STRESS MANAGEMENT Signs of Stress and Imbalance How To Break Through Fear in Turbulent Times What is Stress? Solving Problems in a High-Stress Environment Break Through Self-Doubt & Fear Let's Get Physical Holiday Stress Hotspots Make 2004 your Year of Organization Holiday Stress Hotspots Manage Stress by Stopping Obsessive or Unwanted Thoughts Meditate Stress Away Taking Stress for a Ride 3 Strategies to Reduce Stress Cleaning Up Stress; Control It, Change It or Let It Go! Substance Abuse The Courage to Feel Bad The Challenge of Change Tips for Managing Holiday Madness Modern Day Stressors: What Stress Looks Like in the 21st Century The Life Juggle: How to Find Lifework Balance New Year's Resolutions   CHANGE The Questions Leaders Should Ask Themselves about Change The Top Ten Ways to Manage People through Change Understanding Change The Challenge of Change   RUNNING A BUSINESS Be Heard. Be Strong. Be Effective. How to Deliver Impressive Presentations Getting Started in the Speaking Business: Answers to Burning Questions What Entrepreneurs Need to Know to be Successful How to Create and Maintain Culture as You Grow Recruitment and Retention of Diverse Candidates   DIVERSITY A Passion for Diversity Traits of a Diverse Organization Simma's Holiday Diversity Q and A How to Go from Eggshell Walking to Multicultural Festivity Making Are You Wasting Your Money on Diversity Training? Interview Bias: Overcoming the Silent Forces Working Against You How to Help LGBT Employees Help Your Organization Grow How to Integrate Diversity Into Your Business Strategy Diversity Benefits Organizations and Communities Diversity Fast Facts How to Integrate Diversity 10 PC Tips for Communicating with a Diverse Audience Are You Truly Successful? Interviewing Employees Who Stay Wage and Position Disparity Across Gender What Every Consultant Needs to Know About Diversity Consulting and Training Diversity Competency Assessment Recruitment and Retention of Diverse Candidates Understanding Diversity Dialogues Dialogue as a Communication Tool Amongst Diverse Groups of People Communicating across Generations in the Workplace Simma & Kate's Strategies for Cross-Generational Relationship Building Valuing Diversity during the Holidays   COMMUNICATION Understanding Dialogue: A Q&A on the benefits of dialogue Dialogue as a Communication Tool Communication with Concern Helping Others Deal with Loss 10 PC Tips for Communicating with a Diverse Audience Tips for Better Communication Between Men and Women in the Workplace Understanding Diversity Dialogues Dialogue as a Communication Tool Amongst Diverse Groups of People Simma & Kate's Strategies for Cross-Generational Relationship Building Web Site Tips   GENDER COMMUNICATION Differences in Male and Female Communication Styles Gender Communications Differences and Strategies Wage and Position Disparity across Gender Tips for Better Communication between Men and Women in the Workplace   WORK/LIFE BALANCE Life/Work Balance in the Real World New Year's Resolutions: A New Approach? Working with Loved Ones: Leverage Potential and Avoid Pitfalls Modern Day Stressors: What Stress Looks Like in the 21st Century The Life Juggle: How to Find Lifework Balance   RESTAURANT & HOSPITALITY All in the Family Are You Truly Successful? How to Create and Maintain the Culture of Your Restaurants Let's Get Physical Meditate Stress Away Taking Stress for a Ride The Challenge of Change 3 Strategies to Reduce Stress Cleaning Up Substance Abuse   FEAR & SELF-DOUBT Break Through Self-Doubt & Fear Substance Abuse The Courage to Feel Bad

Interviewing Employees Who Stay Too many people who own or run restaurants do not know enough about conducting interviewing potential employees. Whether you define your restaurant as fast food, casual dining, or upscale, hiring the wrong person for the job can be expensive.Ê Consider the costs of advertising for candidates, interviewing time, disrupted customer service, training, and severance pay. Select a position in your restaurant, and estimate how much each step of the hiring process costs in terms of time and money. Youâll see how important having an interviewing and hiring system is. There are three things you need to know in order to create "stickability", or lowering your turnover: Know your organization Know common candidate selection problems Know how to interview candidates to stay Know your organization: Be clear about where your restaurants are headed in terms of growth and market. Know where your organization is right now. That will help you determine what traits and abilities you need for specific positions. Determine the kind of environment you want to create, not only for customers, but also in terms of employee teams. Assess your teams now, and what kind of people you need to complement these teams. Do you need someone who is a "pusher" and can stimulate the group, or someone who will keep everyone calm and facilitate consensus?   Know common candidate selection problems: Focusing on only a few critical areas necessary to do the job, and not on the whole candidate. You can miss important information about the candidates experience and skills. Disorganized interviewing processes.Ê Use the same selection criteria for all candidates, so you can have a baseline for comparing interviewees. Not having one can put some candidates at a disadvantage. Making decisions only on skills and not considering motivation. If a candidate is not motivated, it doesnât matter how skilled they are. They wonât produce and theyâll leave when something better comes. Stereotyping candidates. By letting your biases and stereotypes affect your judgment you miss out on highly skilled people who can bring new ideas and creativity to your organization.Ê Know how to interview candidates who stay: Ask behavioral interviewing questions that deal with specific situations from candidatesâ work experience. Have them describe specific actions they took and the results. Itâs not enough for them to say they were part of a team that solved problems, but what they did to help solve the problem. How they acted in the past will determine how they act in the future. Know which situations or tasks are critical to the position being offered. Vague answers are a warning sign. Ask more specific questions if needed. Ask yes or no questions only when you want to limit the response. Be clear about the job; responsibilities, challenges and future prospects. Evaluate motivational fit, by asking likes and dislikes as they pertain to the position and restaurant environment. If their like and dislikes are in conflict with the values and needs of the position, they are not a good fit. Be willing to go beyond your comfort zone in hiring people who are different than you, ethnically, age, race and gender. Behavioral questions can help break through bias and stereotypes and allow you to see a personsâ ability.   Simma Lieberman works with people and organizations to create environments where people can do their best work. She specializes in diversity, gender communications, life-work balance and stress, and acquiring and retaining new customers. You may reprint these articles free of charge, on a non-exclusive basis, provided that Simma Lieberman's name and contact information are included. She would love to know that you plan to use her article(s); please contact her to let her know. Call Simma at 510.527.0700 or Email simma@simmalieberman.com Visit her website at www.simmalieberman.com FREE subscription to the Lieberman Learning Letter Receive a monthly e-newsletter with tips from Simma's workshops and programs. Topics include diversity, stress management, gender communications, and work life balance. Email:   Back to top

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