Hiring, “a full-time job”

The balance of power has changed. Employers have the impression that they are now the ones interviewing candidates… when they deign to show up. Foray into a job interview session.

Nathaelle Morissette
The Press

Salsa lessons that prevent a candidate from working on Monday evening, the impossibility of being on schedule on Sunday for another, an alarm clock that does not ring for a future employee called to a meeting… in the afternoon, and, finally, a young man who is conspicuous by his absence at the time of the interview without ever giving any news.

When Marion Fournier, new owner of the restaurant Le 267, located in Vieux-Longueuil, welcomed The Press in her establishment under construction — to allow us to attend her job interviews — she seemed far from suspecting that her sunny afternoon at the beginning of June would not be as fruitful as she had anticipated .

Of course, she had already tasted the new reality of recruitment, which demands a lot of time from the employer. He must call a candidate as soon as he receives his curriculum vitae to then maintain constant contact with him. ” It’s a job full-time,” she says bluntly.

And M^me Fournier had heard several “horror stories” told by his restaurateur friends, so much so that certain events that had occurred since the beginning of his hiring process even seemed to him to have become commonplace. “I’ve hired three chefs…I only have one left,” she said before her interview session began, a few weeks before the opening date she had set. .

The restaurateur also did not expect that all the young people would ask her to work from Monday to Friday. “And yes, I had no shows “, she also admitted, trying to bury the aggressive sound of the drills.

“We also have people who don’t answer calls and resumes where no phone number is given. But it’s really not the majority, I’m pleasantly surprised. “, she adds, confident despite everything.

bad surprises

But that afternoon had other surprises in store for him, bad ones this time. M^me Fournier, who decided to make the leap into catering by opening the first establishment of a brand new concept created by Pacini, had so far managed to hire 12 people. To drive his restaurant — which houses the three brands Tok-Tok (Korean hot dogs), Smokissime (smoked meat sandwiches to dip in a sauce) and Queues de Castor —, M^me Fournier needs more than 20 employees.

As on previous days, the interview session started quite well. The first candidate, 23-year-old Melanie, arrived early. The interview will be done on a bench located outside the restaurant, just to escape the dust and the noise of a place that seemed far from being ready to welcome customers soon.

“I’m always smiling,” she says spontaneously when someone remarks about her cheerful appearance. Hair picked up in a bun, white sneakers on her feet, the candidate who has taken care of her appearance answers with enthusiasm the questions of the one who could become her boss. The exchange takes place in a cheerful tone. M^me Fournier sells his salad and insists on the importance of having fun while working. She is convincing.

Mélanie wants to work part-time because she has enrolled in an aesthetics course. Is she ready to go back to work on the weekend? “Yeah, no problem,” she said, scoring points with her interviewer.

Describing herself as flexible, she however hastens to add that she is not available on Monday evenings. “It’s my Latin salsa-dance class. This request, however, did not raise eyebrows Marion Fournier.

When she gets up from the park bench, the restaurateur draws a smiley face on the job application. Will she call her back? ” Yes ! She is really very dynamic, she replies once the candidate has left. I am privileged as an employer, I am aware of that. »

Caught up by reality

A few minutes later, however, the reality of recruitment catches up with her. We will never see the second candidate who was called at 2 p.m. On several occasions, as she waited for him in the sun on the sidewalk, Ms.^me Fournier consulted his text messages. Nothing.

“If she doesn’t bother to call me, it’s a bad omen,” she says, hiding her disappointment badly. The ghost candidate will finally call 15 minutes after her scheduled interview time. Her phone was out of charge, she explains in a raspy voice. The alarm to wake her up did not sound.

“I have a bad feeling “, indicates Julie, right arm of M^me Fournier, present to welcome the candidates. “I’m going to give the chance to the runner”, adds all the same the boss who agreed to meet the young woman later in the evening.

Almost 30 minutes later, the scene repeats itself. The third aspirant is conspicuous by his absence. We will learn later that he will never give any sign of life.

Heaven, the last candidate of the day, shows up with a friend, also interested in a summer job. Marion Fournier decides to do the interviews inside, following the departure of the workers. Aged 17, the young man says he left his livelihood because the boss did not respect the schedules. At 267, he is ready to work a few evenings a week until 9:30 p.m. maximum.

His friend, questioned after him, barely concealed his nervousness. Her legs bouncing frantically under the table betrayed her. The young woman, who worked at McDonald’s and Burger King, is not available on Sundays.

Despite everything, they made a good impression on M.^me Fournier. However, she remains hesitant since they have shown little openness to working on weekends.

It should be noted that all the candidates questioned showed more enthusiasm when they learned of the presence in the restaurant of a photo booth (photobooth) or by being offered the possibility of making deliveries with an electric bicycle only towards the salary offered. The hourly rate has been set between $15 and $17 plus tip sharing which can sometimes be worth $4 an hour more. They were called to an information session which was to take place a few weeks later. All had assured their presence. The opening was scheduled for June 20.

A month later…

Almost a month later, on the eve of the 1^er July, Le 267 was still unable to welcome its first customers. Work delays and connection problems are on the list of factors explaining the situation. None of the candidates The Press met with Mr.^me Fournier did not come to the briefing, even though everyone had signed up. They didn’t give him any sign of life either. On the phone, Marion Fournier does not hide her fear of losing other employees, in a hurry to collect money for the summer.

M^me Fournier also asked a few to hand out coupons for a raffle. The experiment seems to have been conclusive. “I write to them. I keep them informed. »

If the new owner acted on instinct, her strategy to retain her team seems to be the right one, according to Céline Morellon, human resources specialist and president of Value Leaders, consulting group.

“In a situation like this, if we are not able to pay them directly, the best tactic is constant contact, not only between the boss and the employees, but also between the employees. »

“We must never disconnect from the mission of our organization in our contacts with them. Then, between them, they will not want to let go, ”she adds.

Attached again a few days ago, M^me Fournier finally announces that it will be able to open on Monday July 11th. Recently, it lost two employees, “coups de coeur” who started working elsewhere. At the moment, she has 25 people in her team. “I can still have surprises,” she drops lucidly. At the opening, this is where I will see how many employees I have left. »

“We can no longer recruit like we used to”

“The more you talk about labor scarcity in the media, the worse it is in interviews. The workers know that they have the big end of the stick, they know that they are needed and that if this employer says no, there is another one who will say yes. It’s as simple as that,” sums up Céline Morellon, human resources specialist and president of Leaders de Valeurs, a consulting group.

The manufacturing sector as well as service companies such as restaurants and hair salons, for example, are particularly affected by this situation, she explains.

Now that the balance of power has changed and that candidates are aware that they are needed more than ever, what should employers do if they want to succeed in their “recruitment operation”?

“It’s up to them to change their way of thinking,” she explains to the entrepreneurs she meets. We can no longer recruit as we recruited at the time. It’s over, it’s dead. »

“You take the time to analyze it and you meet your world immediately, she adds. We can no longer afford to have recruitment processes over three, four or five days. When people send a CV, they send it to four different places, it’s going to be first come, first served. »

The interview should also reflect the image of the company. “If your corporate atmosphere is festive, joyful, the funthe interview should be festive, joyful and the funillustrates M^me Morellon. If your interview atmosphere is stricter, more square, you will find players who appreciate that, it just has to be consistent with what they will experience the next day and the day after. »

Another important point, knowing that labor is scarce and that sometimes no application is submitted for a posted position, companies must start recruiting early, advises Céline Morellon. In this regard, she does not hesitate to criticize “the lack of vision” of several organizations.

“That’s what’s happening right now in airports, that’s what’s happening everywhere,” she observes. Organizations are not able to project themselves far enough. They all started recruiting for the summer in March. It was last December that we had to start showing off and announcing our colors. »