Research Candidates Online Before You Hire

When you're looking to fill a position at your restaurant, you’re going to check out candidates’ work experience and skills. But just as important are candidates’ behavior and values. And sometimes you've gotta do a little digging to figure that out.

While you can learn a lot about a candidate by talking to them during the interview process, how they choose to represent themselves online is just as important. Fortunately, you can find a bunch of information on most people online these days with just a few clicks. 

Google your job candidates by name and previous experience. Chances are something will show up. With your search, you might be able to find any press on the candidate or additional information about their previous work. You’ll also turn up their social media accounts. 

If their social media accounts aren’t private, take a look at them. Is the candidate sharing offensive content? Are they sharing anything on their social profiles that doesn’t align with your restaurant’s brand? If that’s the case, then they’re not a good fit. 

Haley Fortier, owner/operator of haley.henry and nathálie in Boston, MA, saves time and gets ahead of the curve by doing research before interviewing candidates. She told us, “Before we even interview someone, I check out their social media profiles if they’re publicly available. I look for anything that’s going to be a red flag for me. If they’re posting things on their social profiles that don’t align with my establishments’ core values, I won’t bother interviewing them.”