The hospitality industry is back again! And your crew plays a big part in the show. To gather around a dozen people, who are optimistic, warm, empathetic, conscientious, and team-worker is art. But it’s doable! The WETCO approach is pretty straightforward. To hire hotel staff, search for good attitude, train for skills, which makes perfect sense in theory but is fairly more complex in practice.
First of all, to hire hotel staff, we believe you’ll need to learn to distinguish the difference between the job descriptions in the hotel industry. Ask yourself this: is your property so large that you’ll need more receptionists? or is it worth it to hire a chef, or to sign a contract with a local restaurant is the way to go? These two examples are only questions you can answer, and by answering them, you’re a step closer to recruiting your crew!
Let Them Know of your Expectations
When you’re filling a job application (which we’ll get to later!), you’ll need to know what exactly it is you’re working on. In terms of details, try to have no boundaries. Try to spill the beans and let the applicants know what exactly you expect of them. Long messy job descriptions may look ridiculous but trust us; some people actually desire it. There’s nothing wrong with honestly!
Additionally, moving on from the staff’s job descriptions and all that, you will also need to let them know of your brand and personality. If the atmosphere of your property is jubilant and fun, let the applicants know you want them to be fun and youthful. You can’t change one’s traits, but you can ask them to work on their attitude… kindly.
One other sharable thing is the amount of work you expect from the staff. If you’re operating a technology-based smart property, the number of staff will be cut in half; Because the workload is cut in half. So you see, you will need to calculate and set your expectations first, and then ~with all honesty~ share your findings with your applicants. No secrets!
Make your Application Process Easy
Feel free to gamify your application process. People are generally more attracted to mobile-friendly, laid-back, and unique interviews than filling out generic, tedious questions. Even if you need to ask them the boring questions, distribute the questions, make it, the applicants don’t notice the boredom!
Don’t rely on resumes! Try to get to know the candidates if you’re doing a face-to-face interview! If you’re sticking to the hire for attitude, train for skills approach, try to look for the right traits in the potential colleagues. Be extra observant!
We also encourage you to say “NO” to those who don’t fit. First of all, it is morally the right thing to do. Do not let the poor souls waiting for a response for months. Second, statistically, applicants who get rejected are encouraged to apply for different positions in your company. One rock and two birds!
Lastly, when it comes to interviewing, make sure the questions you’re asking the applicants are worth the time. You might have to make do with just a couple of questions or two. So make sure your questions are open-ended and focused on candidates’ personalities and traits. If you’re not sure what we’re talking about, here are some examples:
- How do you define good hospitality service?
- If you see one of your co-workers badmouthing a customer, how would you respond?
You’re Done Hiring. Now to Train Them
To hire hotel staff is not just to recruit them! Training and onboarding are also critical to get the job done. This will train more professional staff members out of the rookies, but the onboarding process will also show them the ropes around your company and get them adapted to the team culture.
After the onboarding process is done, you can also choose to get continuous feedback from the newcomers. You could also utilize the feedback to improve the onboarding furthermore. It also gives you insight into whether your rookies have been satisfied with your onboarding process or not.
Last but not Least: Motivation
Motivation is a mystery to most people in business. Motivation is often known as a derivation for your co-workers to stick around. The rookies walking away is a poison to any business, after all. Here are a few tips we think apply to most hospitality businesses to keep the momentum:
1. Gamify your Business, Make it Pleasant!
Here’s the deal, it’s all in human nature. We all like to be playful and jubilant – even in our workplace. There’s an old saying that “We never stop playing, it’s just our toys become more complicated given time.” We strongly suggest adapting to the newest technologies and methodologies in running your business. The small things like coffee room decorations really matter a lot! Give it a shot!
2. Offer Rewards
This one is also just human nature! We all enjoy gifts and rewards; you can bring this to the workplace as well. The only thing to take note of here is not to overdo it. Bonuses are meant to be ~rewarding~ to whoever gets them. It’s just professional treats!
3. Watch your Employees Grow
One stone and two birds. The more space you give your employees to grow, the more likely it is to accomplish big things! And these accomplishments are only achieved by your team.
Imagine you hire a very young employee as a receptionist. You can give them enough space to use their active imagination and creativity to develop and rise above. Let them do more than what a receptionist usually does in a hotel! Why not? Everyone has their own unique talents. And with these talents and a bit of good management, anyone can become more than just a receptionist! Precisely what you will need as a business manager.
4. Ask for Their Feedback
Keep clear communication and ask your employees what they think about their workplace. Even if – for any reason – you are unable or reluctant to make changes around the environment, let them know their feedback matters. Because it really does. After all, one’s workplace is their second home! Employees should have a say in what needs to be changed around their so-called second home.
