Are you wondering if you should invest in hiring food assemblers to join your staff? Before hiring a food assembler, it is helpful to know precisely what a food assembler does, the contributions a food assembler will bring to your kitchen, and how you hire skilled employees to fill this role.
What is a food assembler?
A food assembler is there to make the kitchen run more smoothly. Food assemblers assist the chef by doing most of the prep work needed so the chef can keep the kitchen moving. This prep work could involve chopping vegetables, preparing meats, dividing ingredients into the correct portions, or lining up plates, so they are ready to be filled. A food assembler can also take on other duties, such as ensuring the coffee is brewing, keeping track of inventory when ingredients are running low, and keeping the workspace clean.
As you can see, the duties can vary based on needs, but a food assembler is an essential set of hands needed for a fast-paced kitchen to run smoothly.
How to hire for food assembler jobs
Once you have decided your kitchen would benefit from one or more food assemblers, it's time to find some skilled food assemblers to join your team.
Create an accurate job listing
The first thing that you will want to do is create a job listing for your available food assembler role. In the job listing, you should clearly outline the position's responsibilities and give an overview of your business and why someone would want to join your team. Be upfront about compensation and list any benefits the new employee will receive. Once you have crafted your job listing, post it to multiple job boards to ensure you get as many suitable candidates as possible.
Conduct interviews
During the interviews, you will want to know whether each candidate will make a positive addition to your team. Talk to them about their prior experience as a food assembler and why they are interested in the role with your restaurant.
Conduct a skills test
If the interview has gone well and you want to see the candidate in action, consider doing an onsite skills test. To do this, you would give the candidate directions just as the chef would in the kitchen. A skills test will allow you to see how they will perform on the job and how they do with receiving instruction in a fast-paced environment. In addition, skilled food assemblers should be more than willing to show off their knowledge and experience by giving a hands-on demonstration.
What to look for in food assembler job candidates
So, what precisely should you look for in candidates for food assembler jobs? Let's talk about a few of the essential things to keep an eye out for during the interview process.
Relevant experience
Ask candidates about their experience and if they have ever had a job as a food assembler before. Suppose they have worked at a reputable establishment and still have a positive relationship with their previous employer. In that case, you can be confident about their skill level. Even if someone has yet to gain experience as a food assembler, they may do a fantastic job. It may be worth giving them a chance if they seem eager to learn and possess some other needed skills.
Attention to detail
Attention to detail is essential for a food assembler's job, where the environment will be fast-paced and the needs often intricate. Portions must be exact, and health code requirements must be followed vigorously. Because of this, it is worth seeing how the candidate demonstrates attention to detail in other areas. Was their resume full of grammatical errors or typos? Did they arrive late for the interview? Did they seem prepared?
Team player attitude
A food assembler is integral to the kitchen team and must work well with others. Ensuring the candidate has a team-player mentality and is open to a cooperative work environment is essential.
Love for food
Try to determine if the candidate is simply looking for a job or genuinely loves food and the restaurant industry. If they express interest or desire to be a chef one day, then it is likely they will be attentive and dedicated food assemblers.
Work with Qwick to fill food assembler shifts
Need a food assembler but don't have time to go through an entire interview process for a full-time employee right now? Qwick allows business partners to tap into a vast network of skilled hospitality freelancers, making filling open food assembler shifts easy.
In fact, why not test out what a food assembler role can do for your kitchen? Post a shift today!
