Pizza Today - April 2022 - 16

BUILDING BLOCKS N I C K B OG A C Z
company's vision and how someone
can advance. I want to paint a clear
picture that this " job " can be a career.
I also describe the positive things we
do as a company for our employees
and the incentive programs we have
in place. It's all about explaining the
company culture. Once that's done,
it's time for the candidate to share
their story.
The most important question?
Sure, there are many revealing
How to Conduct an Interview
Y
ou've done all the hard work,
and fi nally, job hunters are
calling you. Now what?
I like to break down the process
into a few steps. But, fi rst, if you
recall from our previous Building
Blocks articles, it's a matter of speed.
Be sure to reply to anyone who
applies (and shows promise) within
24 hours, and then it's on to the
interview. In fact, the interview
begins with that fi rst call.
On the phone
Start with this candid question:
What are you doing now, and what
are you looking to do? Th is sounds
like a straightforward question, and
it is, but the answers you'll receive
are telling.
I've heard everything from, " I have
a job now but looking for a new
opportunity, " to " I haven't worked in
years because I don't like structure,
but I love pizza! " As you can guess,
the question helps weed out candidates
right away. But if this early
questioning suggests they're worth a
follow-up chat, fi nd out the earliest
time they can come in for an interview.
You'll want to do this quickly
because you don't want them to fi nd
a diff erent job in the meantime.
In the store
You can have your own interview
style, but personally, I fi nd making
a candidate feel at home from the
outset is important. Greet them with
a shake of the hand, off er a drink and
give them a moment to fi ll out an
application. I start every interview
by introducing myself, sharing my
company's history, and what jobs we
have available.
Most importantly, I share the
questions you can ask, but there is an
especially powerful question that can
open a conversation and tell you a lot
about someone's situation: " Now you
know the company's story, so what's
yours? " You'll get all kinds of
answers, but as long as there are no
red fl ags and you like what you hear,
you should feel confi dent to off er
them the job.
The off er and compensation
I like to off er the job with yet
another question: " Is there any reason
you would not take the job? " If they
say no, they want it and you just hired
them - I reach out my hand and say,
" Welcome to the team. " If they
answer another way, then it might
take a longer conversation to understand
their hesitation.
As for particulars, such as compensation,
we've broken down pay scales
and job descriptions previously in this
column, so hopefully you know what
the position off ers and the number
was already disclosed in an ad.
We've certainly been repeating this
process at my business. In fact, since I
have started writing this column, I've
built two more locations. So, for the
next installment, I'll share some lessons
from opening two stores in less
than six months.
NICK BOGACZ is the founder and president of Caliente Pizza & Draft House in Pittsburgh. Instagram: @caliente_pizza
16 / PIZZATODAY.COM / APRIL 2022

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Pizza Today - April 2022

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