High-tech hiring

Nation's Restaurant News,  Oct 28, 2002  

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Despite layoffs, a slow economy and a higher unemployment rate, the hospitality industry still finds it difficult to locate and attract new hires. To help open the recruiting field beyond local classified ads, neighborhood door hangers and job fairs, many operators are turning to technology--namely, the Internet.

"We've found posting ads on Internet sites like Monster.com hugely successful," says Masha Schricker (mschricker@enbc.com), director of human resources for Einstein/Noah Bagel Corp., based in Denver, which has 538 retail bagel stores in 29 states. "In 2001 approximately 35 percent of our hires were made from Internet postings, and the percentage was even higher in some geographic areas."

For example, the North is better than the South, Schricker explains. She also points out that the coasts are better than the heartland, and the West is better than the East--except directly along the East Coast. "These numbers are a significant increase from 2000," she says.

A lot more exposure for the dollar is one of the advantages of posting help wanted ads online vs. newspaper ads, says Andrew Beros (aberos@dncinc.com), human resources generalist at Delaware North Companies Inc. (www.delawarenorth.com) in Buffalo, N.Y., a national foodservice recreational and hospitality management company. Up to 60 percent of new hires for Beros' division have been found through the Internet. The rates vary widely for online ads--from free to about $300 for one posting, or $10,000 annually for unlimited postings.

"Internet postings generate more resumes from all over the country, all over the globe," says Susan Pastine, recruiting and staffing manager for West Palm Beach, Fla.-based Cooker Restaurant Corp. (www.the-cooker.com), with 66 full-service restaurants in the Midwest and Southeastern states. For a restaurant manager position, for example, Pastine estimates an increase of between 25 percent and 50 percent in responses from an online posting compared to a traditional Sunday classified. "But quantity does not always mean quality," she cautions.

Scott Weaver (sweaver@cecentertainment.com), western region recruiter for CEC Entertainment Inc., operator of Chuck E. Cheese's, in San Bernardino, Calif., agrees. At times, he gets as many as four times the number of responses from an Internet ad than from a newspaper ad. "But it can be counterproductive," he explains, "when you have to spend double the time wading through resumes you wouldn't consider for the position." Yet with over 300 Chuck E. Cheese's locations nationwide, Weaver says, about 17 percent to 18 percent of new hires companywide come from an Internet source.

Acceptinq applications via your Web site

In Florida's Volusia County School District, individuals interested in school foodservice jobs can apply through the district's Web site (www.volusia.k12.fl.us) or a telephone hotline (1-904-736-1222). To use either of those methods, however, applicants already must have a written application on file at the district's office in Deland. But people simply interested in perusing district job information - including pay scale and job requirements--may do so by logging on or calling the hotline.

"Most of our applicants now come either through the school district's Web site or hotline," says Christine Farneti, foodservice director of 67-school Volusia County district. "Rarely do people walk up to the door and apply for jobs anymore." Access to potential hires across the United States is one of the biggest assets of posting job openings on the Internet. Since most school districts have similar Web addresses, for example, someone moving to Florida can just type in Volusia's Web address to see what's available and apply.

Many restaurants also now accept job applications online. In some cases, applicants can attach their resumes or have the option to build a resume at the site. Taco Bell (www.tacobell.com), Levy Restaurants (www.levyrestaurants.com), Subway (www.subway.com) and Starbucks (www.starbucks.com) are just a few examples.

"We've had great success with our own Web site job application area," says Schricker of Einstein Brothers' site (www.einsteinbros.com/job/job.html). And she finds the applicants who come through the organization's Web site already know a lot about the company.

Not only does Chuck E. Cheese (www.chuckecheese.com) accept applications online, but the company also tries to attract new hires through online chats that are offered about once every quarter. The chats are announced in regular Chuck E. Cheese's newspaper ads and other advertisements, "It's another way to get our name out there," Weaver says, "and reach new people."

Thanks to the Internet, operators in the hospitality industry today are recruiting from a group of people they didn't reach in the past. "But don't put too much into it," Weaver warns. In other words, he says, don't completely dismiss other methods--such as newspaper ads and hiring recruiters--with the idea that the Internet is the only way to go. "It's a tool--a great tool," he says. "But one of many tools for hiring."