If you own or manage a business, you must always be looking for talent.

While the national trends are showing that more employees are staying, fewer are leaving for greener pastures, and a lot of businesses are downsizing to some degree, the fact remains that smart leaders are on the lookout for good people. Talent drives success for almost everyone who has a product or service to sell.

So where do you find these good people?

A mix of techniques fuels the best talent-attraction approach. Meet people. Ask your employees for introductions or to help you find more people who have similar work ethics. Make sure your social media portrays your company’s culture and highlights your team. Give your website a fresh look and ensure visitors will see that your organization is a good place to work.

And…

Notice the servers and bartenders who take care of you during business lunches and client dinners.

Another Solution4You to Consider

Lou Kadiri, director of Virginia Operations for U.S. Senator Mark Warner, understands the value of restaurant experience when hiring.  

“If someone has restaurant experience on their resume, I will generally try to make sure we interview them,” Kadiri shares. “Anyone with a solid background in restaurant service—not just a summer job for a couple of months, but extensive experience—is probably someone who can hustle, multitask, and knows how to interact effectively with the public.”

For my upcoming book—Turning Tables: Everything I Needed to Know about Business I Learned as a Server—I interviewed Lou, and she confirmed a lot of what I have personally experienced. Servers and bartenders have some valuable skills that translate to many positions in business!

Restaurants and bars operate at a unique pace. Servers and bartenders are customer-focused multitaskers who thrive in fast-paced, dynamic environments. They also tend to be highly adaptable employees who know how to work collaboratively with others. These skills make them incredibly valuable in a variety of industries beyond hospitality.  

The truth is that individuals with restaurant experience may already possess the skills they need to excel in roles that require public interaction and multitasking. 
 
    • Adaptability: Restaurant employees are experts at navigating shifting priorities and unexpected challenges.  
    • Customer-Focused Leadership: They’re amazing at reading people, solving problems on the fly, and ensuring customer satisfaction—even in high-        pressure situations.  
    • Teamwork & Initiative: Many hospitality workers know when to jump in and help, whether it’s serving a table, running food, or cleaning up during a rush.  

These learned skills and natural abilities might just fit into your organization in a helpful way, like they have for Lou and me throughout our careers. It’s certainly worth your consideration, and at a minimum, you’ve probably gotten a good meal or a fine adult beverage in the process of paying attention.

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