A Smarter Approach to Hiring in Hotels and Restaurants

Discover smarter hiring strategies for hotels and restaurants that improve staffing efficiency, attract quality candidates, and strengthen team performance.

Hotels and restaurants are highly reliant on teams of people to keep everything ticking over. From housekeeping to chefs, each role plays an important part in ensuring that guests and diners are satisfied and that the business continues to open its doors each day. 

For a hospitality business to grow from strength to strength, who you employ matters and impacts the service you provide. You’ll often see in customer reviews a mention of a particular waiter or reception staff member who went above and beyond their role to deliver an exceptional level of service. That’s why smart hiring could make or break your business.

If you’re looking to discover part-time hostess positions in Miami dining spots or trying to bring new full-time talent into your hotel team, a refreshed hiring approach can make all the difference. By using reliable platforms like Oyster Link and focusing on attitude as much as experience, you can build a strong, cohesive team that elevates your entire hospitality operation.

The Challenges of Hiring in Hospitality

Nothing has had more of an impact on the hospitality industry than the COVID-19 pandemic. Lockdowns and restrictions changed the way we work today. Many employees of restaurants and hotels left without work, exited the sector, and left a need for hospitality workers once normality resumed.

In addition to the challenges of recent years, the turnover rate in hotels and restaurants has always been high. Many businesses hire student workers who often move on after graduation. The nature of the work is often physically demanding, and so younger employees fare better as restaurant runners and waiting staff. As employees age, some may find that shift work is incompatible with family life. 

Seasonal peaks also push hoteliers and restaurateurs to step up their recruitment drives to accommodate extra hours over the holiday season. Then there’s the need for flexible staff to work on a casual basis to cover sickness and annual leave to consider. With all this in mind, hiring for hospitality is somewhat of an art form.

How to Employ a Smarter Approach to Hiring in Hospitality

To avoid being left high and dry by staff shortages or employees who simply don’t fit in with the rest of the team, a new hiring strategy is needed. By implementing these pointers into your recruitment of new staff, we hope you’ll be more than happy with your future hires.

Accurate Job Descriptions

How do you expect to find the perfect fit employee when the job description does not honestly reflect the role you have in mind? An inaccurate job description will result in hiring an individual who is not only ill-prepared for the work but will be disappointed with the role. 

Going into the job, they will expect one thing and may experience something entirely different. If their experience does not correlate with the job description and turns out to be a deal-breaker, you’ll lose your new employee and have to repeat the process all over again, wasting time and resources. 

Attitude vs. Skills

Of course, skills are important and shouldn’t be overlooked. However, skills can be gained, but the right attitude is harder to learn. If there is a less skilled or experienced candidate who fits into the company culture and shows willingness to be part of the team, don’t rule them out. 

You can assess which job applicants apply with the right attitude by outlining your business’s values in the job description. On the application form or in the interview, ask them how they feel they reflect these values. Alternatively, set up a few role-play scenarios to test how they’d instinctively respond and give you an idea of how well the individual would fit in.

Look for Talent in the Right Places

Widening your search for employees means that you expand your access to the creme de la creme of hospitality staff. While referrals and word-of-mouth hiring can work, you can’t solely rely on this method when you have multiple roles to fill.

Look to reputable online job platforms to quickly and efficiently fill your vacancies. Better still, post your jobs on an employment portal that deals explicitly with the hospitality industry. This will refine the type of candidates likely to apply, making shortlisting easier.

Streamline the Interview Process

Not only are candidates put off by lengthy interview stages and trial shifts, but they are also a huge drain on your resources. Instead, streamline the interview process by asking a few crucial questions as part of the application form. Once you’ve filtered out the applicants that are not suitable, you can invite the shortlisted candidates to interview

Finally, Focus on Retention

So that you are not constantly hiring and rehiring for the same job positions, invest time in retaining staff. What we mean is that once hired, employees are mentored and trained sufficiently so that they comfortably settle into the role.

As time goes on, ensure that there is a personal development plan in place for your staff, and that achievements are recognized and gaps in training are addressed. Your staff will be less likely to jump ship if they feel fulfilled and supported at work.