Recruiting in Hospitality: It’s Time to Give Job Seekers What they Want

We’ve all heard the saying: The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. It may be cliche, but this concept holds some weight when it comes to post-pandemic hiring. As people’s expectations for work shift, standing out as an employer and making great hires requires you to rethink the jobs you’re marketing to today’s job seekers. You can’t advertise the same jobs with the same benefits to people who have drastically changed what they’re looking for and expect to make hires.

How have job seekers’ expectations changed? First and foremost, people are prioritizing work/life balance and meaning in work more than ever before. Job seekers are not simply choosing the highest paying offer on the table; their priorities are nuanced. Yes, pay will always matter, but flexibility, culture, and growth opportunities are just as important. In fact, a 2022 Hireology applicant survey found that many job seekers are actually willing to choose these types of benefits over higher pay — so long as the pay is within an acceptable range.

Yet in our recent survey of hospitality recruiters and HR leaders, we found that the vast majority are not offering any of these types of benefits for hourly employees:

• Only 24% offer career path options
• 20% offer learning and development opportunities
• 39% offer scheduling flexibility
• 17% offer paid time off

At the same time, 78% say they have increased wages in the last year. Raising wages is of course important given inflation, high competition, and increased cost of living, but as we know from surveying applicants, the rest of these benefits carry just as much weight. And for you, offering these types of benefits is arguably easier and more affordable than constant wage hikes.

Here’s the opportunity for you lies: Find a way to mix some of these types of offerings into your job offerings while also continuing to offer pay within standard market ranges. Clearly defining and marketing policies around flexible shifts and career growth puts you ahead of the vast majority of employers you’re competing with today. And it can help you attract job seekers from outside your industry who might be used to the flexibility often found in the tech space today. 

Hireology is built to help hotels just like yours re-define your job descriptions to better attract today’s workers, market your open roles across a range of channels, run a smoother hiring process, and much more. Learn more today. 

Hireology is a premier-plus partner member of BLLA – view their listing here!