Human Resources Management Skills - Case Study Example

HUMAN RESOURCES-MANAGEMENT SKILLS Name Institution Course No Date a. Job Description Are you a young and passionate individual interested in hospitality? Max Bar and Grill, one of the global leaders in the hospitality industry, is opening its first outlet in the United Kingdom. The human resources department is looking for waiters/ waitresses to take orders and offer services to the new customers in its Greenwich Maritime Bar and Grill. The waiters should provide ultimate guest experience to the customers. Responsibilities The waiters/ waitresses will be required to perform the following duties: Greet the customers and present the menu Ensuring that the tables are clean at all times, arranging and setting the tables. Taking orders from the customers and serving them with drinks and food upon request, and sell any additional products to the customers upon request. Check the products ordered for quality and correct problems that may keep the customers from enjoying their sty at the restaurant. Provision of excellent services that promote customer satisfaction Cooperate with all the other staff and collect payments from the customers. Requirements Proven work experience in hospitality as a waiter/waitress Ability to solve problems and make quick but informed decisions Must have a high school diploma Be an active listener and have good communication skills Ability to develop good interpersonal relations with fellow workmates and the customers. Food safety training will be an added advantage. b. Person Specification Job Title: Bar and Grill waiter/ waitress Ref: BGW/ 10/2017 Educational and professional qualifications Essential Interested applicants must be good in English and Mathematics with a minimum score of C in the two disciplines as per the United Kingdom grading standards. Applicants must have basic education and must have completed their secondary education, and have the relevant documents to support this. Desirable Relevant qualification in the field of hospitality. Training in food and beverage management. Previous experience/ Qualifications Essential Applicants must have previous training in hospitality, bar and restaurant or a similar role. At least two years’ experience in using computerized till systems Desirable Have good knowledge of wines and spirits and other drinks served in bars. Interpersonal skills Essential Good communication skills. Ability to communicate well with the fellow employees and the customers. Ability to work together with the other waiters to improve customer satisfaction. Good telephone manners Desirable Good presentation skills c. Interview Questions and Ideal Answers This section discusses the various questions to be asked during the interviews with the applicants for the position of waiters/waitresses. The section also discusses the justification of the interview questions with regards to the job specification and job description. 1. What is your greatest strength? The aim of this question is to test whether or not the applicant is qualified for the job in question. Here, the interviewers seek to identify the inherent characteristics and the qualifications of the individuals that make them suited for the job. Successful waiters/waitresses must show the interviewers that they have the skills and experiences required to do the job. Moreover, they should have supporting documents to prove that their experiences are not made up. 2. How long have you worked in hospitality, bar and grill or related field? The number of years working in the hospitality industry is an important deal breaker for the position of waiter/waitress. Since the Max Bar and Grill is opening a new restaurant in the United Kingdom, it is important that the waiters employed have the experience of handling customers, thus facilitating customer satisfaction. The interviewers will, therefore, seek information on whether or not the interviewee has worked previously as a waiter in other service industry. Moreover, the management of the restaurant does not need newbies working in the restaurant, hence the need to know the applicants work experiences. 3. What makes you happy about being a waiter/waitress? Many times, employers have hired individuals who do not have any interest in the jobs they do, thus resulting in poor performance and customer dissatisfaction, especially in service sectors. In many circumstances, people have applied for jobs mainly because of the existence of a vacant position. Such individuals show no interest in the jobs they do and are often frustrated. The result is provision of poor services that are likely to spoil the reputation of an organization. With this question, the interviewers try to find out whether or not the job applicants have passion for the job. Applicants that show great interest in the job will have specific issues that make them interested in the job such as interacting with people from diverse backgrounds. By asking this question, the interviewers are capable of eliminating applicants who do not have passion for the job. 4. Why do you want to work at this restaurant? Every individual has the desire to work at a given place for various reasons. For some people, working in a given organization appeals to them because of the culture of the organization or because of the good public reputation that the organization has. For the service sector, the dining experience in a given restaurant may also attract a person to the restaurant. The aim of this question is to test whether the applicant has any knowledge concerning the bar and grill for which they intend to work. It is expected that the interviewees should do some research on the organization before attending an interview. This question intends to find out what the applicants know about the organization such as its employees, culture and the positive reputation. 5. Describe a time you had to overcome a challenge and how you did it. Just like the jobs in other fields, the position of waiter/waitress comes with various challenges that need to be overcome for customer satisfaction to be achieved. According to the Shoes for Crews Europe (2015), waitresses deal with many people from diverse backgrounds which may pose great challenges to them. Additionally, the job may have some pressure on individuals such as working during holidays and late in the night, thus requiring flexibility. In many bars, shifts are often extended especially during the weekends by up to 10 hours. Fatigue and rude customers can result in frustration. The aim of this question is to test the problem solving skills of the applicants. By asking this question, the interviewers intend to find out whether or not the applicants can make quick and right decisions when encountered with problems when performing their duties. Moreover, the question aims to find out whether or not the job applicants can cope even in difficult situations. d. Alternate/ Additional Selection methods for the waiter/ waitress After choosing the qualified applicants, it is important for them to perform a series of practical activities. This way, the managers can choose the best suited candidates for the job. This section provides various practical activities that the candidates who have passed the interviews will participate in. 1. Mathematics Tests One of the basic skills that all bar waiters/waitresses should possess is good mathematical skills. Since the waiter/waitress job involves a lot of computation, measurement and operations with money, it is important for the manager to ensure that the selected candidate is well acquainted with mathematics. After the interview, successful candidates will be tested for their mathematical skills. The candidates will be given a list of seven items by the managers and a price list. They will then be asked to charge the order. The manager will calculate the time taken by each candidate to finish the tasks and measure the accuracy of the results. This should serve as a basis for selection of the right candidate for the job. The aim of this test is to determine the mathematical skills of the candidates. 2. Speed Test The position of a waiter/waitress requires individuals who are capable of performing their duties speedily and efficiently. Speed is one of the basic qualities for the waiters/ waitresses since it determines the number of customers served within a given period of time. Speed tests are carried out to enable the management of the organization to choose fast and efficient waiters who are capable of multitasking. Moreover, the speed tests can also help in identification of medical conditions that may lead to absenteeism. To conduct speed tests on the successful candidates, they will be taken to one of the outlets of Max Bar and Grill and allowed to serve the customers. The time taken by each of the waiters to serve the customers and the number of customers served by each waiter will be recorded. Suitable candidates for the job will then be selected on the basis of their speed. 3. Service Tests According to Behmen (2010), the main role of a waiter/waitress is to offer satisfactory services to the customers. To perform this duty well, one needs to communicate effectively to the guests and provide services that will make the guests want to return to the bar over and over again. Moreover, the waiters should be perfect at serving and mixing drinks as per the request of the customers. They should also study and learn how to prepare new cocktails. The qualified candidates will be subjected to service tests to determine how well they can interact with the customers. The candidates will be asked to prepare various drinks to be served to the management of the organization. Candidates will be selected based on their abilities to effectively communicate with the customers and their knowledge in mixing various drinks as per the request of the customers. e. Induction Plan All the new employees entering an organization need to be trained on how to handle themselves within the organization and on the culture of the organization. Regardless of the kind of bar and grill in question, the waiters are expected to interact with the customers. Their interaction with the customers can either result in improvement in business or decline in the profitability of an organization. For the Greenwich Maritime Bar and Grill, the following areas will be covered during the induction training of the new employees. 1. Etiquette One of the most important things that should be considered when hiring new employees is etiquette. It is important for the new employees to conduct themselves in order and dress themselves appropriately while serving the customers. Another information that will be given to the starters during the induction process is the need to be approachable, engaging and polite while dealing with the customers. The starters should know that they will be dealing with different customers with different needs. They need not to be rude to the customers no matter the situation. Additionally, they should speak politely to the customers and make them feel welcomed to the place. During the induction training, it is also important to perform role plays with the starters to elicit their likely responses to the customers under various circumstances. 2. Appearance The appearance of the waiters is another important thing that should be considered during the induction training (Webstaurantstore, 2015). There is the need for the new employees to look professional while serving the customers. The presence of stains and creases on the uniforms suggest that the employees disregard professional appearance. The information that will be communicated to the starters regarding their appearance is that they need to be smart at all times and to change into clean clothes should there be need. Moreover, the starters will not be allowed to have too many body piercings that will make them look unprofessional. This topic will be important in the induction training as it helps them lay down the standards and expectations of the organization for the new employees. 3. Knowledge of the menu Another important topic that will form part of the induction training is knowledge of the drinks served in the restaurant. It is important for the training process to cover the menu to help the starters familiarize themselves with the types of food and drinks offered in the restaurant. As a requirement of the organization, the waiters are required to memorize the daily specials and even provide suggestions to the customers. This way, the newly employed waiters are capable of understanding the requirements of their job post. References Behmen, A. (2010). Hire a Bartender in 12 Easy Steps. Accessed from: http://possector.com/management/hire-a-bartender. Service IQ (2014). A Profile of the Cafes, Bar and Restaurant Sector in New Zealand. Accessed from http://www.serviceiq.org.nz/assets/Uploads/Cafes-Bars-Restaurants.pdf. Shoes for Crews. (2015). 20 Common Waitress Interview Questions. http://blog.sfceurope.com/7-common-waitress-interview-questions-and-how-to-answer-them. Webstaurantstore. (2015). Guidelines for Training Restaurant Servers. Accessed from http://www.webstaurantstore.com/article/114/restaurant-server-training-guidelines.html Read More