A Top-Notch Dishwasher Job Description

Hiring new employees as a small business owner comes with a lot of responsibility that goes beyond simply interviewing and selecting a candidate. Having a thorough understanding of the role you’re hiring for, knowing the specific attributes you expect in a candidate before you start, and establishing a well-thought-out framework for your hiring process are just as important. This will both connect you to your most ideal candidates and paint clear expectations for job seekers.

Creating a hiring process that is seamless for both you and your potential candidates requires planning ahead, asking thoughtful and detailed questions, and having open and transparent communication. You want potential candidates to fully understand the position requirements as well as be enthusiastic about the role. In this guide, we’ll coach you through the ins-and-outs of hiring for a dishwasher role, the duties and responsibilities of the position, and how to refine your hiring process.

Dishwasher job description: understanding the role of a dishwasher.

A dishwasher, sometimes referred to as a kitchen helper, is a behind-the-scenes restaurant position that involves ensuring the cleanliness of the dining area and the kitchen. The role of dishwasher goes far beyond that though—the right candidate is someone who can be a team player, take on additional tasks to help other staff members keep up with restaurant demand, and keep equipment and the space in safe and good condition. An excellent dishwasher will also be able to keep up with a fast-paced environment and prioritize tasks in a busy setting. This helps the entire team function like a well-oiled machine and create a welcoming environment for customers.

The ideal dishwasher employee likely also has aspirations within the food and beverage industry as a whole. A dishwasher may be an entry-level position requiring minimal experience, but it is also a perfect gateway into moving up the ladder in a culinary environment. Working in a kitchen can teach them important aspects of food safety, preparing cook stations, and delivering exceptional customer service, setting them up for growth and development in your business.

Being a dishwasher can sometimes be a demanding and laborious job, so it’s also important to look for a candidate who will bring positive and uplifting energy to the workplace and be able to maintain good spirits even in high-stress situations. Dishwashers may not often interact face-to-face with customers, but fostering an uplifting and lively environment with the team behind the scenes is just as important!

What to think about when hiring.

Now that you’ve identified the attributes of a perfect candidate for your dishwasher position, you can dig into the key components of the hiring process. Every candidate you consider for an open role will be different based on their unique personality, experience, culture, and background. When growing your team, you want to consider all of these aspects and how they both fit into and add to your overall company culture and team dynamic.

When hiring, you should not only prioritize the skills and knowledge a candidate can bring to the table, but also their character and work ethic, the ability to create a connection with your team, and all the talents they bring to the table even outside of the required skill set. Some recruiters call this “The 3 C’s of Hiring: Character, Chemistry, and Competence”.

If you’re thinking about hiring and growing your team, there are several different things to consider before jumping in.

1. Hiring takes time

Many people, especially small business owners hiring for the first time, often think that hiring will be a quick and easy process. Find a candidate, hire them on the spot, and they’ll hit the ground running. But this simply isn’t the case most of the time. You’ll need to sift through dozens of applications, resumes, and references—or on the flip side, you might struggle to find good candidates if you’re not looking in the right places. And even when you do find a handful of ideal candidates with the right qualifications, you’ll need to schedule and conduct interviews, do a thoughtful assessment of your options, and ultimately make a decision (which might sound easier than it is).

Hiring and onboarding also go hand-in-hand, which adds to the time it takes to get a new employee equipped with the training and resources they need to take on responsibilities and do their job effectively. It could take anywhere from weeks to months from the point of looking for candidates to getting them up and running.

But this is not a negative thing—the reason hiring takes time is because you need that window to ensure you’re making the best decision for your company, and for the employee! To take some stress off your shoulders during that time, there are many useful automated tools that can help you hire and onboard employees easily and manage everything in one place. This includes posting jobs to online job boards, tracking applicants, and scheduling interviews.

2. Plan for recruitment and onboarding

Hiring employees also adds some new responsibilities to your role. The first is recruitment. As nice as it would be, you can’t simply post a job online and wait for the applications to come rolling in. Instead, you have to look at recruiting job seekers somewhat like a sales role. You are essentially selling your business, your values, and your open positions to job seekers in the market. Why should they work for you? As much as you want them to be a great fit for your company, they also want your company to be a great fit for them.

You also need to consider what it takes to onboard a new employee. Do you have another experienced employee already that will be able to take on training, or will you need to spend the time training them yourself? Do you have all the necessary forms and documentation ready for your new hire on their first day, like welcome packets, employee handbooks, and tax forms? These are all things to have prepared in advance before you start the hiring process. You can also use app-based tools to help you accomplish these tasks automatically and securely.

3. Locate the right places to find job candidates

There are endless avenues for finding candidates in today’s job market, and endless job seekers on the hunt at any given time. However, some of these avenues will be best suited to an open dishwasher position while others might not. It may take some trial and error to determine which sites or other mediums work best for hiring for a dishwasher role, but some options include LinkedIn, Indeed, Glassdoor, ZipRecruiter, and Google for Jobs. If you have the means, you could even work with a recruiter to help you find the right candidates.

Questions to ask in an interview.

The interview process is all about learning your candidates strengths, skill sets, interpersonal skills, problem-solving abilities, and communication. Dishwashers not only need to be able to accomplish the tasks of their role, but be able to interact effectively with their team members. There are several different categories of questions you can ask to get a good understanding of the candidate in front of you.

Background and personality

Tell us a bit about yourself, interests, background, and what led you to work in this industry?
How would your friends and coworkers describe you as a person?
What is something you’ve achieved in your life that you’re really proud of?
What’s one fact about you that isn’t on your LinkedIn profile/resume?

Prior experience

Tell us about your work background and how it applies here.
What was your primary contribution at your most recent job?
Was there an experience where you faced a big challenge, and how did you overcome it?
What was the most interesting project you worked on?

About your business and the role

What drew you to working with our business?
What areas of expertise or skills do you have that make you the right candidate for this position?
What would you say is your strongest attribute as an employee?
How do you prioritize tasks and manage your time during busy shifts?

Long-term goals and aspirations

What are your career path interests?
What are your long-term professional and personal goals?
How does working at this company fit in with your long-term goals?
How do you see this dishwasher position contributing to your career growth?

Dishwasher duties and responsibilities: job description template.

Outside of being personable, enthusiastic, organized, and efficient, a dishwasher must be able to meet the following skill-based responsibilities to be a great match for this position.

Punctual and can manage time efficiently
Can multitask in a fast-paced environment
Can safely and thoroughly clean surface areas, appliances, dishes, and cutlery
Able to respond to emergency situations to protect themselves or others
Able to restock inventory, dining areas, and cook stations
Adhere to all food safety regulations and procedures
Support other restaurant staff members as needed
Follow protocols to maintain a hygienic workspace and ensure compliance with health and safety regulations

How Homebase helps you manage your hiring.

Hiring a new employee can be overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be. Free hiring and onboarding tools like Homebase provide you with an all-in-one platform that takes the hassle out of hiring. You can post jobs for free to top online job boards, promote your job with paid boosts, screen candidates, message applicants and schedule interviews, and even automate the new hire paperwork process. Sounds easy, right? (It is!)

While you focus on refining your job descriptions, hiring strategy, and expectations for a new hire, let Homebase do the rest. Give Homebase a try for free today!