The Rearview Mirror: Improve Food & Beverage Hiring Success by Looking Back

July 6, 2015 in HR Best Practices

 

 

Need to replace a bad hire? Revamp an existing role? Create an entirely new position?

Try taking a look back to move your company forward.

When it comes to hiring exceptional food & beverage professionals, a position’s history can be just as important as other hiring factors. In fact, “looking in the rearview mirror” can increase hiring effectiveness, by using the role’s success factors as a “road map” for hiring.

How can you draw that map – and determine the best applicant for the role? Today, Kinsa reviews the basic steps in creating a success profile for an executive or professional food & beverage position:

Look for positives and negatives.

While you may be tempted to only examine factors which lead to success, you must also understand why individuals under-perform in the role – so you can red-flag these attributes in future candidates. As you gather information about a position’s history, identify both positives and negatives that may influence success in the role.

Create a list of Key Performance Indicators.

Commonly referred to as “KPIs,” these are key criteria that gauge success in a position. To create KPIs for your available role:

  • Gather 360-degree feedback. Ask colleagues, senior managers and clients (and, if possible, exit interview notes from the individual who previously held the position) about what worked – and what didn’t. If the last person in the role failed, what contributed to his downfall? Was it the individual? The way the position was structured? A failure in your interviewing or screening process? Or was it an issue related to management or corporate culture? Apply what you learn to define performance metrics for success.
  • Always get input from the direct manager. Any new hire must gel with his manager to succeed. Be sure to create KPIs that take management style into consideration.
  • Include hard data whenever possible. If they’re available, use performance reviews, manager ratings and/or test scores (for individuals currently/formerly in the role) to supplement KPI development.
  • Pay attention to soft skills. If your organization uses validated assessments or other objective tools, use available data to identify “soft skills” (e.g., personality attributes, values and motivations) associated with success (and failure) in the position.
  • For a newly created position, use similar organizational roles to help you develop KPIs.

Combine what you learn.

Creating a success profile is a bit like assembling a complex puzzle. Take all of the data – including employee feedback, manager input, hard data and subjective ratings – to develop a profile that includes the following:

  • The mission of the position. While you don’t need to list every job task, you should clarify the main purpose of the job (including primary duties and responsibilities), and explain how the position relates to other roles and your organization’s products.
  • The knowledge, experience, competencies and personal attributes required for job success.
  • The key “outputs” for the position, including the KPIs you develop.

Whether you’re creating a new role or replacing a key employee, trust Kinsa’s recruiters to deliver the exceptional food & beverage talent you need. Our proven search and assessment process can increase the speed and success of your next hire. View top talent or request an employee.