The fog-the-mirror hiring approaching is fading in the restaurant industry. Operators are being much more selective and not just picking any candidate who breathes.

        Hiring managers are putting applicants through math tests, personality quizzes and a pages-long application. So you might wonder, why bother to apply where it’s difficult to get a job?

        One reason is the theory that by undergoing a rigorous application process, you might be more likely to find a job that matches your personality, goals and work style.

        “We purposely use this as the beginning of a screening process,” says Thom Crosby, president and chief executive of Pal’s Sudden Service, based in Kingsport, Tenn. “A company is people, and the better the employee base, the better organization you’ve got.”

        Job seekers who don’t want to answer the questions on the lengthy application would probably not want to work there.

        “People that are really interested can continue with the process,” he says. “The application gives us a graphical picture of how likely this person is to be happy inside of Pal’s.”

        The test looks at personality traits and asks questions such as whether you are comfortable in a room full of strangers, whether you would give back a found suitcase full of money, and other questions. Crosby says there are no right or wrong answers for these questions. Instead, the process measures how well the applicant’s responses match the answers of people who work for Pal’s and are succeeding in their jobs.

        “The people who say, I just don’t want to do this, they are the ones that don’t want to take our training process seriously,” he says.

        The applicant’s replies also help the interviewer come up with interview questions. So don’t try to answer the personality questions in a way that makes you look good, Crosby says. Just answer them honestly.

        There are also sections on math, reading and language skills, because the 21-unit chain wants to make sure crew members can handle cash register issues, talk to customers and perform other tasks.

        Crosby says applicants probably can’t really prepare for the tests, especially the personality measures. The only thing to do is take a personal assessment of what you are looking for in a job and position yourself as a person the company should hire.

        “They need to make sure their attitude and all their behaviors give off the message: ‘I want to work here, and I am a good-quality person and you should hire me,’” he says. “You analyze who you are, and you start practicing being a success today, so you can come into the interview with practice.”

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