Learn to write a job description that potential employees will love

Your restaurant is only as good as your staff. With this quick guide, you will learn how to write a job description that will attract the best and brightest potential employees, improving your brand's reputation.

Why a Job Description Needs to Shine

Job descriptions can be tough. This is your first contact with potential employees, and it's often the only chance you'll get to attract the attention of the best. A big mistake a lot of employers make is creating dry, boring job descriptions that stick only to the facts. While it's certainly wise to stay concize and to the point, you don't want to bore potential applicants before they even make it to your front door. It's important for managers to understand that applicants are interviewing you almost as much as you're interviewing them, so make sure your job description stands out, showing potential employees that you're not just another restaurant. Read on to learn how to write a job description that will show potential applicants you are a great company to work for.

Focus on What Makes You Unique -

When learning how to write a job description that truly shines, you need to pay close attention to what makes your restaurant unique. Is it the quirky atmosphere? The fun food offerings? Beyond the face of the restaurant—what the customers see—your potential applicants care about what makes your business special, too. Paid vacations, holiday pay, monthly staff BBQ or parties, discounts at local stores, extra time off, flexible scheduling, a modern technology used throughout to help the job run smoother- these are all things that add value to the job and show applicants you're paying attention to their needs.

Be Clear -

When learning how to write a job description, you may be tempted to only focus on that first point, making it fun and stand out. But there is such thing as standing out in the wrong way. If your job description reads more like an amusement park brochure than a job description, you've taken that first step a bit too far. Dial it back and refocus. You want to show potential employees your company is unique, but you need to show your serious side, too. Learning how to write a job description means paying attention to clarity. State the job title, and be sure it makes sense. Clever job titles don't belong in the food service business. Servers, chef, prep-cooks, maintenance- these are all clear and concize job titles that don't need much explanation. Bringer of Treats and Sloppy Mopper sound more like cartoon characters than job descriptions. Another area for clarity is the description of duties. It can be fun to add some silliness here if that's the kind of restaurant atmosphere you wish to portray, but even the goofiest and lighthearted restaurants need to let staff know what their duties are going to be in a clear way.

Don't Exaggerate -

It can be fun to let your creative juices flow when deciding how to write a job description for your restaurant, but this can sometimes lead to exaggeration. You may truly believe you have the best staff in the world and that your food is the best made, but those are opinions, and they have no place in a good job description. Avoid phrases like the best or unsurpassed when talking about your restaurant in a job description, and stick to verifiable claims. If you provide generous salaries, say so. If you offer extended vacations or pay increases based on performance, say that. It's also imperative that you don't exaggerate the importance of the job. Of course, every employee is important, but there is no reason to try to fool anyone into thinking the offered jobs are anything more than what they are. Be realistic and honest, and you'll attract that type of employee.

Complete a Skills and Expected Personality Types List -

As you choose how to write a job description to attract the best employees, you'll want to consider the skills required to complete the job efficiently and accurately, and which personality types would best fit your available role. Details are good, but you don't want to be so specific that hardly anyone will apply. Hard-working, skilled person isn't detailed enough, for example. Think about what you consider to be hard-working and write that. As for personality types, be open to many types, but also understand the current dynamic of your staff and what kind of person might fit best.

Talk About the Schedule -

This is one spot many managers forget to include. Potential employees will want to know what the work schedule will look like. Is it a set shift that will never change? Or is it like most food services and will fluctuate? How do you handle those schedules, and are they flexible with the employees in mind, too? This is an easy way to truly win the attention of the very best applicants. Offering flexible scheduling and a good way for employees to communicate their scheduling needs is a surefire way to get them in the door. We'll have a little more on that in a moment. When deciding how to write a job description for your restaurant, don't forget to talk a bit about your scheduling policies, paying special attention to your level of flexibility.

Great Employees Need to Know You're Listening

When you learn to write a job description that states clearly what you need and what kind of person would fit best, you'll see more suitable applicants coming into your store than ever before, so it's worth the effort to write a good job description. At the same time, you need to be willing and able to state exactly what you can offer potential employees, too. They need to believe that you care about their needs, understand their schedules for family and outside life and that you want them to feel important and heard. Using a modern digital labor scheduling app to streamline employee schedules and allow staff to quickly and painlessly request time off or shift changes is a game-changer for many restaurants. These apps reduce the stress involved in scheduling and show employees you're listening to their needs. So, when you decide how to write a job description, it pays to list what benefits you offer, including flexible scheduling and easy communication with management. Along with writing great job descriptions, restaurant management duties are varied.