Recruiting hospitality staff: 3 tips for finding the right candidates

Want to recruit hospitality staff, but not quite getting there? You might be approaching your hospitality recruitment the wrong way, or you may not have a clear picture of what really appeals to your target group. We're here to give you a hand in this blog: with these 3 tips you'll find new colleagues for your restaurant quickly and efficiently.

1. What makes your restaurant unique?

Hospitality staff can get a job at almost any restaurant. So why should they choose yours? What makes your hospitality business so special and fun to work for? It's important to describe these USPs (unique selling points) in your vacancy texts and job posts on social media. You bring these aspects across most clearly in your hospitality recruitment when you use real images and stories. So shoot some great photos (and videos) of your restaurant and your team, and interview your current hospitality staff.

Interviewing colleagues

Testimonials from hospitality staff are a valuable addition to your careers page. You could ask, for example, how long someone has been working for you and why they enjoy working at your restaurant so much. Record the interview if you like; then you can listen back later or have it transcribed (there are handy tools for that these days). That way you know you can get every detail of the story down on paper. Your testimonial doesn't need to be long (does it end up a bit longer? Then make sure the text is easy to scan, with clear headings), but do make sure the key elements are in there. If your goal is to recruit hospitality staff, a reader should quickly see why someone works for you rather than for the competition. So ask questions about the atmosphere and the work mentality too.

Negative feedback is valuable too

Hearing some less positive points when you interview a member of your hospitality staff? See it as an opportunity in your hospitality recruitment to make your working environment even better! Negative feedback can sometimes be painful to hear when you're recruiting hospitality staff, but stay open to it. It's the only way to improve. And know that it often concerns things you probably weren't aware of; so it's a good way to find out.

2. Searching in the right place

Think carefully about who your target group is in your hospitality recruitment. In many cases, it's young people. You won't often find them in newspapers, on TV or on Facebook. If you want to recruit hospitality staff, you're better off advertising on channels such as Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube. These are by far the most used channels among Gen Z (young people between 14 and 27). In these ads too, show your real colleagues and working environment. Also think carefully about what your target group will find interesting or attractive, and what you can offer. Do you offer a good wage and tips? Or is it the work culture that makes your hospitality business so special? Or do your hospitality staff get enough flexibility to combine their work with school or studies? Make sure these points come across in your ad. They can convince candidates to apply!

Posting organically on socials

Of course social media channels are suitable for advertising, but they're also hugely valuable for posting your content organically and recruiting hospitality staff that way. It's free, and if you do it well you'll have a huge reach in no time. For this, though, it's important that you can judge what your target group finds fun or interesting, and which trends you can join in with. That way you can post something fun that your target group can laugh at, for example, but that also (subconsciously) gives them a good picture of who works at your restaurant and what it's like there. Know which trends you can tap into, for example by posting on TikTok? Then you might grow your reach enormously within a few days, and completely free of charge.

3. Use the most important pull factors

In the end, there are a number of factors that will make it easier for you to recruit hospitality staff. Think of a good hourly wage, a pleasant working atmosphere and above all lots of flexibility. Your target group is young; they often think it's important to have the latest gadgets and to be at parties and festivals, for example. So a good hourly wage can certainly be a pull factor. On top of that, a workplace is often an important place to make new social contacts, especially for young people. So share enough (organically and in ads) about your team and work culture. And last but not least: make it possible for your hospitality staff to schedule their work flexibly. A large part of your target group is still studying and can't work full-time for you. Even so, they can already make an important contribution on a part-time basis. So make sure they can work a single shift for you, and at the weekend.

Ready to recruit those hospitality staff?

With these tips, you're bound to succeed in recruiting hospitality staff! Above all, don't forget to get inside the head of your ideal candidate, and to offer flexibility. Still need a hand, or want to outsource your hospitality recruitment? Then get in touch with us.