F
or starters, allow me to apologize for the some- are good matches for them from our database,” says Jeff what obscure musical reference in the title Pieta, president of Shitfgig. “We currently have 160,000 of this article. Unless you’re a diehard fan of candidates on the site. So not only can candidates apply, early 1970s rock n’ roll, you may not be familiar owners can also reach out to candidates who are a good with the classic Traffic album John Barleycorn fit for them. For example, if a fine dining restaurant or an Must Die. Then again, if you are a fan of such upscale bar posts a job, the candidates with experience in early 1970s sounds, it’s likely you still hire staff by flip- upscale environments will be at the top of the list, whereas ping through piles of paper resumés, which, in some pro- sports bars candidates will be lower on the list.” One part of Callanta’s early application process explains fessions, is almost as antiquated as the vinyl record upon in part the reach and breadth of which Steve Winwood imprinted the Shiftgig universe, specifically his powerful vocals. (Winwood was within the service industry; his the lead singer of Traffic. Keep up mentioning of seeing the initial ad with me, people.) on Craigslist is no accident. “When John Barleycorn, however, is an owner posts a job, we automatiactually referred to herein as a bar, cally syndicate that job to sites in fact a collection of bars, residlike SimplyHired.com, Indeed.com ing in the great city of Chicago. and 20 other sites, to maximize With locations in Lincoln Park. the reach of the job post,” Pieta Wrigleyville, and Schaumburg, explains. “That’s why our job posts the Barleycorn ownership group get more responses and get betrecently opened its fourth edition ter candidates. We have a very in the River North neighborhood, broad reach. Indeed.com gets 40 needing to start from square one to million visitors a month, and all build a staff from scratch. With prethe Indeed candidates are seeing vious success hiring for the other the Shiftgig post, and then they go locations using a particular online to Shiftgig and they create profiles staffing company, they immediateto apply for the jobs.” ly returned to the site to seek out Needless to say, Callanta was the next Barleycorn manager. hired at John Barleycorn as a “There was an ad on Craigslist manager thanks to his lightenthat said you had to apply through ing-quick interaction on Shiftgig Shiftgig.com, and I’d never heard (“They called around 11am, I was of it before,” explains TJ Callanta, in there by 3 pm, and I was offered manager at John Barleycorn River the job pretty much on the spot,” North. “So I went on, built a profile, he says). Almost immediately upon and filled a few things out, but taking the reigns, he turned to the I submitted it too quickly; they site that had brought him there, had nothing but my name and and began hiring staff for the new contact information when I hit the Barleycorn using Shiftgig. send button too soon. But while “This was the first time I I was filling out the rest of the had ever heard of Shiftgig, the profile page, I received a call from first time I’d ever used it,” says one of the general managers at Callanta, who had worked in the Barleycorn who scheduled me to industry for some six years prior. come in for an interview. This was, “Normally I would just go through at most, five minutes after I’d sent Craigslist or ChicagoReader.com my Shiftgig application in.” or word-of-mouth—which being For bar and restaurant owners, in the industry for a while is Shiftgig.com is an easy way to hire actually one of the most reliable staff. The site has the largest numchannels. But this was my first ber of service industry job canditime using Shiftgig and, to be dates in a given area, all in one honest, it was the most effective. place, and applicants create and Thanks in large part to shiftgig, You can really present yourself post thorough personal profiles of the new john Barleycorn location pretty well on there.” themselves for employers to see. went from an empty bar room to Callanta cites the personal “What makes Shiftgig different is a well staffed watering hole. profiles built by job-seeking canwhen an owner posts a job, they didates as not only a great way will instantly see candidates who
www.barbizmag.com
February 2013 Bar Business Magazine
39