In Sep 2019, the US recorded its lowest unemployment rate of 3.5%. This was the lowest rate since 1969. And it comes on the back of almost a decade, 110 months of job gains. 

 

When people are employed and feel confident, they go out for drinks. They enjoy meals out and spend money on vacations. The hospitality industry has, therefore, enjoyed a boost. Demand for hospitality recruitment agencies is booming in many places in America.  Chatanooga is an example of this with a country high of 34% net employment. 

While plentiful hospitality recruitment jobs are music to the ears, what does it mean for the professional recruiter in 2020? 

 

Recruitment for hospitality – Changing tactics

In a booming economy, top candidates can be hard to find. Your previous strategy of advertising a managerial position may now be failing dismally. Top hospitality candidates don’t remain in the job market long. They have plenty of opportunities, so they can be uncommitted to your vacancy. Many problems can arise, such as candidates not going to interviews. 

 

With all top candidates employed, it’s easy to start using lesser qualified and consistent hotel staffing candidates. That in itself can bring all kinds of issues. You may find candidates leaving a position. Or being fired before you’ve collected your full fee. 

 

What used to work may now be producing poorer results. And the positions you are filling could be taking up a lot of your time with refunds, no-shows, and hotel staffing complaints. 

 

As Long As The World Economy Is Growing The Need For Talented And Capable Hospitality Teams Will Grow. 

Hospitality recruitment 2020 – Candidate focus

Recruitment for hospitality has always been client-focused, traditionally. Hotel staffing candidates were easy to find. But it was harder to secure meetings and approval to recruit with clients. With so many vacancies in a booming industry, clients will be happy to allow you and other recruiters to find a candidate. But can you find a candidate? 

 

Seek Passive hospitality recruitment candidates

It’s time to seek out passive candidates. Hospitality recruitment has not typically needed or prevailed too much on passive candidates; instead, it usually recruits from a pool of unemployed candidates. For 2020, if recruiting for restaurant managers and upwards, a talent search of employed potential could be needed. Try this tactic if an advert fails to elicit a favorable response. 

 

Finding passive hospitality candidates

The easiest way to find the best passive candidates is to call all your candidate placements from the last two years. The call should be based on a catchup basis. And to see that they are happy in their position still. These calls are some of the hottest you can make. 

 

Placed candidates trust you. They will be able to tell you if he or she or any other colleagues are looking to move. In addition to letting you know of any vacancies. In the 2020 market, if you truly have a results-busting area restaurant manager in your passive recruitment files, you can entice clients to put together an irresistible package. 

 

Placing adverts for recruitment for hospitality 

When placing adverts, you should go all out to sell the USP’s of the company you are recruiting for. Detail the company’s culture, work environment, and values. Make sure you accurately detail salary, holidays, and benefits. Even a free meal can be a game-changer for crew member and hotel staffing positions. 

 

Value your candidates

In this kind of market, there are more positions to fill than people to fill them. So you need to express how much you value your candidates. Try to build rapport and establish a relationship with skilled passive candidates. 

 

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Automate your hospitality recruitment screening process

With recruitment for hospitality booming and lots of vacancies and movement – you’ll find yourself busier than ever. Recruitment hours are long, and time management is always an issue. Software powered by AI can now take a huge burden off the busy hotel staffing recruiter. Imagine never having to screen another candidate. 

How much time could you save in an average week? Voice-controlled AI can take the necessary details of job applicants. The AI will ask a set of bespoke interview questions for every position you have. The software will do the initial job of greeting and recording basic information such as name, email address, and phone number. It can then quickly categorize your hospitality applicants into relevant and irrelevant candidates. You are then able to access and contact only suitable candidates.