Everyone makes mistakes. Some are fairly harmless (like the time I dressed in the dark and wore my sweater inside out for most of the day). Others are horrifyingly embarrassing but ultimately meaningless (bathroom tissue inadvertently tucked into the waistband, anyone?). But when it comes to staffing your hotel or restaurant, any misstep—from relying on outdated job descriptions to cutting corners on pre-employment screening—can produce serious issues down the line, leading to reduced productivity, loss of revenue, and damage to employee morale and your establishment’s reputation.
Before you begin recruiting your next maintenance coordinator, breakfast attendant or front desk agent, consider these tips for an error-free hiring process.
1. Start with a fresh job description.
Job duties naturally change over time as hotel and restaurant needs evolve. Whether your establishment has recently downsized and consolidated responsibilities or experienced a customer surge requiring you to do more with the same staff, it’s quite likely your previous job descriptions are no longer accurate. Take time to review current duties and responsibilities—preferably with an employee who works within the position—and adjust the description accordingly.
2. Consider internal resources.
Staff turnover is a major issue at many hotels and restaurants. However, there are simple ways to improve staff retention—and you can even use one of them when filling new positions or replacing exiting workers. Whenever possible, promote from within. And, if no one is interested in moving up—or you’re looking for an entry-level team member—ask your staff for referrals. Internal mobility enhances employee loyalty, while studies have shown that referred hires stay with their new employers longer than those recruited through other sources do.
3. Collect employment applications.
In addition to submitting a resume and cover letter, ask sous chef, bartender, and customer service representative candidates to fill out an employment application. Yes, this is an additional step—and it’s generally advisable to keep your application process as simple as possible. However, it’s often worth the slight inconvenience. Standard employment forms ask for information that many professionals do not include in their resumes—such as their previous hourly rate and the reason they are leaving their current position. These are valuable pre-screening details.
4. Reach out to candidates quickly.
The best hotel and restaurant professionals don’t have to spend long looking for new opportunities. If you wait to conduct interviews until you’ve received a certain number of applications or arrived at an arbitrary date, you may lose high-quality candidates to your competitors. At the minimum, schedule a phone interview with promising professionals as quickly as possible.
5. Include behavioral interview questions.
Oftentimes, the best indicator of a dining room manager, cook, or room attendant’s future performance is how he or she has responded to challenges in the past. Whenever possible, avoid interview questions that can be answered with simple statements and focus instead on queries that require the candidate to describe previous experiences and behaviors. USA Today recently published an excellent list of behavioral interview questions applicants should expect to answer. It’s a great starting place for generating your own must-ask questions.
6. Clearly outline the next steps.
What do hospitality professionals hate more than worrying about what to wear to an interview? The silent phone or empty email box. Many of today’s employers keep candidates in the dark when it comes to the next steps. Some don’t even send rejection letters, content to leave applicants wondering about their fate for eternity. Keep your top candidates interested by clearly communicating the next steps in your hiring process. You can also protect your hotel or restaurant’s reputation with job seekers by treating all professionals—even those who don’t fill your requirements—with respect.
7. Never skip the reference check.
While it’s true that some human resource professionals or managers may decline to answer some of your pre-employment screening questions due to legal concerns or the internal policies of their hotel or restaurant, you can still learn a lot from the information they are willing to give. Most will confirm dates of employment, the title of the position, and ending salary in addition to responding to this key question: “Is (professional’s name) eligible for rehire?” If the answer is “No” or “I’d rather not say,” it could be a red flag you need to address with the applicant before making a hiring decision.