Dear Alex
I run a bar in Manchester and it’s going OK. The whole industry is struggling a little and to be honest we’re doing a lot better than most, but we know we can do more and win over more customers
One way we know we can improve on is social media and I’ve had a few bar managers over the past few years who have said they can handle the social media and yet it never really gets done
I’ve got a few job interviews coming up in 6 weeks and I want to make sure I pick the right bar manager this time in terms of my social media
What advice would you give?
Anon
I’m going to be honest with you
I think you need to decide if you want the best bar manager or the best social media manager as I don’t think you’ll get a person who is both
Take a look at me – I’m sh*t hot at social media, but in terms of managing a bar I wouldn’t know where to start and your bar would go bust within a month if you asked me to do the day to day management of your bar
The reverse is true – if you have the best bar manager then they won’t necessarily be the best social media manager or they’d be running a social media business like myself instead of working really late nights and having no weekends free
So in terms of who you should hire – hire the best bar manager and realise you can always train up that bar manager on social media
Next you have to realise that every single bar manager you interview if you ask the questions “Could you help with social media?” or “Are you any good at social media?” are going to claim they’re good at it. I know from our local bar scene most of the managers / bar staff have worked in 4 or 5 bars so they need the job and their rent depends on it so they’ll say anything they need to, to get the job
Here are a few questions you can ask about their social media usage in the interview process if they say they can handle social media for you?
Q: What skill sets do you think you need to manage a bars social media?
Q: What do you consider to be successful social media marketing for a bar?
Q: How many bars social media have you managed before and can you tell me how your social media marketing improved the bottom line / profits of the business?
Q: Which local bars do you think have good social media and why?
Q: We’re expecting with your management that the bar will be busy – how will you manage to be consistent with social media when we get busy?
Q: What do we do with our social media when it’s your day off or you’re on holiday?
Q: Take a look at our social media – what do we do well or not so well on our social media to date?
Q: We’re looking to attract more ____________ people – what platform do you think we could use for this and how?
Q: Have you ever had to manage a social media / PR crisis? And if so how did you handle it? If not how would you handle it?
Q: What will you report to us each week / month about our social media so I know what’s going on?
If the prospective bar manager truly knows social media they’ll answer these questions without hesitation and with absolute confidence
If they look blank then as I said – acknowledge the reality – and if they’re the best bar manager for the job take them on (and train them up on social media so you have the best of both worlds)
Alex
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