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A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...namely Pico Rivera. I ran into probably the greatest food truck guy I ever met in my life, and I mean EVER! Forget all those fancy food trucks touting gourmet food, this was long before that craze. It was back when there were no gourmet trucks, just food trucks that would visit your business at breaks and lunch and serve food. It wasn't exactly gourmet and I'm not sure it was even edible, but we didn't buy the food because it was good, we bought it because of the guy selling it: Roy.
And who was Roy? Roy was the guy running the food truck with two cooks, and he was really the face of his company. He was phenomenal, and he made it a point to remember every one's name, what food they liked, how it was cooked, where they lived, how many kids they had, and perhaps even their blood type. Please keep in mind over 250 people worked at this place. The guy was very sociable, incredibly nice, and just one of the best people I had ever met. So when one of my fellow Service Managers came to me and asked me to interview Roy for a service position, I thought I at least owed him an interview since he knew I liked my hamburger with Swiss cheese and not the cheap stuff. And that I liked it medium well, not medium rare.
I asked the Service Manager, "Does he know he needs to wear a suit?"
He responded, "He will now.", and so the interview was set.
Back then I was a real hard ass dealing with people in interviews, and when I interviewed a candidate, it seemed like I was trying to find a way to turn them down, rather than hire them. I was very quiet, and didn't share much to see if I would make them nervous, or better yet, I could get them to open up and tell me more about themselves, so that I could judge them inappropriately and then reject them. I was a jerk. However this was the process I was taught in interviews, to weed out people, and let only "the strong survive". I was such an arrogant idiot!
Roy came into the interview dressed very well, better than me in fact, and he sat calmly in his chair and answered every question I had for him regarding sales, service, employee relations, and especially teamwork. The interview changed his life, but it also changed mine as well. I grilled him, no pun intended, for almost two hours and it seemed every answer he had was perfect. It was frustrating at first, because of course I was trying to dismiss him as a candidate, but then I started to realize that this person sitting in front of me was the type of employee I had wanted to work with my entire career.
Listed below are the reasons I hired him and the same reasons as a manager you should consider people who don't necessarily have the credentials for the position, but have the character to be successful and help you in the process. Listed below are the qualities I found in Roy, but that you might find in any person, and allow you to fill ANY POSITION.
Punctuality - One thing you can be sure of when hiring a food truck person is that you can be assured they will be punctual. In fact, they'll probably be ten minutes early for every meeting, appointment, or event. These people run on a set schedule because they have to and if they're ever late, they don't make any money. If the job requirement if for someone who can set your watch to, then this is a great person for the job. I think Roy was a sun dial in a previous life because he could tell me what time it was just by looking at the sky. At times, it was a bit disturbing.
Entrepreneurial - People who run a food truck or maybe multiple trucks are "hustlers". They are looking for ways to make money because that's how they pay themselves. Not all of them own the truck they're operating so the more money they make for the company, the more money them make for themselves. Moreover, the food truck industry is a very competitive market so they're always trying to differentiate themselves from the competition. They think of various ways to separate themselves from other trucks by offering different varieties of foods, doing special events, or sponsoring charitable events. They'll do anything to gain an edge and they will bring that same enthusiasm to their new job.
Great Work Ethic - I did not even have an open position for Roy, but I hired him anyway. I took a lot of grief for making this decision, but it turned out to be the right one. He was absolutely the hardest working person I had ever met. He worked long hours without overtime, just to make sure the job was done perfectly, and that his customers all appreciated our company. He would go out of his way to work on weekends just make sure he felt comfortable with all his existing customer relationships, and it finally got to a point where I told him, "Hey ET! Don't phone home, just go home!"
Dedication - To stand out from other food trucks you have to offer either great food or great service. Roy had pretty good food but he offered incredible customer service. If you liked something on your burger, taco, burrito, or even fries he would get it. No matter how stupid it might seem, he would go out of his way to make sure the customer was happy. He applied the same great service when I hired him. I remember him asking me if he could come in on a Sunday to get some temporary garments for a customer who needed them on Monday morning. He advised he would press them and have them ready and I didn't need to do anything, he would handle it. He did and that dedication transferred to his treatment of me. He was extremely loyal. So loyal, that when I left the company he felt almost betrayed. I advised him that it's not the company that makes him great, he's the one that makes the company great. It was the truth.
Honesty - Apparently, in speaking with Roy not all operators of food trucks were very honest. Many of them would "skim" money off the top, by charging some customers more for food than others and keeping the profit for themselves. I do remember that prices weren't often listed so it depended on the truck operator to determine pricing. With other operators I remembered the pricing could vary by item by day. However Roy was honest to a fault and always honored whatever pricing was listed or communicated. He never changed the pricing and if he did he always advised the customer of the change. There were no surprises. Which is how you want all your employees to conduct themselves. Right?
They Care - When you're hiring an employee you want them to truly care about themselves, their families, their jobs, and their customers. You don't want someone who doesn't give a damn about anything. You want them motivated and invested in their future and the company as well. I can remember Roy coming to me and asking if he could take flowers to a customer who's grandmother had died. I told him that was very thoughtful and I'm sure she would appreciate the sentiment. He said, "When someone is in pain, they sometimes need to be reminded that there is good in the world." Now, I'm a cold heartless bastard but Roy had me tearing up that day. Hire someone who cares about people.
Self Motivated - These people want to win! You don't have to push them to be successful. They'll probably be the ones pushing you to achieve more. They won't be happy with an entry level position either, which is just the type of employee you want to work with in any environment. I remember having an issue with a new hire, so I decided to make Roy a trainer and after 3 weeks with the new employee he came to me with some sound advice.
"This guy's not gonna make it. I have to call him every morning to come in because while I'm loading the truck, he's still in bed. I like him but he's not motivated. Great guy but if I have to call him to come in and work, then pretty soon you're going to have to call him to come in and work. You don't want that. I don't think he fits with the team. "
Only 6 months into the job and already Roy was looking out for me and the team. And it didn't stop there. After a year, Roy asked what it took to be a manager, I told him a college degree was a prerequisite, so he went out and earned one. He was self motivated and wanted to succeed and we helped enable him to be successful. He went on to have a long and promising career and is currently a Regional Trainer with a pretty large organization. He always felt the need to achieve.
So if you're a manager and you're looking through a stack of resumes, don't discount the candidates who don't look so great on paper. You might find that one in a million employee that you just can't pass up. I know I did, and it changed the way I looked at hiring people from that point forward.
Remember, you can't find a needle in a haystack if you're not even looking.
Have a great day selling!
"This guy's not gonna make it. I have to call him every morning to come in because while I'm loading the truck, he's still in bed. I like him but he's not motivated. Great guy but if I have to call him to come in and work, then pretty soon you're going to have to call him to come in and work. You don't want that. I don't think he fits with the team. "
Only 6 months into the job and already Roy was looking out for me and the team. And it didn't stop there. After a year, Roy asked what it took to be a manager, I told him a college degree was a prerequisite, so he went out and earned one. He was self motivated and wanted to succeed and we helped enable him to be successful. He went on to have a long and promising career and is currently a Regional Trainer with a pretty large organization. He always felt the need to achieve.
So if you're a manager and you're looking through a stack of resumes, don't discount the candidates who don't look so great on paper. You might find that one in a million employee that you just can't pass up. I know I did, and it changed the way I looked at hiring people from that point forward.
Remember, you can't find a needle in a haystack if you're not even looking.
Have a great day selling!
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