6 Tips for Recruiting Employees for Your Hotel

The hospitality industry has faced immeasurable changes in the last year. Fortunately, hotels are beginning to see regrowth. However, with this opportunity comes challenges, as many displaced hospitality workers have moved on to other fields.

Though the hospitality workforce and candidates expect continued changes and challenges in the future, there are several factors that influence what keeps them at a property and what might drive them to look for something else.

To build your staffing strategy, start with some goals. Determine what areas you need to focus on most—recruitment, retention, or rehiring. Your emphasis and focus will likely shift as the economy and travel continue to rebound.  

Optimize Job Postings 

Candidates in the market today don’t just want to see job requirements. They want to know what benefits they will receive and that the culture is healthy and their work environment will be safe.

Some top factors job seekers look for in listings are:

• Salaries
• Benefits
• Location (their commute time)
• Advancement opportunities
• Skill and career development
• Flexible work environment
• Employee reviews (ask current employees to review online!)

Desirable benefits and perks are top factors that make a job seeker more likely to apply. Healthcare benefits will be expected and are more important than ever. Make sure you’re highlighting benefits in job postings.

Referrals

Your current employee population is a portal to optimal candidates. Your staff knows the job and workplace better than anyone. Create a referral program and recruit your best employees to participate. Set a goal—such as 50% of new hires to be recruited from employee referrals—and reward staff when that goal is met. You can also offer an incentive for effective employee referrals, such as a gift card for both the referring staff member and the new hire. Many employees will be happy to refer because they’ll see working with their friends as a benefit.

Social Media

Starting a social media campaign to show what it’s like to work at the hotel using current employees is a good way to display the culture and fun aspects of the workplace. Many companies are using social media as a recruitment tool—if you aren’t, you’ll be left behind. Social media is also a great tool to foster employee engagement, a sense of community, and loyalty. People are often more attached to the people they work with than the company.

Diversity and Inclusion 

It’s critically important to communicate your diversity and inclusion practices in recruitment efforts and employment branding. A survey by Hcareers.com found that 3 out of 4 people won’t work for a company that doesn’t show diversity and inclusion efforts. Make sure you are featuring training, mentorship, and advancement programs for underrepresented groups.

Training and Recognition 

Establish a strong training program and review employee performance regularly. Keep employees motivated with continual training. If you’re not offering opportunities to refresh and upgrade skills and other hotels are, your employees may look to find something new.

Reward entrepreneurial and innovative attitudes with projects and opportunities for independence. Look at those employees with potential for bigger roles and let them know early of the prospects they have. Make bonus incentives available to all employees, even entry-level. This is an additional perk you can list in job postings and use to boost the volume of applicants.

Transparency and Communication

It’s so important to have a clear vision for the results and expectations of the company. It’s vital for not only the management, but all the hotel staff to understand the impact of those results. Everyone needs to know what knowledge, skills, and abilities are needed to achieve the results that are expected.

Communication will be key to rehiring and retention program effectiveness. Make sure you have the tools for communication and use them to reinforce opportunities and business expectations. If you are a single property, utilize individual email programs or individual and group texting. Additionally, make sure you highlight safety within the work environment and be upfront about what accommodations you can make.

For tips on hotel housekeeping safety, check out this blog.

As with most service businesses, there is a direct correlation between a hotel’s staff and the success of the business, making it critical to recruit and retain top talent. Hiring the right people and keeping them is enough of a challenge, and turnover equals high costs and a lot of time and energy. It’s important for hotel ownership and management to understand that talent is not a commodity, it’s an investment.

For more hotel-related blogs, check out The Focus!