The hospitality industry took a major hit after the harrowing effects of the pandemic, and since then, the industry as a whole has been trying to recover, with restaurants and hotels struggling to find labor and providing limited services.
This is why people in the hospitality sector are in the recovery phase, trying to get back on track by evolving their recruitment strategies, changing their pay rate, and shifting the way their establishment operates.
According to research reports, the hospitality industry currently employs around 15.11 million people in the US. If you work in the hospitality industry, it’s best to stay on top of things and restructure and realign your recruitment strategies to hire and keep highly qualified professionals who will help you scale your business effectively.
Let’s take a deeper look at all the new hospitality recruitment trends and how you can devise a mass hospitality recruitment plan to maintain your business long-term.
The Challenges of Mass Hiring
The recruitment process is no easy feat, especially if you’re mass hiring. Here are some of the challenges that recruitment agents face during the process of high-volume recruitment.
- The varying volume of candidates: In the current tight labor market, it can be difficult to find applicants. Many recruiters also have a hard time keeping applicants if they don’t respond to their applications quickly enough. Reports show that 1 in 5 job applicants are frustrated by long hiring processes. Without proper time management, recruiters often lose out on qualified candidates.
- Establishing a strong employer brand: 55% of candidates end up not applying to companies that have negative comments and reviews. This is why building a strong employer brand is pivotal to attracting talented individuals and engaging them.
- Devising efficient recruitment strategies: Another challenge that employers face when hiring staff is devising an efficient recruitment plan. The recruitment process is a complicated process that requires collective efforts and effective communication in order to quickly evaluate each candidate and select the ones that are the best fit for the role. This is why it’s important to invest in applicant tracking systems to streamline the recruitment process.
Popular Trends in Hospitality Recruitment
#1 – Proactively Engaging Applicants
One of the most popular hiring trends recruitment agencies are seeing is proactively engaging applicants. This trend is fast gaining traction because passive recruitment strategies aren’t fruitful, and this ineffectiveness can be attributed to the skill gap.
This is why recruitment agencies use this practice to actively involve the candidates in the recruitment process and reach out to them early on to foster a professional relationship. This also encourages the candidates to pursue employment at the company instead of working for competitor businesses.
Another thing to consider is conducting two-way interviews. Employers often forget that conducting interviews should be a two-way street. They ask the candidates for their skills, experiences, and ambitions but don’t connect with them and ask what they are looking for in a workplace.
Conducting two-way interviews is a highly effective strategy for hiring qualified and motivated candidates and keeping them at the establishment for a long time.
#2 – Investing in Advanced Screening Tools
The recruitment process often feels like searching for a needle in a haystack.
This is why many recruitment agencies are now investing in technologically advanced screening tools which help them enhance productivity, save time, and optimize processes.
Evaluation tools such as skills tests have been used for decades, but many organizations are now gravitating towards using advanced screening tools to evaluate candidates properly.
Reviewing resumes and conducting interviews are reliable tactics to assess a candidate’s skills, but they do not give robust analytics or quantifiable data to make informed decisions.
Using advanced screening tools also helps to shorten and streamline the recruitment process making it more efficient. AI-driven technologies and screening software have become an essential part of the recruitment process because they enhance efficiency and allow companies to make data-driven decisions. A report by Predictive Hire shows that around 55% of companies now use recruitment automation systems to improve their screening procedures.
#3 – Focusing on Inclusivity and Diversity
Increasing workplace diversity is one of the most efficient ways to exponentially scale your business. A report by McKinsey reveals that out of 366 companies, those with the most racial and ethnic diversity were 35% likelier to have more financial returns than the industry mean, whereas companies in the top quartile for gender diversity were likelier to have 15% returns above the industry mean.
Google also releases annual reports that show that building a diverse team positively affects businesses. This is because diverse team members enable employers to reflect on different circumstances that surround the candidate. This dynamic leads to an innovative thought process since different colleagues can reach a compromise and work together, boosting productivity. Bringing different viewpoints from different people helps to increase creativity and innovation.
Diversity and inclusivity also mean higher profitability. This is why many business leaders are currently improving their D&I efforts and creating more diverse teams to help them reach their organizational goals.
Get in Touch with Our Recruitment Experts at Career Suitcase
Are you searching for qualified and professional hospitality recruitment experts? Your search ends here.
Career Suitcase is a leading hospitality recruitment agency with over fifty years of experience providing the most reliable domestic and international recruitment services. We can help you find passionate, skilled, and qualified candidates to help your company thrive.
Whether you’re searching for cruise line recruitment, a restaurant recruitment agency, or hotel recruitment services, we can help. We can also help candidates modify their profiles to get shortlisted for their dream job.
Reach out to us today, and let us help you find motivated candidates who fit your requirements.