Most food truck owners are now well versed in hiring Millennial culinary school graduates but many of these mobile businesses still have the chance of making avoidable mistakes. Most gaffes involve outdated hiring practices that alienate Generation Y. Here are three tips for reaching the top-performing culinary graduates of this generation.

3 Tips For Hiring Recent Culinary School Graduates

  • Evaluate for potential, not experience. Culinary school students don’t yet have a wealth of resume experience. Seek out those who are passionate and a cultural fit with your food truck business.
  • Highlight flexible work arrangements. Millennials care more about social and flexible work environments than high salaries (good thing for them). Entice culinary school graduates with perks like extra vacation time and flexible scheduling.
  • Show your culture. A good interview process should communicate the culture you have developed with your food truck business. If your organization has a youthful, innovative vibe, be sure to convey that (but don’t fake it).

Please Note: Culinary school graduates have a place in the industry and can help share new techniques that you are not aware of but hiring a fresh culinary school graduate as your food truck head chef is closely parallel to hiring a fresh MBA graduate as a company C.E.O. and just as risky. Don’t let stories of other culinary school graduate hires scare you from hiring your own, just understand where they fit within your business organization.

RELATED: The Complete Human Resources Guide For Food Trucks

The Bottom Line

It’s foolhardy to avoid hiring recent culinary school graduates or for our industry to argue against culinary education. Food trucks need a more educated workforce, because that will continue to elevate the standards of the entire mobile food industry.

Do you have any additional advice for vendors looking to hire recent culinary school graduates? Share your thoughts in the comment section below or on social media. Facebook | Twitter