How you attract motivated professionals for your hotel – despite staff shortages

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Desperately looking for great hotel professionals? A persuasive job ad gets you a huge step ahead of the competition.

In this post, I’ll show you which mistakes to avoid in your employment ad and why the “about us” page is crucial to attract potential candidates.

“This can’t be right!” my hotel colleague cried out recently, completely unnerved.

„First the lockdown, then all these regulations and now the guests are returning,
and I can’t accept them because I don’t have staff”.

“We pay above average and always had a nice team!”

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“Mmmmh, why don’t you show me your ad?”

“Ahhhaaaa….”

Most hospitality job ads have two critical errors:

They feature hotel amenities to attract candidates and have
inordinately requirements that represent their ideal employee.

The applicants learn next to nothing about their potential employer.

Finding good workers in the hospitality industry is difficult and for good reason. But there are still a lot of motivated professionals around … and if you manage to connect with them while they read your job ad, you could be one of the lucky hotels to attract the right people for a class team…

… because advertising the position and presenting it with a “we offer pleasant work in a nice environment“ is not enough.

Applicants have a choice and especially now that an entire industry is desperate for good people….

An inviting, winning job advertisement has many advantages:

Think carefully about who you want to attract and then “speak” exactly to that person.

  • That way, you don’t attract just anyone, but your ideal candidate
  • You don’t waste time interviewing unqualified applicants
  • Your ideal candidate fits into the team
  • The chances of long-term cooperation increase
  • A well-rehearsed team makes work easier and there is more time for the guests
  • Guest satisfaction increases and sales increase

That should actually be self-evident, because they don’t offer a job and they don’t pay fairly, right?When they look at a job ad, applicants search
for the answer to these five questions:

Question 1: Who ARE you?

To answer this, most hotels post a summary of their hotel product – location, number of rooms, restaurants.

You’ve got a much bigger chance to impress job seekers, if you first introduce yourself. With a little personality and warmth, you’ll have your readers’ attention right away.

A good example for a pleasant intro is the “Madison” in Hamburg:

At the MADISON Hotel Hamburg you will not only find exciting tasks and the port right in front of you:

With us you can look forward to a warm and personal cooperation! Because well-being is very important to us – for the guests as well as for our employees. No wonder that the MADISON is a second home for many of our regular guests. And for you maybe soon the most beautiful workplace in the world.

We don’t make anonymous contracts, we make real connections. We strive for long-term relationships with open and fair conversations….”

A few sentences and the hotel summarized in an informative and super friendly way what it is, that makes it a special employer.

 

Question 2: WHO are you looking for

Receptionist, chef?

Again, provide a bit more than the bare facts and you’ll see much better results:

The “Rolling Pin” job advertisement for the Mocking tavern makes it clear in its headline: They are looking for someone who enjoys their job and is willing to work in a motivated, energetic team.

“Chef de Rang “The versatile team player”

“We are looking for enthusiastic girls and boys for a seasonal or annual position in our inn, right at the foot of the world-famous Streif in Kitzbühel.

We love what we do and do our best every day to put a smile on our guests’ faces.

Let yourself be carried away by our sustainable and regionally oriented concept and fly with the Mockingbirds from now on…..”

 

Question 3: What do you EXPECT?

Which already starts out on the wrong foot. “We expect” doesn’t go down so well with an exchange at eye level…

Lack of appreciation is the #2 reason for changing jobs in the hospitality industry.

https://www.tageskarte.io/ fileadmin/Banner/Studie_von_Gronda_Oktober_2019.pdf

“Our team is made of ….. and we hope to add another gem to it” is much more inviting and makes the point.

“Our requirements” sounds like a request concert in many job advertisements – the ideal candidate should preferably be a genius in all areas, true to the motto:

“We are looking for young, dynamic doers around 25, with 50 years of experience and a degree in communication and business administration.” 😉

List the four or five points that matter most to you and let the statements you make elsewhere in your ad speak for themselves.

Ability to work in a team, resilience, flexibility, willingness to communicate – these are terms that you will see in almost every job advertisement.
As a bullet point list and on their own, these terms mean nothing to the reader.

Describe to your ideal candidate what you have in mind:

“We are looking for people who are open and helpful and fit into our team”.

“You know how hectic our industry can get at times, so if every gust of wind doesn’t blow your mind, then you would we’d love to get to know you.”

“If everyone exchanges information on a regular basis, then it becomes easier, more relaxed and more fun! We are looking for people who appreciate communication on an equal footing.”

Question 4: What do you OFFER?

By default, many job offers start with: “We offer performance-related pay”.

Seriously? That should actually be self-evident, because you won’t offer a job and then don’t pay fairly, right?

And as an applicant, how do I define what you mean by performance and fairness?

If you don’t want to include salary information in your ad, you have another way to impress potential applicants.

Here are a few examples of different hotels that will woo your candidates with perks and benefits:

  • Special discounts for family and friends
  • Sports Offers
  • One free extra day per month
  • Regular working hours
  • 13th month salary
  • Personal and professional training opportunities
  • Visit the gym
  • Free accommodation/board

One hotel even offers its service staff a back massage once a week.

With a little creativity and humor you can make your applicants look and smile and create closeness.

 

Question 5: How can I APPLY?

Your ideal candidate needs clear instructions on how to apply and where to send the required information:

By applying online using the appropriate link.

By applying directly and providing your e-mail address

The format in which the application should be submitted. (PDF document, maximum number of pages and other conditions)

Your applicant now has all the basic information about the advertised position. Now he or she wants to find out more about your hotel and you as an employer and visits your

About Us Page

Besides the home page, this is the most important and most visited page on your website.

* This is the page that gives your hotel brand a face.

* Shows the people behind the hotel.

* Gives a first insight into your corporate culture.

* Shows what values you stand for.

 

This page has impact, because it shows the person(s) behind the business and builds trust.  Site visitors learn about your story and

* About your vision for the hotel

* What you stand for

* What defines you

* Why you do what you do

Introduce your team with panache and personality.

Tell your company story. How did you get to where you are now? What difficulties and successes were there along the way? Tell honestly and entertainingly. Your readers should sympathize – that connects and creates trust.

You can also dedicate a separate page on your website to the subject of human resources.

A great example of what this could look like is the Europäischer Hof in Heidelberg.

On the “career pages” the hotel introduces the team, explains the vision and corporate philosophy of the Europäische Hof and the reader learns that this company belongs to the Fair Job Hotels. There is a page with vacancies and a blog in which, among other things, the successes of the trainees are recognized.

Applicants can see at a glance that the employees in this hotel are a valued and important part of the company.

Another inspirational example is the “PersonalPage“ from Virgin Hotels.

At Virgin, they don’t fill “positions”, but they look for a specific type of personality:

Individualists who work well together

accept challenges and changes,

are fearless, make decisions and

learn from mistakes.

People with passion who are sincere and candid, question and try out new things.

Another example is the Kimpton Hotels:

Kimpton’s message: You matter. We don’t want to bend you. You have something to say and we hear you. What you do makes a difference – you! make a difference With us you can grow and progress.

This is the appreciation that professionals seek and inspire with.

Do you remember the link and the survey under question #3?

Appreciation is the second thing professionals want from their employer, right after a decent salary and even before better working hours…

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Would you also like some tips on how to attract more GUESTS?

Come along!

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