I’m a sucker for a good donut. A cake donut with chocolate frosting and sprinkles brings out the kid in me and a huge smile on my face. Donuts have come a long way since I was a kid. There are way more options than just cake or glazed and chocolate or vanilla. And while French Crullers, Boston Creme and Bear Claws have been around a long time they pale in comparison to the options now. Now you can find donuts in a wide variety of flavors, topped with crazy candy and cereal pieces, and infused with savory elements like bacon, cheese and even foie gras. This doesn’t even account for the cronut craze that took the nation by storm a few years ago.

Some people like to choose their donuts, some prefer to order the bakers’ choice of certain number in a bag or a box. The surprise of reaching in and seeing what you get can provide anticipation and a level of excitement for those that enjoy a little more spontaneity in their lives. I’ve found that while this approach might work for donuts, it does not work for hiring people.

Finding people continues to be the number one challenge for those of us in the hospitality industry. Despite all of the headlines about layoffs in the tech and finance world, unemployment is at a 53 year low and continues to be driven by the mass hiring taking place in restaurants, hotels, breweries, venues and event based companies. This has left a lot of companies resorting to the “mixed bag of donuts” approach to hiring.

Where’s the Easy Button?
Asking for the baker’s choice is quick and efficient and allows you to get in and out of the donut shop and on to your day. Many companies look at hiring the same way by asking; How can we do this as quickly as possible to get someone in here to fill the position that is vacant so that we can get back to doing what we do best? Hiring the right people takes time, though, and requires companies to be willing to wait for the right person. A thorough hiring process may require current team members to pick up the slack for a longer period of time but it will pay off in the long run when you aren’t having to replace the people that didn’t work out.

Give Me What You Got
Sure a donut is a donut, but we all have our preferences. If you’ve ever brought in a dozen or two donuts for your team, there are bound to be a couple lonely ones that last until the end of the day. Why leave hiring up to chance by bringing in anyone who can fog a mirror? Sure you may find a couple of rockstars with a mass hiring approach, but you will also get a couple of duds that weren’t anyone’s “first choice”. They will stick out like a sore thumb over time and most likely cause some unnecessary headaches for you and your team. The right job fit is one of the most critical factors in employee satisfaction and fulfillment. Be specific about what you want when hiring. Someone with some flair and creativity might be perfect for certain positions while someone who is straight forward and enjoys following processes might be better for other positions.

Hiring is hard and hiring the right people is even harder. But what causes organizations the most pain is bringing the wrong people into their companies. It takes a tremendous toll on culture and usually creates an exodus of top talent, making the problem even worse. If you like reaching into a mixed bag of donuts in the morning, that’s awesome, just make sure you don’t let that carry over to your hiring process.