It’s common for the focus of recruiting to be solely on openings and staffing up for the hotel’s busy season. Depending on where you are based, it could be summer break, ski season, a conference or local event, to name a few. This approach misses potential staff underperformance, sudden walkouts, and the simple idea of keeping an eye out for available top talent. Even just one beloved employee leaving the property can lead to a mass exodus. This can mean guests have long waits or don’t get what they asked for due to being understaffed or in the training process.Ê
A hotel’s recruiting team, internal or outsourced, should always split its focus between openings, busy season and building a strong pipeline.Ê
Here are a few rules to live by for any recruiter, GM, or anyone else in charge of finding talent:
Never stop networking
Conferences and networking events are the easiest place to find potential talent. Individuals are open to chatting and selling their product, and those who excel. They are great at pitching their product, and personable peopleÊcan beÊindividuals to keep in mind. While they may not be able to discuss potential opportunities then and there, as the boss may be around, they may be open to it when they get back to their day to day. Get their card, or more likely, their LinkedIn profile, and make sure to contact them. You may even be able to connect with them later that day or before they leave the conference.Ê
Website/ATS
All property and company websites should have a career page attached to an applicant tracking system (ATS). This will assure you that no candidates will be lost. Plus it gives you the ability to search for a skill set and location. You’ll be able to track the candidates’ process through calls, interviews and ultimately to offer. At the very least there should be an email for a recruiter or GM that will review each resume. Always make sure there is a dedicated person assigned to reviewing resumes to avoid the black hole of email. Large and small organizations have made and continue to make this mistake. The inbox for resumes sits full or the ATS is never checked. For recruiters or leaders, the best thing to do when joining an organization is to first look and see if this kind of email inbox exists and if it does, review the resumes. If your organization uses an ATS, look up older jobs. These are candidates that already know your organization and can be viewed as a warm lead. This untapped resource can speed up the search process, reduce administrative and personnel costs and alleviate compliance concerns.Ê
Social media
Social media is an easy way to connect with a large pool of potential candidates and it can provide transparency. Recruiters and managers now have the ability to reach more diverse candidates and are able to gain a better understanding of candidates. Social media can also provide employers with access to movers and shakers or thought leaders. They might be your next great hire or point you towards a colleague.Ê
For years there was a stigma among potential candidates having to do with becoming ÒconnectedÓ with a recruiter on sites like LinkedIn. Individuals had to ask Òdoes this mean my boss will think I’m looking for a job?Ó While it isn’t 100 per cent gone, far more leaders understand that connecting with recruiters can be about the candidate keeping his or her eyes open, or maybe even for rolls for a friend. It doesn’t necessarily mean that they’re on the way out. As such, recruiters in the hotel industry should feel comfortable trying to connect with candidates that could add value.Ê
Keep an eye out
Recruiting for hospitality talent when out at a hotel or restaurant makes sense, but talent can be found everywhere. The ability to learn and be personable are really unique. If out at a gourmet grocery store or at your local bank, or wherever and you get great service, think about your openings. There could be a match there. Quite often we focus on the perfect fit without the understanding that sometimes the perfect fit may not be what we imagine. When out on your daily or faraway travels, keep an eye out for talent.
Recruiters and hotel leaders today may be missing an opportunity to ease transitions, and have a pipeline of talent available when it is needed. To fix this issue, we need to move on from solely focusing on openings and make it a standard to always be interviewing. The focus on talent will help produce a highly productive, scalable team.
By Zoe Connolly
Zoe ConnollyÊis Hospitality Spotlight’s founder. For more than a decade, she’s pioneered innovative and proactive recruiting efforts, connecting the best talent with the best companies, across all levels of organizations. In her career, Zoe has worked with a variety of companies, from start-ups to Fortune 500 firms. While her focus early in her career was in technology and linguistics, her passion for the travel industry lead her to Hospitality Spotlight.ÊHaving recruited at all levels and for different industries, Zoe has learned to focus on the human connection and their passion for what they do. The search process is just as much about theÊcandidate as it is about the employer. If a candidate and a client have made a connection, this will fuel and drive their passion for their everyday functions. This connection places an unconscious goal for the new employee to meet, the goal to make their employer happy. In turn the employer will also work harder for the employee. This connection turns a job into a career and co-workers into an extension of friends/family.
