Key Recruiting Strategies for the Hospitality Industry

A hotel’s staff directly correlates to that facility’s success. Hotel staff members have a major impact on a guest’s stay, for better or for worse. To ensure that your customers are anxious to return for another visit soon, keep the focus on hiring the very best that your industry has to offer. Here’s how you can recruit top talent in hospitality:

Write out a job description

This helps you to understand where your priorities lie in terms of skills and abilities that a potential candidate must have. Once you figure out what’s most important, you can go through the interview process with a clearer picture of who and what you’re looking for. A job description is also helpful for a candidate, as it allows them to learn exactly what the role would include should they receive an offer.

Focus on both internal and external recruiting

Divide your time equally between internal recruiting efforts and spreading your message to outside candidates. Both types of recruiting have value, but many businesses inadvertently end up focusing too much attention on one over the other. If you have an employee working the front desk who appears to have potential to fill another role, start talking to them about these opportunities early. Let them know what the other position would look like, and find out whether they have the drive to handle this new job.

However, if you’re out at an event and meet someone who you think would be perfect for your team, exchange contact information and stay in touch. Even if they’re not currently working in hospitality, you may find that they’re your next great hire. It’s easy to teach someone how to use a particular computer program or tool. It’s much harder to teach them customer service abilities. If you think they’d represent your hotel well, contact them when an opening pops up.

Don’t forget about background checks

Background checks are especially important in the hospitality industry, as your staff will have access to guests’ personal possessions and information. As swamped as you may be during the hiring process, never neglect this key step.

You’ll also want to make sure that your hotel has a strong training program in place. Everyone who works in your facility, regardless of their duty, should know what’s expected of them. They should understand how guests should be treated, how they should handle a dissatisfied customer, and who to talk to if they have concerns.

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