The talent shortage has been a top concern for employers across the globe for a while now. The hospitality industry in particular struggles in recruiting qualified candidates. Now more than ever, it’s vital to utilize recruitment firms in filling searches.
With that said, even when you hire a recruitment firm, it doesn’t guarantee that you’re going to find top talent. Are you setting yourself up to attract talent? There are many factors, like location and pay, that affect the hiring process. Even when every external factor checked off and you’ve hired the perfect candidate, you can easily lose your newly-hired employee if you’re not set up for success.
If you’re struggling to fill your vacant positions, here are some things to consider:
Be Flexible
Hotels are unique in that most workers don’t fall in the typical 9-5 mold. While the industry is demanding, it’s becoming more and more important to be aware of the flexibility needed to obtain top talent. Whether that means allowing your employees to work remotely or have a flexible schedule, you’ll find that people will be more keen to work for you.
Culture, culture, culture
It’s hard to discuss the retention of top talent without mentioning culture. Researchers unanimously agree that culture is key.
It’s obvious that employees are more likely to stay in a place where they want to work. If your culture is struggling, then you might as well quit the search. You can guarantee that the person you hire won’t last. Offer good opportunities and stay open to employee suggestions. Don’t brush complaints under the rug and find what steps you need to take to resolve them. To attract people externally, you need to fix issues internally.
Know who you’re looking for, but be realistic
The truth is, top talent will always be compensated higher. If you’re stumbling through the numbers and you are not open to negotiation, you’re going to need to reevaluate your standards. Does your onboarding process require them to hit the ground running? Or are you open to a slower training process?
Prior to your candidate considering the role, they served in other roles. Figure out what’s most important. Your dream candidate may be out there, but it’s possible they’re not at the peak of their career. Brand experience, skills and attitudes are all things that need to be considered. Keep your mind open and know your values.
Find the right recruitment firm
Using a recruitment firm is almost necessary for today’s economic climate. With talent being seemingly unavailable, a recruitment firm will help you break through the clutter and find viable candidates from their network. A generalized recruitment firm may not have the right resources, but one specialized in the industry will.
Start by getting input from your current talent on what attracted them to your hotel. Use this knowledge to break any barriers in the hiring process to help the recruiter sell your hotel.
Have you identified your audience and do you understand your hotel’’s selling points? Make sure that your talent acquisition strategy attracts the right people and find a firm that ensures you are.
Have you been struggling to find quality candidates in the hospitality industry? Call JDI. Joseph David International is consistently one of the top-ranked hospitality recruiters because we work hard to find the ideal fit for both the managerial candidate and the client. For more information about hotel recruiting services please click here.