The Village Inn owner hires the candidate that impresses him as having

QUESTION

The Village Inn owner hires the candidate that impresses him as having the most potential for growing into the head chef position.

He recognizes, however, that the new hire will need training to become familiar with the specific demands of the job. If the owner is a good manager, what would his first step be in devising a training program?
A) take the new chef through the kitchen before opening time, showing the worker how to properly operate all the equipment safely
B) develop a detailed job description, including the tasks a head chef must perform regularly and the skills needed to carry out each task
C) present the worker with the restaurant’s employee manual and instruct him or her to read it carefully
D) allow the new employee to observe the present kitchen staff in operation for a week before taking over the duties of the job
E) enroll the new hire in a culinary arts webinar program to which the restaurant owner subscribes

ANSWER

Answer: B
Explanation: B) An effective training program relies on a clear understanding of the job duties and processes required to carry them out. So Choice B is correct: the owner should first devise a complete job description and then arrange for an appropriate format to make the new hire familiar with it. Each of the other choices might be appropriate in some cases given the restaurant’s resources and immediate needs and the chef’s previous experience, but Choice A does not adequately brief the employee on what the employer expects as results, while Choice C does not provide an opportunity for the worker to try out the new tasks. Choices D and E might help phase the new hire into the specific skills needed if the restaurant has the time and resources to provide them. All of these assume, however, that the employer has a clear set of expectations to communicate to the new chef, so the Choice B step would precede any of them.