Experience is a consumers bottom line. Did the housekeeping staff forget to make up the room? Not good, but if the situation is handled with care, humility, and generosity the guest will remember being treated well, rather than dwell on their unmade room. The ultimate success of a hotel lies not in its fabulous location, recent remodel, or even it’s level of luxury. The success of a hotel lies in the hands of its reigning team. The team running the hotel can make or break its success, which is why it’s crucial to attract the most talented individuals during hospitality recruiting.
Consider recruitment just as important as an investment as marketing, rebranding, and remodeling. In fact, all three of those actions will be rendered useless if you don’t have an all star team on the front lines of your hotel. Not only will your improved recruitment efforts yield you a sizeable ROI, but those same efforts are likely to increase ROI in all arenas. Just as an injury to one part of the body can have drastic negative effects on other areas, a less-than-good team member will have the same affect on your hotel – this idea works in reverse as well.
2016 has arrived and if you’re in need of top talent, break out the recruitment guns and get to work. The NFL spends enormous amounts of money, time, and effort on recruitment – take a leaf out of their book and do the same.
Tips for Being the BEST In Hospitality Recruiting
Your Recruitment Image Should Be as Good as Your Marketing Image
Potential customers check you out online, read reviews, and maybe even call and ask questions. Each of those actions builds up your image and portrays a certain vibe. Potential applicants will execute similar strategies in hopes to get a feel of your workplace vibe. Develop a strong employer brand, position yourself as an employer of choice. The talent you need and are looking for, will overlook you if your employer brand doesn’t appeal to them.
Make Peace With Technology
Alright, it’s 2016 and you’ve either long since became friends with social media, or you’re still dragging your feet. Pick your feet up and get your head in the game. Social media is 100% your best friend when it comes to recruiting. You can look up your candidates online – Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, check them out and get a preliminary idea of who they are, and what they bring to the table. Young folks are even using social media to look for jobs. What do you call it when two people look for the same thing in the same place? A match made in heaven.
Always Keep Your Options Open
With hospitality recruiting, green candidates can be trained. You can take an entry level, still-in-college student and train them from the get-go. You can home-grow your very own stellar team. Or, perhaps a certain someone may have caught your eye due to their excellent new customer service strategies, unfortunately they work for your competitor. Not to worry, you can bide your time and scoop them up when trouble is brewing, or develop an enticing offer to make them change gears. The NFL is famous for its fierce methods of stealing one another’s players, it the NFL does it, you can too.
You Will Attract What You Expect
If you expect creative, team-oriented, innovative candidates, then it’ll help if you already offer that environment. Top talent in particular will know how to look for a hotel that offers fantastic company culture, fun perks, and tight-knit team. Meanwhile, if you expect the absolute best in your team, and future team players, then that is what you’re going to attract. Like attracts like. If you don’t like what you already have, then you better make some changes until you do.
It’s well known in the hospitality industry that come January and February, there are more than a few star players on the loose and ready to be scooped up. Bonuses were given out in December, and after which unhappy campers abandoned ship. This is the time to work on your hospitality recruiting strategies, develop your employer brand, and learn how to use social media for talent search. 2016 can be your year to knock recruitment out of the park, and build your strongest team yet!
Don’t be afraid to ask for help! You’re probably slammed with promotions, events, and everything else that comes with the onset of the new year. HMG Hospitality has the expertise and experience to aid you in amping up your hospitality recruiting game. Contact us to get started today.
Young Yoon is the Corporate Director of Development, and is responsible for overall development of HMG Hospitality. He has more than 12 years of experience in the hospitality industry, including hotel and restaurant operations and corporate and brand management. Most notably, he managed operations for Sheraton, Warwick International Hotels, and NYLO Hotels, and as a part of the corporate office of InterContinental Hotels Group, he oversaw a portfolio of 63 hotels under six brands focusing on the Greater Los Angeles and Las Vegas regions. He studied at the Ceasar Ritz College in Brig Switzerland, an institution that specializes in hotel and restaurant management. While at Brig, he was a member of Eurochrie, an international organization supporting education and training for the hospitality industry.
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