How to choose a contract chef recruitment agency

Hiring is a full-time job, and if you don’t have a dedicated hiring manager on staff (or they’re just too busy), then when it comes time to recruit a new contract chef for your business you’ll need help from a chef recruitment agency. 

But, across Australia it seems like there are quite a few options out there – including recruiters like ours with specialists dedicated to hiring contract chefs, and recruiters who say they can do a bit of everything. 

How do you pick one? 

These are the things to look for when choosing a new chef agency, and how to pick the best for your business. 

 

What to look for in a chef recruitment agency

Every recruiter is a little bit different, offering their own niche, network or service. To help you compare apples for apples, it helps to have a list of things to think about. 

These are the top factors to look for when comparing chef recruiters: 

 

1. Size of network

How large is their talent network? 

Recruiters with larger, more engaged networks are generally able to access better talent. Instead of relying on a limited talent pool or whoever responds to job ads, they can call upon a range of suitable candidates – those already planning their next role, and even those who aren’t. 

Look for an agency with a strong network, and exclusive access to high-quality off-market chef talent, because this is where you’ll find the bulk of candidates. To give you some context, 70% of our roles here at Squad Recruitment are filled from our off-market network – not job ads. 

Learn more: The top 6 benefits of hiring temp chefs + a success story 

 

2. Speed and flexibility

How quickly can they get you a new contract chef, or can they adapt their services to suit your unique needs? 

You won’t always need speed, but when you do need it, you need it now. Find a chef recruiter who knows the importance of getting good people very quickly. 

And try to feel out their flexibility. Your needs will change over time, sometimes very quickly. Your recruiter must keep up so that your business can stay ahead. 

 

3. Reputation and reliability

What do other food businesses think about these recruiters? Do they have a reputation for excellence? 

Don’t just look at each recruiter’s sales material. Go online to look for reviews and testimonials, or if you can’t find many, talk to other business owners in your network to see if anyone’s dealt with them before. A recruiter with a good reputation among people you trust is usually your safest bet. 

 

4. Candidate vetting process

What steps will the recruiter take to vet and pre-qualify chefs before passing you a candidate shortlist? 

One of the reasons you’re reaching out to them in the first place is because you don’t have the time or expertise in-house to handle finding a new contract chef. That means you need a recruiter who does as much of the work for you as possible, so you only need to interview the top picks and select the candidate you like best. 

 

5. Industry expertise and specialty services

Does the recruiter have a high level of expertise in your sector, or do they specialise in it? 

If you want to attract the best chefs to your business, you need someone who knows how to find them. The recruiter’s network can’t just be large, it must be of a very high calibre. General recruiters often struggle to identify right-fit candidates for high-skill temporary roles because they don’t themselves have that expertise. Specialist recruiters like ours do. 

 

6. Discretion

Can the recruiter find new talent in a discrete and confidential manner? 

Discretion is not necessary for every role, but where it is required it’s extremely important. If you don’t want to reveal to your customers or competitors that you’re on the hunt for a new chef, you need a recruiter who understands discretion and can search for good talent without making a stir. 

 

How to choose the right chef recruitment agency for you

Now you can start to shortlist agencies and pick the one you think is best for your needs. These additional steps should help you put that list together, and sort through the names.

 

1. Get clear on your needs

The first thing to do when shortlisting chef recruiters is to make sure you’re clear on what you need from them.  

Think about your short-term and long-term hiring plans, your budget, skills or qualifications requirements, and anything else important for the role you’re hiring for – hours, pay, timeline and expectations from customers. 

This will allow you to find a suitable recruiter who exactly matches your requirements. 

 

2. Find someone with the right expertise

You’re looking to hire an expert, so you need an expert to help you find that person. 

Consider dropping any business from the list which doesn’t have specialist chef recruiters on staff. As we mentioned earlier, people who don’t know what they’re looking for can’t find it, so it’s a risk to your business utilising anyone who doesn’t have a solid grasp on what makes a good chef. 

 

3. Engage with their consultants to see how you feel

At this point you will have a good idea as to each recruiter’s service and their reputation. Now you must identify consultants that you will actually enjoy working with. 

‘Vibe’ might not seem like a very formal decision-making factor, but just as you’d want to ensure your new contract chef is a good cultural fit for your organisation, you also want to make sure your recruiter matches your values. Liking someone makes it a lot easier to work with them. 

 

4. Ask good questions

Finally, dig into the final details. Ask a range of questions based on your organisation’s needs to get a better idea as to what each recruiter’s service will look like, what they can do for you and what to expect from the outcome.  

Example questions: 

• What is your process for sourcing, vetting and selecting candidates? 

• What assessment techniques do you use to screen candidates? 

• How do you ensure candidates will be a good cultural fit? 

• What is your candidate post-placement care or onboarding like? 

• What strategies do you use to help ensure candidate retention? 

During this process, you can also ask about communication policies and fee structures. 

 

Need help choosing the best contract chefs? Use the experts

Here at Squad Recruitment, we have exclusive access to a vast chef talent network, we know how to be discreet and our consultants specialise in the needs of Australian hospitality businesses. 

When you need the best contract chefs, give our experts a call or submit your vacancy here.