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Customers You Meet as a Server

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If there’s one universal truth amongst Servers: there are certain types of customers that you’re bound to encounter. Here’s how to approach each type.

read more

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Keys To Customer Service In The Restaurant Industry

Keys To Customer Service In The Restaurant Industry

by | Nov 23, 2015 | Management

The truth is that service is not really a transactional act, and therefore, it can’t be given. Service is a byproduct of consistently executing the other key processes that make a business successful—like hiring right, training well, suggestive selling and practicing servant leadership.

Hospitality or Customer Service?

Most restaurant owners and their customer-facing team members confuse service with hospitality, but they’re different: Service fulfills a need, but hospitality fulfills people. You can get service from an ATM or a vending machine, but you can’t get hospitality. Hospitality is the key deliverable that distinguishes great food service operations from average retail ones.

“Service fulfills a need, but hospitality fulfills people.”

For instance, if you buy a vacuum cleaner at a store—no matter how hard you looked for someone to help you, or how you were treated by the employees—you still have a vacuum cleaner when you get home. So even if there was no discernible service accompanying the purchase, you still have a tangible something after the transaction.

But when you patronize a restaurant, what do you have after you eat? Only memories. While menu, value, décor and cleanliness all play a part, it’s service and hospitality that makes that memory positive and drives customer loyalty and repeat business.

The Core of Great Customer Service

So what are the key drivers of customer satisfaction? Here are the three basics that every industry, not just the food industry, should follow.

1. Focus on ROC, not ROI
Repeat business is the linchpin of profitability in any successful business. Everyone is familiar with ROI, but a lesser-known and more critical metric is ROC—Return of Customer. “Will you come back?” and “Would you tell your friends to try us?” are the two most important questions relative to the customer experience. If the answer is yes to both, you’ve delivered on expectations and achieved ROC. If not, you haven’t. It’s that simple.

2. Hire Great People
Repeat business will always be dependent on the weakest people you allow on your teams. Make your customers’ experience consistently exceptional by hiring and developing great people. When you hire great people—despite the cost, despite the effort, despite the commitment—great things always happen. Compete first for talent, then customers.

When you hire great people—despite the cost, despite the effort, despite the commitment—great things always happen.

3. Consistency Is Key
Know what customers hate about patronizing your business? Inconsistency in quality, service, speed and accuracy. So when customer service problems reoccur in your business—before you blame your people—evaluate the likelihood of a short-circuit in a system or process. Bad service issues routinely arise when you hurry-hire the wrong people, cleanliness isn’t a priority, an understaffed or undertrained team messes up orders, or inefficient scheduling causes you to be short a server at peak hours. This makes customer-facing team members stressed, swamped and snippy, so they smile, serve and ultimately sell less.

Habitually consistent good service is the result of systems that:

  1. Foster a caring culture
  2. Make positivity and fun part of the core business practices
  3. Educate and encourage teams daily to be better than they were yesterday

Don’t forget that excellent service begins with leadership and the notion that, “My customer is anyone who isn’t me.” The fact is that the way you treat your team members determines how they’ll treat your customers. Model the way, every day. Apply constant, gentle pressure every day to improve.

Restaurant operators are stewards of special moments in customers’ lives. The food service industry’s shared goal of giving care and sustenance to strangers and regulars alike as part of our business model is what sets us apart from retail and manufacturers. Service is our invisible product.

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