Where do I recruit more mature staff?

[Summerishere123]

I run a play centre and have been advertising for kitchen staff. Because we only open weekends and school holidays, we struggle to recruit people in their 30's and 40's because lots have kids.
We are currently advertising on indeed and the very few applications that we have had that I thought would work, have ignored my offers of an interview.
When I advertise on our facebook page, I get lots of very young, inexperienced staff. Our site is huge and we can have 200 people in the venue at once.
We need some older more mature staff that have life experience. Someone that isn't a chef but a cook, that can cook the food for parties and combine orders to get food out quicker. It is super easy stuff like panini's and pizzas but the orders get backed up if they don't understand that as one thing cooks you start the next or start 3 orders and have dishes sat out getting cold etc.
Where would you be advertising in my shoes?

PS. All help appreciated but off to a meeting with said staff so will comment as soon as I get back.

You have the mindset that only older people are reliable. This isn’t the case.

Would someone who cooks in a school kitchen be suitable? They would have the experience, be DBS checked and available at the times you need.

What skills and behaviours have you been advertising for?

Also have you included something in your ad along the lines of, ‘this role would suit someone who…’?

Getting the ad right will weed out those who can’t be bothered.

It is always about pay and working conditions.

Pay more.

I get it, your budget is probably tight, money doesn’t grow on trees, lots of your costs have probably gone up.

But I think that’s the answer. I’m not in your industry but at 31, I can’t work for the pay I might have taken at 21. Not only can I not, even if I could afford to, I would not because I have experience which makes me more valuable.

@Summerishere123have you tried your local gumtree site? That might work well for you

What local activities and groups are there for the age range you want? For instance by us we have a very active group designed for over 50s. If I wanted to advertise for that demographic, Id go there. I wouldnt advertise in a new mum's group for instance.

Well yes - weekends and holiday time only is ideally suited to students,
You just need the right ones

I don't think that this is necessarily the answer as you can't guarantee it has anything to do with age, but I read an article a while ago about the fact that people in their 60s and 70s who had retired were now taking on part time seasonal work. This was because they had to supplement pensions, due to the cost of living.

Maybe that's your ideal win win situation for both parties.

An old fashioned postcard/flyer in the local newsagents can sometimes have good responses.

The wage is good for the industry but not high

I think that is your problem

The job on offer might be to you just heating up pizzas but that is just the start. Ultimately it is a Technical job and needs someone with management skills

You are competing against agency staff who do larger functions and will get better paid for a less taxing job

You need experience of the role or transferable skills. “Life experience” is irrelevant and ageist.

It sounds like you’re paying very low for the role and that’s why you’re only appealing to very young people.

The people who would be able to do this job wouldn’t do it because they know they can earn more elsewhere and what you are getting is the people who can’t do the job and are of such a caliber they can’t get a job elsewhere

I worked in hospitality for over 15 years (started at 15 until early 30s) and I get what you're saying about it being an entry level job in the industry, but I think too many think hospitality is an easy, low skilled industry. It really isn't! It requires high adaptability, coordination, people skills, initiative taking, stamina (it's bloody exhausting), etc., and it isn't well paid and it's unsocial hours.

For motivation, you could maybe highlight all of the great skills that they will acquire and be able to use on their CV for future jobs. I'd also recommend you hire 3-4 staff and have them on rotation so that 1 person doesn't work every weekend, but just 1 in 2 or 3 weekends (young people are going to want to go out, go to festival, feeling down with hormones and mental health etc.). You could also create this culture of team spirit where they can cover for each other, easily swap shifts, etc.
For the slacking during shift, you have to be really proactive and not expect them to take initiatives at first, they just haven't developed that mindset yet. So give them a very visible list of stuff to do when it's quiet, and constantly remind them when you see them idle: )"hey mate, now we have some time, can we do this x, y, z, ta!".

I know it must be so frustrating for you as you'd like someone who can stand on their own 2 feet and do the job and be reliable and you not have to worry about it - but I'm afraid that isn't the nature of the role you are hiring for. You'll have to be very involved with these young people, and it's super exhausting for you too, but it's got to go both ways. They have to feel valued, and not feel like teenagers being told off (not saying that's how you're treating them) - positive reinforcement and all that (without sounding patronising).

Any perks to the job too? Discounts, free food?

Are you a small family run centre. Could you advertise that you are family friendly and that you sometimes bring your children to work when the emergency arises. Free passes for their children. That might entice some older mums.

Have you tried advertising in schools? I’m thinking about dinner ladies who already work term time. I think your target audience is much older than 30-40, more like 50 plus. Someone without dependant children. Otherwise students.

A recruitment specialist I work with recommends local newspaper advertising to appeal to an older audience, who will be among the people who still take a local paper.

I just don’t think mature people want those kind of hours. I’m semi retired and looking for a part time job, but I wouldn’t want to sit around Mon-Fri then be working at weekends when my DH is having days out/socialising.

@Perfect28, It comes across as ageist because of the way it was worded.

If you had 2 people going for a job, a 25 yr old may seem young, vibrant and energetic, while a 55 year old might not.
IME, the younger candidate might think they know something well, but they won't have the experience needed, and they won't know that their knowledge is limited. (The same could be true of an older candidate if they don't have the relevant experience.)

The key issue is skills and experience, not age.

Ironically we advertised yesterday for entertainers. People that will be running round playing games with kids and hosting parties and have had 2 30 year olds apply!

Dingalingalong

I get what you're saying about it being an entry level job in the industry

I actually don’t think it is an entry level job. I think entry level suggests anyone can do it and there is nothing to learn or consider.

They are cooking and plating up food to go out to parties at the same time
There is the list of ingredients that need checking incase manufacturer has changed the ingredients in a Cheese and Tomato Pizza or you are using a different brand of sauce. All the lists need to be accurate in case someone has an allergy and needs to choose something they aren’t allergic to. There is knowing to have separate Tea towels oven gloves and serving utensils for different pizzas or food

Knowing to wash your hands if you have served one type of pizza and will be serving another type next

There is being able to manage time and other staff so you can catch up with jobs when it isn’t busy
Definitely not entry level.

You are absolutely being ageist. Why do you think that is old? 30 is very young from my perspective. I think you should look for some equality training for yourself before you end up in front of a tribunal.

I am 35 so I do not think it is old and I will absolutley be bringing them in. What I am saying is, I have spent weeks trying to attract people age 25-65 with the kitchen role and the minute we advertise for a role currently filled by 16-20 year olds, 2 30-year olds apply for it!

I wouldnt want to work for you with that attitude

Its absolutely the hours/ days. They scream student

I'm not sure why people are suggesting approaching term time places like schools/ nurseries. Surely those people are likely working mon-fri and are unlikely to want to add on a weekend job to work everyday? You could probably advertise a summer holiday contract but will likely get more students but possibly some term time staff. Doesn't help with your weekends, half terms etc though

Equally people that tend to work term time, tend to do so deliberately because they need the hours for childcare etc. Its quite competitive! Especially because of the term time nursery hours funding so lots of people even with younger kids want term time.

The reality is that most adults can't sustain their life on only weekend work and holiday work financially

Lots of people in that demographic will tolerate weekend work as part of a larger occasional pattern but not solely. And that's the worst hours for anyone with kids.

I'm in my 30s with kids, couldn't afford to take those hours, if I could I'd be pickier because I'd not want to lose every weekend (when friends/ family are off)

My sister who does work part time does so because of children (like most) so your hours would be the worst of all the options. No seeing kids at the weekend and all the summer holiday stress

My mum is also semi retired but supports my sister with child care

The only person I know as an adult that works solely a weekend job is every other weekend because of custody arrangements but wouldn't go for the term time

Is it every weekend working? Full days? Either way is tricky. Everyother is more family friendly/ attractive but less to live off.
5 hours on a Saturday is bugger all wage to live one, split hours across the days buggers up your weekend for minimal pay, Working full days on both Saturday and a Sunday rules out a big group

Changing the way you advertise might change the demographic but I think you'd be lucky and it's not guaranteed

I think you'd be better off improving your training so you can retain, and make the applicants you are getting better