A short monologue by a restaurateur/leader describing a hiring practice: assigning brief pre-interview ‘homework’ asking candidates to write their expectations of a boss and company, so interviews can negotiate mutual expectations. Emphasizes demonstrating hospitality and authenticity, encouraging candidates to be themselves to assess cultural fit and avoid disingenuous applicants.
I talk about expectations. So when I invite somebody in for an interview, I give them a little homework. And it's simple little homework. I just said, hey, when you show up, I'm going to give you. I'm going to kind of tell you who we are as a company and what our expectations are. But you've obviously had a job before. What are your expectations of a boss and of a company? I want you to think about that and write that down and we'll discuss it when you come in for an interview. I don't want to catch you off guard because I've asked it just on the spot and people yammer and stammer or say silly. It's an important question to have, you know, a negotiation of mutual expectations. And I think, again, it's thoughtful. And Zig Ziglar had a quote that said, people don't care how much you know until you know how much you care. And I think that you have to set that. You have to set that foundation at the beginning when you're bringing somebody on and just really demonstrate what hospitality looks like, demonstrate what authenticity looks like. I cuss, you know, I, I catch them off guard with weird, you know, I say off colored stuff in the interview because I, I want them to relax and feel comfortable because I want. That's the state they're going to show up to work in. I don't want this preening, pretentious just to get the job. And then I find out you're a completely different person, right? And sometimes I catch some red flags on that. And sometimes I catch people be authentically themselves and I'm like, dude, that's it. Show up as that person when you talk to guests, when you work with your fellow employees. That's the kind of person that's going to fit our culture, right? And that's ultimately what I'm trying to extract out of interviews.
If your restaurant only works because you work 80 hours a week, it doesn't work.
