right stuff, The

Walking into my local specialty retailer the other day I saw the sign hanging by the door, "Help Wanted, 30-40 hours per week". As I ordered my daily take-out bowl of soup, I jokingly said to the person behind the counter, "I'm here about the job". We both laughed.

On my way back to the office, I began to think about how, if I were the owner, I would go about hiring just the right person to fill that job. Along with maintaining a clean place of business, staffing is one of the most important components of success for any retailer, especially where the staff must meet and serve the public.

There are some basics, of course. Does the candidate for the job have the needed skills, or can they be trained? Do they have previous experience? Why did they leave their last job and the one before that? What do their references say?

In addition, there are two more things I used to look for in hiring counter people for the specialty retail operation I ran, passion and compatibility. Passion is the enthusiasm for the products you're selling, reflected in the person's eyes, face and voice. You can teach the product knowledge, but the great employee will have a passion for that learning. Their enthusiasm is contagious and will come across to your customer, and result in a sale.

Compatibility is less easy to define, but I see it as your own gut-level instinct about whether the prospective employee will fit with you and the others in your organization. Will you and the rest of your staff enjoy coming to work with this person each day? Answering that question requires a thoughtful examination of your own instincts about the individual. I've learned over the years, sometimes the hard way, that once the basic skills sets are met, it's been the people with passion and compatibility who've proven to be great employees.

Rick Rector

Publisher

rrector@gourmetnews.com

Copyright United Publications, Inc. May 2005
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