I swear I'm not bragging, but, my catering business is exploding! I am slammed nearly 4 days our of the week and I'm not just talking about weekdays! My husband can hardly believe how popular my food is, but I think it's mainly about how my staff and I treat our clients over the actual food.
Case in point. I put a job posting seeking catering assistance on one of our local job sites and received 150 responses via email. 150 emails! Of those emails, I had to sort through to find 20 solid inquiries with resumes. Would you believe that, even though I specifically put that it was a food service position with a high-end catering company, many people sent emails asking what kind of job this would be and would I call them and give them more information?
It's interesting to me that there are so many people who really need jobs and yet, they do not understand how to go about getting a job. As a former teacher/facilitator, I find it a bit sad that so many people do not even know how to use spell check or at least try to spell words correctly before hitting "send" and hoping that the person on the other end 'calls' them back.
Out of 150 emails, 20 good contacts and 10 actual interviews -- I have 6 people actually show for their interview and out of that I hired my 5 who have (so far) proven to be really helpful, cheerful, and customer-oriented. I did have to let one go due to lack of grooming and attitude, but sometimes people who interview well simply can't cut the mustard when it's time.
The individuals who work with me are stellar people, and two of them have never worked in food service. However, when someone is eager to learn, eager to help the client and makes it a point to be positive...you have an individual who is worth the time it takes to invest and train them correctly.
When I started A Brown Bag Gourmet, I was lucky to have my colleague, Edie, who had been working with me for a few months before things got crazy. My parents are always there to help, and my husband has now gotten on the bandwagon to learn what exactly it is I do besides eat cheese, drink wine and complain about my back and legs hurting all the time!
It's hard to find good help. But, when you DO find that person or persons, nurture them and give them the tools they need to succeed. You can't just give someone a plate of cannoli's and say, "Here, go serve these" without telling him or her what it is and how to serve it. I keep joking that I'm not using my graduate degree, but when I look at what I'm doing I see that "once a teacher, always a teacher" even if I don't consider myself much of a manager...
Authenticity cannot be denied. Have a lovely weekend!
No comments:
Post a Comment