Hospitality is an interesting industry to work in. However, it can also be a challenging one.
Working in hospitality is definitely not for everyone. Some people can do it and some most definitely cannot.
Be Realistic About the Demands of the Job
It takes a certain kind of person to work serving customers at all times of the days or night. People who work in the industry need to be able to work under pressure without losing their composure. They need to be warm and friendly without being a pushover. It is important for them to be presentable and able to look good at any time of the day or night.
If you are involved in hospitality recruitment, it is very important to be realistic about the demands of the jobs you are trying to fill. That nice, polite youngster may have some of the necessary qualities to deal with customers, but how will they react when left on their own to close up at midnight.
When you draw up your job description be honest about what is required. It can be tempting to put all of the emphasis on the up side of a job and skate over the less appealing aspects. Sure, you will get lots of applicants, but nine times out of ten people will be disappointed when they discover the truth about the job. In that situation they will probably leave, which means that you will have to start the recruitment process all over again.
Use a Recruitment Agency the Specialises in Hospitality
When advertising your hospitality job try to post it in the right places. Putting an advert in your local paper will bring in plenty of applicants. However, the majority of those applicants will not be suitable for the job.
If, on the other hand you post the job on the website of an agency that specialises in hospitality recruitment most of the applicants will be suitable. Not having to wade through dozens of unsuitable applications will save you a great deal of time.
Try, wherever possible, to recruit someone who has worked in hospitality before. They will need far less training and should last longer in the job.
Caterer.com’s hospitality recruitment website is one of the best around. This website specialises in recruiting people for the catering and hospitality industries.
