With staffing shortages in the hospitality industry at an all-time high, it’s critical that you get your hiring decisions right. Your ability to find employees that are a good fit with your culture, possess the skills to do the job and will likely stay at the job for awhile will play an important role in your success. After all, it’s hard to run a successful hospitality business if you’re constantly short staffed or training new, often inexperienced employees.
The key to getting your hiring decisions right is to put a lot of effort into the interview process. Take the time to get to know potential job candidates and make sure they are a good fit for your team. The following interview questions will help you target quality hospitality staff members that will minimize turnover and elevate the success of your business.
This question is intended to determine how much effort the candidate has placed into researching your business. Do they know how your company works and what services you provide? Do they have a sense of your company culture? Have they visited your website and social media profiles, or did they simply show up to the interview blind without putting any effort into learning about your business?
Finding someone who has taken the time to learn about your business will demonstrate that they take initiative and have a genuine interest in the position you’re trying to fill. In most instances, taking this step will often be indicative of a person that will be an asset to your team, as they will likely take initiative once they are hired, be a passionate worker, and potentially exhibit leadership skills that may translate into someone who you will want to promote over time.
This is another question that will help you gain a better understanding of the candidate’s motivations behind applying for the position. Look for someone who exhibits genuine interest in the role as well as in your company, as this will often indicate that an employee will be interested in working as part of your team long term and want to grow with your company.
Keep in mind that prior experience isn’t necessarily essential for the candidate to succeed in the position for which you’re hiring, nor is exact experience in that role. Prior experience in other hospitality roles will often help develop skills that will translate to success in this current role. Similarly, individuals without any hospitality experience may still have skills and character traits that will translate to success in a hospitality role.
With turnover rates extremely high in every sector of the hospitality industry, this is an important question to ask any candidate you’re interviewing. Is this person just looking for a side job to make extra money while they are in school, or is this someone who is committed to working in the hospitality industry long term?
There’s nothing wrong with hiring someone who may not be in it for the long haul, but it’s always good to have an accurate understanding of a potential employee’s intentions. Moreover, if this person is building a career in the hospitality industry, this may indicate a stronger likelihood that they may be a candidate to eventually get promoted and move up in your company.
Dealing with unhappy customers is an inevitability in the hospitality industry. It’s important that you hire staff who understand how to manage these situations and resolve them in a professional manner. There are a wide range of online review sites providing customers with an opportunity to give feedback about their experiences at your business. It’s easier than ever for unhappy customers to leave scathing reviews that will tarnish your reputation. The easiest way to avoid this situation is to hire staff that have the ability to navigate challenging interactions with a high degree of professionalism and are committed to delivering a positive experience for all guests, even those who are challenging to please.
Interviewing and hiring staff for your hospitality business can be a time consuming process, and it’s often challenging to know whether you’re getting these important decisions right. If you’d prefer to have a dedicated staffing partner to streamline this process, Xclusive Services can help.
We provide staffing solutions for a wide range of hospitality industry positions. We’ve helped countless hotels, restaurants and other hospitality businesses find quality staff at all levels, from entry-level employees to management staff. We can provide short-term help if you need additional staffing for a specific event or to address an unexpected staffing issue. However, we can also provide an entire team if you prefer to outsource your staffing solutions entirely.
Our Xclusive Excellence™ commitment will bring you peace of mind that the staff we provide will elevate the success of your business. As part of this commitment, we:
To learn more about how Xclusive Services can help address your hospitality staffing needs, please request a quote, or call a local office for immediate staffing needs.
