Building a high-performing team in the hospitality industry starts with a strong recruitment strategy. The right approach streamlines hiring and helps the company thrive. Implementing effective hospitality recruitment strategies can help you stand out as a top-tier employer. Whether you’re hiring for front-line staff, management, or specialized roles, these strategies will empower your business to make smarter, more informed hiring decisions.
1. Define Your Ideal Candidate Profile
Analyzing historical data from high-quality hires is one of the best strategies to attract top hospitality talent during upcoming recruitment campaigns. What soft skills and past job experience should the ideal candidate for each of your company’s roles have in their repertoire? Note in the job description if the candidate should have a specific college degree or any related education that can make them stand out more during the screening process.
2. Implement An Employee Referral Program
Employee referral programs are statistically more successful with onboarding higher-quality new hires than onboarding via traditional methods. This is one of the top hospitality recruitment strategies that can get the ball rolling on enhancing candidate quality and increasing employee retention.
Studies show that candidates hired through an employee referral program have 46% average retention. Compare this to the 33% retention rate of employees hired through career sites. These statistics showcase how the power of employees knowing the most about people in their personal and professional networks can contribute to better technical and cultural fit when recommending potential hires for a vacancy.
3. Optimize Job Postings
Do more than just optimize job postings with Search Engine Optimization (SEO). While integrating popular keywords related to the vacancy is important for attracting more talent to apply, the job description’s overall presentation matters, too.
- Integrate bullet points throughout the description for job seekers to scan through.
- Keep paragraphs to no more than 3-4 lines long so candidates are more likely to read the entire description.
- Use clear, engaging language to attract the most talented hospitality professionals.
4. Post Job Openings on Social Media
Consider posting job openings on social media as one of your company’s hospitality staffing solutions. Enhancing your candidate sourcing methods by taking to social media can attract potential new hires more quickly because social media platforms allow you to reach a larger and more diverse audience. Sharing job postings across multiple networks increases visibility and engagement, especially when employees and followers share the listings.
5. Offer Competitive Compensation and Benefits
Hospitality recruitment should also involve offering competitive compensation and benefits. Ensure that all roles include at least the industry average wages based on the state or country-based average showcased through the Occupational Outlook Handbook from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Full-time positions should offer health insurance to remain in legal compliance with state and federal employment laws. Part-time workers can have benefits such as an employee discount, if applicable, flexible scheduling, and professional training and development opportunities.
6. Implement a Strong Employer Brand Strategy
Showcasing the company’s mission and vision will enhance the cultural fit for new hires. Integrate employee success stories in job posts and the career page so candidates can learn about the company’s workplace culture. The more transparent a company is about its work environment, the better matched upcoming employees will be to their new roles while building a strong employer brand.
7. Institute Expedited Hiring
Don’t be caught understaffed during peak shifts. Institute expedited hiring to get operational efficiency back on track!
Turn a slow hiring process into an expedited one by:
- Offering same-day or next-day interviews for qualified candidates.
- Have mobile-friendly navigation to encourage more candidates to apply.
- Continuously engaging with candidates and keeping them informed throughout the recruitment stages.
8. Leverage AI and Technology for Streamlined Hiring
Utilizing AI-driven recruitment tools is one of the most effective hospitality recruitment strategies as they reduce unconscious bias while enhancing a more diversified and inclusive workforce.
Cadient’s applicant tracking system (ATS) can streamline hiring by:
- Automatically conduct resume parsing to find qualified candidates.
- Implement candidate self-scheduling based on the recruitment team’s pre-set available times.
- Predict candidate success based on hiring data.
9. Provide Continuous Training and Development
Helping employees to grow in their current roles with the possibility of internal promotion makes them feel valued. They won’t feel as if they are stuck doing the same boring tasks daily because they are always learning something new with continuous training and development initiatives.
Improve the hospitality recruitment process by showcasing the training and development opportunities available to candidates in job descriptions. New hires will adapt quickly to their new roles while enhancing their customer service skills to encourage higher-quality guest experiences.
10. Provide a Positive Candidate Experience
A top-tier candidate experience refines employer branding and contributes to higher retention rates. Keeping applications simple and user-friendly can reduce candidate drop-off rates and increase application submissions.
It’s important to provide timely feedback to candidates, even if they aren’t selected. Offering a warm and welcoming interview experience will be the difference between whether these candidates talk about your company to their personal or professional network when discussing career development opportunities.
