Hiring and talent sourcing have always been a challenge for the hospitality industry. Now, recruiting the right candidates at the volume and pace needed to keep up with recovery and growth demands brought on by the pandemic is proving to be extremely challenging.

With 2021 behind us and the pandemic still lingering, the hospitality industry has been forced to get creative and rethink hiring strategies based on its evolving operational needs as well as how to retain top talent. Now that Culinary Agents is in our 9th year as a business and we’ve been in the same Covid-19 trenches for nearly two years, we are sharing key takeaways and tips in the hopes of helping restaurants hire better and get back to doing what you really love.

What are the current hiring challenges the hospitality industry is facing?

  • Today’s market is highly competitive when it comes to attracting and retaining the best talent. Due to recovery and growth efforts on the heels of the pandemic, businesses are looking to fill multiple positions simultaneously and at a higher volume and pace. Historically, turnover and seasonality created a somewhat predictable hiring cadence which businesses anticipated and prepared for.

  • Hospitality’s extended road to recovery has resulted in seasoned professionals either temporarily or permanently leaving the industry to leverage their skills elsewhere, further exacerbating the supply shortage at a time of high demand. For those who have stayed, shifting priorities and evolving needs have made talent more selective about which jobs to accept and which employers to work with.

  • Finding candidates with the attitude and ethos that align with employer expectations can be difficult. On the flip side, meeting the evolved expectations and requirements that job seekers have is challenging for employers. Companies who are being transparent up front tend to have more success attracting talent efficiently and effectively.

How can hospitality companies be successful when hiring?

  1. Re-think Your Total Compensation Package for Employees
    Raising pay is not enough because worker priorities and expectations have shifted and expanded. Similar to other industries, in addition to increased pay, workers are looking for total compensation, including health benefits, perks, work/life balance, growth opportunities, etc. To remain competitive, businesses are reevaluating their overall employer brand and highlighting what sets them apart from other workplaces to attract and retain top talent.

  2. Leverage Technology to Recruit Smarter and More Efficiently
    Technology which allows businesses to broadly promote their opportunities to a targeted audience and intelligent systems that match qualified candidates to jobs are efficient ways to source talent. Also, integrating job marketing and recruiting tools into HR workflows to streamline talent sourcing and recruiting efforts save restaurants time and money.

  3. Define and Refine Your Employer Brand
    Employer Branding allows businesses to showcase and promote all aspects of their brand, culture and beliefs. Sharing your employer value proposition broadly and across all channels (paid and free) may directly and indirectly attract job seekers. Having a strong culture with happy employees often encourages word of mouth and curiosity, which are beneficial in building a strong candidate pool.

What areas are commonly overlooked when hiring?

  1. Budget - Hiring is an ongoing effort that requires dedicated time and money (small or moderate), be realistic about what it will take to achieve your hiring goals.

  2. Responsiveness - There are countless opportunities for talent to consider right now, be prompt with your replies and thorough when following up.

  3. Transparency - Many roles now combine responsibilities, it is important to share these nuances in job descriptions as well as in the interview process to attract the right candidates which can also help reduce turnover.

  4. Consistency - It is important to ensure your internal team is on the same page about what your hiring goals are, what you value when it comes to your team culture and how you want your employer brand to be represented to candidates and the public at large.

Also, in case you missed it, here are some of our most recent press interviews on the state of the hospitality industry:

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If you have a career-related question about the hospitality industry, share it here and we may address it in an upcoming article.