Advice for Employers and Recruiters
5 tips for employers recruiting hospitality workers who are early in their careers
Employers in the hospitality industry should recognize the unique value that early-career workers bring to the table. Hiring individuals who are just beginning their careers allows companies to mold and train employees according to their specific organizational culture and service standards. These workers are often eager to learn, adaptable, and open to feedback, making them ideal candidates for growth. By providing opportunities for skill development, employers can cultivate long-term loyalty and reduce turnover, which is a common challenge in hospitality. Additionally, early-career employees bring fresh perspectives and energy, helping to inject new ideas into service practices and customer engagement, ultimately enhancing the overall guest experience.
As the hospitality sector evolves with new technologies and customer expectations, hiring early-career workers ensures that the workforce remains adaptable and equipped to meet emerging challenges. Ultimately, bringing on individuals at the start of their careers can foster a dynamic, loyal, and innovative team that helps the business thrive in an ever-changing landscape.
We reached out to five hiring experts to ask for practical tips that go beyond the traditional approaches of hiring hospitality workers who are early in their careers. From enhancing candidate confidence to fostering a welcoming hiring environment, these expert-backed insights pave the way for a thriving workplace.
- Job Shadowing Enhances New Hire Confidence
- Focus on Welcoming and Accessible Hiring Process
- Implement Creative Hospitality Hackathons
- Collaborate with Colleges for Early Career Hiring
- Hire for Personality and Attitude
Job Shadowing Enhances New Hire Confidence
Job shadowing is what’s worked best for me when bringing on new hires at my restaurants – it lets them experience our culture firsthand before jumping in. Last month, I had a fantastic candidate spend two full shifts observing our best servers, which helped her understand our service style and guest interactions way better than any handbook could. I believe this hands-on approach, combined with regular check-ins during their first few weeks, helps new team members feel more confident and reduces the overwhelming feeling that often comes with hospitality roles.
Allen Kou, Owner and Operator, Zinfandel Grille
Focus on Welcoming and Accessible Hiring Process
To improve early career hiring processes for hospitality roles, I focus on making the process welcoming and accessible. Clear job descriptions that outline the skills and qualities we value can help attract a diverse range of candidates. Hospitality is about people, so I look for individuals who show enthusiasm, a positive attitude, and an interest in learning, even if they don’t have prior experience.
Offering opportunities for growth and skill development is another way to make these roles more appealing. During interviews, I try to create an environment where candidates feel comfortable sharing their personality and goals. This allows us to better understand their potential and how they might contribute to the team. Taking these steps can help ensure we find the right talent while creating a positive hiring experience.
Klaus Niederacher, Managing Director, Seekda
Implement Creative Hospitality Hackathons
Most employers in the hospitality sector depend too heavily on what they see on paper, in other words, the resume in front of them. This can easily be taken out of context or exaggerated. Not to mention, this traditional approach can be rather boring.
The hospitality industry flourishes on fun and excitement, so why not make your hiring process a little more creative? Think of a hospitality hackathon where the applicants are put to the test. This will require some planning but I believe it will be worth the time invested.
Give the candidates a real-world challenge, like designing a unique guest experience or trying their hand at creating a social media campaign to attract more guests. Depending on their role and the job, you can even let them come up with ideas for a menu for a new restaurant concept.
This is a win-win approach. For those new to the industry, it can offer valuable exposure to the realities of hospitality (energetic, fast-paced, exciting). For the employer, it basically ensures you are hiring the “right” candidate (passionate, creative, and resourceful).
Brian Raffio, Senior Travel Coordinator & Specialist, Climbing Kilimanjaro
Collaborate with Colleges for Early Career Hiring
Providing equipment to venues and events is a major part of my business and I come into contact with hundreds of different hospitality employees every year. Hiring managers in that industry can take note of any good business leader’s approach to improve the early career hiring process.
Jobs in hospitality declined during the COVID-19 pandemic right along with travel. Many employers today are still facing hiring shortages.
One of the keys to successful early career hiring is by working directly with colleges and universities that offer hospitality degrees. Some even have their own hotels and restaurants on campus where students in the program can get hands-on experience. These new graduates are ripe for picking and forming relationships with administrators in programs giving you an inside track. You have to be the first one to scoop them up quickly.
For this to work though, you have to be cognizant of the fact that whomever you’re hiring right out of college will likely be green. They may not have had the luxury of the first-hand experience of working in a campus hotel. The good news is that hiring new employees right out of the gate gives you as the employer the chance to shape them into your ideal employee.
Jared Mizrahi, Owner, PCI Auction Group
Hire for Personality and Attitude
If I had to give one piece of advice to employers looking to improve their early career hiring for hospitality roles, it would be this: hire for personality and attitude, then train for skills.
I remember when we first started Green Light Booking, we were so focused on finding people with the perfect resume – those who had worked a bunch of events or had a degree in hospitality management. That approach led to some interesting situations.
Once, we hired a guy who looked perfect on paper. He had all the right experience; he knew all the industry lingo, the works. When it came to dealing with clients and handling the pressure of a live event, he just couldn’t make it. On the flip side, we took a chance on this young woman who had zero experience but had this incredible energy and genuine love for music. She ended up becoming one of our star employees.
Since then, we’ve completely changed our hiring approach. Now, when we’re looking at early career candidates, we focus on things like their communication skills, how they handle stress, and whether they can think on their feet. We use situational interviews a lot – “What would you do if a band was late to a wedding?” That kind of thing.
Of course, this approach means we have to invest more in training. But honestly, I’ve found that people with the right attitude pick things up so much quicker. Plus, they’re more likely to stick around and grow with the company.
So, my advice? Look for those diamonds in the rough. The skills can be taught, but the right personality and attitude? That’s gold in the hospitality world.
