It’s said that the world is getting smaller and globalization is improving access for everyone to everything and everybody, opening up choices never before imagined. We now have a global work force and through improvements in technology and communications, a means of getting information about people, products and places like never before.
So with all these changes and improvements why would you need to partner with a hospitality recruiter to fill that important position in your hotel?

Knowledge & expertise
A true specialist hospitality recruiter will know your business, market and have a detailed knowledge of each position that you have in your team. More so, they will know what is happening in the industry, the changes to salaries and conditions for each position and the scarcity or otherwise of staff for specific roles. They can advise, guide and assist you in the placement so maximizing the potential for a successful hire.

Time
How much is your time worth and what is the best use of that time?
When you last advertised did you get 150 applications that you had to wade through and maybe found one or two candidates that once visited a hotel, let alone had the skills and experience suitable for your available position? Then there’s screening, interviewing, reference checking, negotiation of salary package, only to find that your preferred candidate just accepted a position with a competitor. Your hospitality recruiter will remove the pain and find you a qualified and pre-screen candidates and then will take care of all the administration and arrangements to get the best candidate across the line.

Access to candidates
If you have no readily available candidate to promote, how do you find the best possible candidate to fill your key position? Advertising is the usual method, and it can be successful but often all this does is unearth the dissatisfied, unemployed or unemployable. A well connected recruiter will have access to many candidates through multiple channels – their own database, advertising (which will draw many more responses than yours), extensive network of contacts, referrals, and so on… They will also have access to global and local markets and to many potential candidates that are not actually looking for a new position right now.

Negotiation
Believe it or not, employees have choice and are not lining up down the street because they heard you are hiring. The best candidates not only need to be found, but then convinced that you are offering an opportunity that will benefit them. Part of your interview process should be to sell them the position, but sometimes a recruiter can explain, reassure, rework or convince a candidate that they are making the right decision to join your company.

There are many more reasons to choose a skilled hospitality recruiter but keep these simple thoughts in mind when next hiring for an important position.

The key of course is to find the right recruitment partner that can help.

About the Author

Tim Johns is a former Hotelier and Managing Partner with Elite Search – a leading hospitality recruitment firm. For more information about Tim and Elite Search visit http://www.elitesearch.com.au and The Elite Hotelier http://www.elitehotelier.net