3 Biggest Things to Consider when Recruiting for the Hospitality Industry

Success in the hospitality industry relies heavily on the strengths of staffing. As a customer focussed industry, positive growth comes predominantly from consumer awareness and support, and you can only get this when the best possible people are leading your business. So it’s clear that getting the best possible hires should be key to your progression… Competition for the highest skilled managers and employees in the hospitality industry is fierce. Therefore, if hiring is down to you, you should be prepared to compete. If you want to succeed in making significant hires that make a difference to your business you can’t allow yourself to cut corners. According to Visa’s Consumer Spending index, last December hotels, pubs and restaurants helped lead the way in consumer spending growth. Spend rose by 8.1 percent compared to the previous month, equating to an almost 6 percent rise above the average 2.3 percent growth measured across all sectors. This growth has helped put businesses in good stead for 2016 – and recruitment should be a major consideration to help bolster evolution into the new year. At eRecruitSmart we are well aware of the competitive nature of many industries, including hospitality. We have had the pleasure of working alongside some influential and big names in the hospitality industry, including Michelin starred restaurants and establishments that have been awarded Rosettes. Therefore, we understand how to get the most out of hospitality recruitment. Here are our 3 biggest things to consider when recruiting for the Hospitality industry…

1. Stop underestimating the importance of low-level, part-time employees Many companies in the hospitality industry overlook the importance of hiring for hourly, low-level roles. In many cases it is these positions, such as hosts, that have the largest impact on the sort of first impressions your business has on it’s customers. Therefore, you need to ensure that they share your company’s standards and values. For that reason alone, it’s important to ensure that your screening for new hires isn’t substandard. While recruitment budgets can be understandably low for these roles, the time and energy invested in ensuring that they are filled by the best possible personnel certainly shouldn’t be. 2. Quality and length of time matters when it comes to work experience Don’t allow yourself to be misdirected by a candidate’s work experience. Many roles within the industry operate in much the same way from business to business, so it’s clear that for certain positions work experience should be a key consideration. Remember that CVs that list a variety of short-term roles don’t necessarily represent skillful experience, whereas you are much more likely to witness a shorter learning curve with a candidate who has less variety but has been in the relevant position for a longer period of time. Time to hire is an important metric for hospitality, but this needs to be measured against quality of hire to get the best possible result. 3. Always consider future prospects for your hires The best recruiters look not only at a candidate’s experience and qualifications but also their potential. What possible positive impact could a particular person have on your business, not just right now but also in the future? The possibility of internal mobility is a big draw for candidates. By not shying away from it you put yourself in good stead to garner a substantial database of high-quality candidates. Do you know for sure that your job postings are getting to the best possible candidates? Because of the sheer pace of the industry, it’s understandable that it can be difficult to get the time to ensure your jobs are being seen by the right people. We’ve helped a wide selection of businesses in the Hospitality and Catering Industry maximise their hiring potential and do just that – check out some of our testimonials from previous clients here. eRecruitSmart provide tailored recruitment consultancy services that work alongside and complement your own strategies. Get in touch to see how we could help you.