8 Innovative Ways Guaranteed to Revolutionise Your Chef Recruitment Strategy

Written on 28-Feb-2017

One of the biggest challenges facing the hospitality industry over the past few years has been attracting and retaining chefs.

It’s certainly the biggest obstacle CJUK has encountered and as a result, we have had to develop some creative and innovative ways of finding these elusive chefs.

Below are my top tips for finding the very best chef talent:

• Do not rely on an advert to attract the best chefs. There is a shortage of chefs – all the best ones are in jobs and are not applying to adverts – trust me
• Be aware of how your company culture is portrayed online – anyone considering joining your business will look at your website and social media accounts – don’t underestimate their importance
• Build up a network of chefs via social media – when you have a role you need to fill you can directly target a relevant audience
• Play the long game – keep a record of any chefs you have met, they may not be interested immediately but could be a candidate for the future
• Use your network to ask for recommendations – as always, word of mouth is the best way to find good people
• Ensure you have thoroughly planned your interview process – every contact your potential new chef has with your business needs to impress them – don’t leave anything to chance
• Ensure all your current staff are happy and have a good working environment – they will spread the word make your business an attractive company to work for
• Invest in on-going personal development for your team, you will improve your staff retention rates and make your business a serious option to potential employees

At CJUK we have found that relying on traditional recruitment methods such as advertising is not enough anymore. We have invested heavily in refining the candidate experience and ensuring all our chefs are happy.

We challenge to status quo and don’t expect chefs to conform to the traditional working environment. Our chefs are paid for every hour they work, have total flexibility to take time off when they want and as a result have a better work-life balance.

This has not only improved our chef retention rates (some of our chefs have worked for us for 10 years+) but we have also seen an increase in the number of chefs approaching us to join the CJUK brigade.

We can, therefore, offer the best possible service to our clients by supplying highly skilled, motivated and reliable chefs for the time period required.

If you would like to discuss chef recruitment further please contact me on 01254 355666 or katie@chefsjobsuk.co.uk

Written By…

Katie Mellor
Director of Sales & Operations

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