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www.ohiorestaurant.org 17 Spring Issue

5. Bad Apples in the Talent Pool

Although the market is improving and it’s time to start strengthening your workforce, remember that the companies who were fortunate enough to make it through the downturn fought hard to retain their best people. While there are exceptions, it’s worth noting that today’s talent market is fooded with undesirable candidates. To ensure that your candidate was not their last employer’s problem, you should conduct a background check.

A “background check” can refer to a lot of things. Most human resource professionals would tell you that this means a comprehensive, multi-faceted investigation of a candidate’s history with regard to professional conduct and employment, personal behavior and their education. If you think of a background check as just a report of criminal activity, you need to think again.

There are plenty of good and not-so-good candidates available. In recent months, employment screening frms have noted an increase in falsifcation of education or employment history. By performing additional measures,

such as verifcation of employment and education, you can ensure that the candidate you select to strengthen your team is the right choice for you and your company’s success.

To learn more about ORA Strategic Partner Secure Check and how you can strengthen your hiring practices, visit the company’s website: http://www. securecheckinc.com/oramember/. ORA members save up to 30 percent for criminal background and drug screening services. Since 1992, Secure Check has helped improve the proftability and productivity of American businesses by helping clients make better hiring decisions, reducing their exposure to workers’ compensation claims and legal expenses and diminishing the high costs of turnover. You can’t afford not to consider Secure Check. According to the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation, the average substance abuser alone costs his employer more than $7,000 annually. Does your company have funds like this lying around waiting to be wasted on the wrong candidate?

by Mark Thompson, PHR Secure Check

In the state of Ohio alone, the restaurant and foodservice industry is the third largest private sector employer. This year, the industry is expected to garner more than $16 billion in sales and to employ more than 525,000 people. So, what does this mean for restaurant operators seeking to expand their staff?

One of the largest pools restaurant operators consider for the industry is the state’s youth. Operators will hire young employees because they understand that they will work fexible hours and are available in the evenings after they have completed their school day. They are also often available in the summer when tourism is at its peak and over holiday breaks when more customers are clamoring for service.

Many of these individuals are good candidates for your establishments. However, the Ohio Restaurant Association Education Foundation (ORAEF) would be remiss if it failed to remind restaurant operators about the many talented and skilled young people currently enrolled in the Ohio ProStart® program. High school students enrolled in the program throughout the state participate in an industry-

driven curriculum that educates, tests and awards industry-recognized certifcates to those students who fulfll high standards in foodservice and restaurant education. The ProStart program was developed to increase the quality and employability of today’s high school restaurant management and culinary arts graduates by providing them with training related to important business and practical skills, as well as opportunities for career exploration and higher education.

The two-year curriculum for eleventh and twelfth grade students was developed by the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (NRAEF). This state-driven and industry-backed curriculum, coupled with relevant work-based experience, enriches, enhances and reinforces what students learn in the classroom and provides students with opportunities to develop and practice skills critical to their future success. These skill sets serve as a foundation for building professional, trained and educated employees in your operations.

So what does this mean for you? This means that as a restaurant operator in the state of

Ohio who wants to strengthen her team with qualifed individuals, you should consider employing an Ohio ProStart student. Currently, 51 schools throughout Ohio work with the ORAEF to prepare students for an exciting and rewarding career in the foodservice industry. These talented young people not only care about the industry, but they arrive at your restaurant with the basics under their belt and the desire to learn more.

“These students are driven individuals who not only want to succeed, but want to experience greater challenges than your average employee,” said Sharon K.M. Fish, the ORAEF’s Executive Director. “Not only do they possess hands-on experiences from working in their school’s classrooms, but they are sponges who want to learn all about the industry so that they can provide tomorrow’s students with the opportunities they’re receiving today.”

To learn more about the Ohio ProStart Program and to fnd out how you can get involved or fnd qualifed youth to strengthen your team, visit: www.oraef.org.

Hire Candidates

that Understand the Restaurant Industry

Students in the Ohio ProStart ® program may be young, but they are talented professionals eager to engage customers and improve their skills