3 Key Things to Research Before Your Job Interview

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Before you interview for your next job, be sure to do some prior research. Do not meet with the hiring manager without knowing basic background information about the restaurant or hotel company you hope to work for. Here are three key things to research on and how/where you can find the information:

  • What is the company all about?

Find out what the company does. Is it a restaurant, a bar, a cafe, a hotel restaurant? Make sure you clearly understand what type of business you may potentially be working for. Do thorough research online; visit their Harri company employer page and their company website.

  • What does the company value?

Learn why the business does what it does. What is its mission? See what fuels the employees and employers to work in the hospitality industry, day in and day out. If possible, try to find videos online of the restaurant owner or restaurant manager speaking about the business. With the video, you can hear first hand what the company is like, and why you should be a part of their team. For example, see what it is like working at The Little Beet, which was featured in our Kitchen Culture series. 

  • Is the company being talked about in the news?

This could either be a good sign or a bad sign. Browse through news sites and see what is written about your potential employer. Check out their social medias for hints on what company culture is like. Also, research key people who are part of the business, including owner(s), senior-level managers and decision-makers.

Other important things you may want to research prior to your interview include: 

  • How big is the company?
  • How many employees do they have?
  • Who are their main competitors?
  • What are their goals in the future?
  • Are they a global brand? If not, will they be expanding?

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50% of Quick Service Restaurant Jobs Filled By First-Time or Promoted Workers

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Restaurants continued to add jobs at a steady pace in February, and a sizable proportion of these job openings are being filled by either new entrants to the workforce or people being promoted from other positions within the same business, according to the NRA’s Chief Economist Bruce Grindy. His Economist’s Notebook commentary and analysis appears regularly on Restaurant.org and Restaurant TrendMapper.

The national labor market continued to expand at a moderate pace in February, according to figures released today by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The economy added a net 242,000 jobs on a seasonally-adjusted basis in February, which is generally on par with the average gains during the last six months. 

The restaurant industry remains one of the steadiest contributors to private-sector growth, with the 40,200 net new jobs added in February representing the ninth consecutive month with gains of at least 20,000 positions. 

While the industry added middle class jobs at a rate four times stronger than the overall economy in recent years, it also maintained its role as the training ground for America’s workforce. 

For new entrants to the labor force, the restaurant industry is one of the most common landing spots. In fact, roughly one-third of all U.S. adults say their first employment experience was in the restaurant and foodservice industry. 

According to new NRA research that appears in the 2016 Restaurant Industry Forecast, restaurant operators reported that roughly one in five of their job openings in 2015 were filled by people for whom this was the first regular job that they have ever had.

The limited-service segment was the most likely to hire new workers, with 30 percent of quickservice openings and 25 percent of fast-casual job openings going to people getting their first work experience. 

Approximately one in six jobs at family-dining and casual-dining restaurants went to first-time workers in 2015, while eight percent of openings in the fine-dining segment were filled by new entrants to the workforce.

In addition to providing employment opportunities for first-time workers, many jobs are also filled by people advancing from other positions within a restaurant, typically because of the on-the-job training and knowledge of the business that they obtain from those roles. 

In 2015, approximately one in five job openings were filled by people who were promoted from other jobs within the same restaurant business. This trend was strikingly similar across each of the five major segments, with the fast-casual segment only slightly ahead of the others at 23 percent.

All told, roughly one-half of limited-service restaurant job openings in 2015 were filled by either new entrants to the workforce or people being promoted from other positions within the same restaurant.

(via National Restaurant Association)