As the labor shortage continues, this is how some restaurants are breaking the cycle of high turnover.

Hiring might feel impossible right now, but diving into a shallow applicant pool doesn’t need to be a dangerous mission. 

“Many quick-service restaurants struggle with turnover and retention to the point where it feels like they’ll take anyone just to fill the job, but that isn’t a long-term strategy,” says Jenny Mott, senior organic growth manager for Sprockets, an AI hiring platform. “Candidate screening can help employers get out of that vicious cycle. Even if you only have two applicants, you need to know who will succeed and stay long-term. Rushed decisions can easily leave you in an endless cycle of turnover that’s costly, time-consuming, and stressful.” 

Sprockets’ hiring solution is designed to help alleviate this struggle. Here’s how it works: A candidate completes a quick Sprockets survey designed to uncover someone’s personality traits and values based on responses to three open-ended questions that only take a few minutes to complete. Sprockets then produces a “fit score” based on how well the candidate’s personality traits match with those of top-performing employees who will also have taken the survey. It can be sent to all applicants or just certain people, and it can be automated or conducted manually. Once a survey is completed and a top applicant is identified, employers receive instant alerts about an applicant’s fit score so they can reach out immediately to schedule an interview or offer the job. Sprockets integrates with any job board or ATS system, and includes add-on features like discounted background checks or work opportunity tax credit options.

“Being intentional about screening applicants before spending time on interviews, hiring, onboarding, or training empowers business owners and operators to predict with considerable accuracy who will be successful in the roles they are hiring for,” Mott says. 

Sprockets’ success profiles not only vet for the ideal candidate but also help hiring managers do away with complicated application forms and reach applicants before their competitors. Likewise, employees reap the benefits of customized callbacks. 

“In today’s market, it all comes down to timing and selectivity,” Mott says. “So, provided that a location has crafted a well-organized and attractive job posting, it’s vital to screen for quality applicants early in the process and reach out to them as quickly as possible to get them in for an interview or hire right away.” 

Restaurant operators can attract more applicants by including culture, flexibility, pay, benefits, career growth opportunities, and work-life balance in job postings. Then they can look for some of the top soft skills, or personality traits, such as teamwork, empathy, speed, multitasking, attention to detail, kindness, patience, and problem-solving. Sprockets’ screening software actually identifies these traits among applicants.

“We’ve seen that once our customers really start to use our product and see the results, they have this ‘Aha!’ moment,” Mott says. “They realize avoiding bad hires really pays dividends in enhancing the culture and operations of their business.”

To learn more, visit the Sprockets website.

By Jocelyn Winn

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