Cracking the Code of Recruitment
One third of the hospitality workforce has moved into different industries during the Covid-19 pandemic, as confirmed by Sébastien Bazin, CEO of Accor Live Limitless. This global talent shortfall means that talent attraction is one of the key challenges in the industry just like other industries at the moment. We’ve prepared this quick 7-step guide to help you master the art of recruitment.
Step 1: finalize the job description
First things first: all parties involved in the recruitment process have to agree on the title, the main functions of the role as well as the key attributes you are looking for in the candidate. We recommend to list the “must-haves” and the “nice-to-haves” separately for the sake of clarity. Once the job description is set in stone, you may move on to the next step.
Step 2: agree on the recruitment process
Now that you know who you are looking for and for what role, you need to define the recruitment process. Try to be as thorough yet efficient and quick as possible — if you don’t move fast enough, chances are that your top candidate will receive another offer before yours.
The recruitment process should vary depending on the role you are hiring for. We suggest that you involve at least one person who can test the cultural fit (ideally someone involved in all recruitment processes) as well as the hiring manager, i.e. the future direct manager for the position. Here is an example of how a recruitment process could look like:
- CV screening by HR professional and hiring manager
- Screening call (5–10 min) by HR professional
- Case study
- Video interview with HR professional
- In-person interview with hiring manager
- Reference check by HR professional
- Offer by HR professional and hiring manager
For case studies, we’ve been using TestGorilla at Emerald Stay which is a great solution. You may select quantitative tests on various topics such as “Attention to detail (visual)”, “Customer service” and “Financial modeling in Excel”. You may also add open-ended questions that are more tailored to your business and/or the position in question.
Step 3: open the role in your ATS
Don’t know what an ATS is? Well, you should! ATS is the acronym for an Applicant Tracking System, in other words a recruitment system. There are many options available out there from providers like Greenhouse, JazzHR, Harri and BreezyHR to name a few. For 200€ per month, you can get a proper recruitment process and believe us, it really makes a difference. Note that most ATS are part of larger HR systems so you could combine a recruitment solution with an internal goal-setting solution for instance or many others.
Working with an ATS means that all recruitments will be centralized, that your job offer will be automatically posted on free job boards that are synchronized with the ATS, and last but not least that you’ll be able to build a talent pool for the future.
There are some other useful features such as the possibility to include “knock-out” questions in the application process. Say that one of your key requirements for a position is that the candidate speaks French perfectly: you may ask the question “Do you speak French perfectly” as part of the application form. If the candidate replies “no”, they will be automatically disqualified and receive a rejection email which will be a time saver for you.
Step 4: post the job on extra channels
To maximize your chances of finding the right talent, you may have to post the job offer on extra job boards that are not synchronized with your ATS. For example, we post operational positions on Hosco, one of the biggest job boards in the hospitality industry. The list of relevant extra job boards will vary depending on the position and its seniority level. ATS enable you to create “tracked links” so that ultimately, all applications are centralized in your system, no matter where candidates apply. Candidates poaching may be one of your approaches to fill your recruitment pipeline — in this case, it is important to know which job boards and databases will be relevant for you. Here is a hint: pretend that you are a candidate looking for a job like the one you are advertising — what will they look for on a search browser and which websites will rank first?
Step 5: screen candidates and complete interviews
Screen the applications according to the selection criteria agreed upon. A screening call is a 5–10 minute call to reconfirm key details (availability, language level, requested salary, etc). Please keep in mind that you are also trying to ensure there is no red flag during this call.
We highly recommend that you create a general interview guide with the key questions asked at each stage of the recruitment process to the candidates: this way, no matter who completes the screening call and the following interviews, the same questions will be asked for the sake of objectivity.
Open-ended questions and in particular situational questions are the best ones to get the best out of candidates: ask them to provide an example of a situation where something specific you have in mind occurred. For example, at Emerald Stay, one of our values is to “Speak Up” — we particularly value people who openly share their ideas and opinions in a constructive manner. So during the video interview, in order to find a candidate who will ultimately reinforce our culture as she/he joins the company, we like to ask the following question: “Can you please provide an example of a situation where you disagreed with your manager and how you approached the situation?”.
After each interview, make sure to write some internal notes on the candidate’s profile for future reference.
Step 6: complete reference checks for the final candidate(s)
Reference checks are key and too often neglected. We actually complete reference checks for everyone, including for our interns. Reference checks do not only support you in your candidate’s choice, they also provide valuable insight on how this person behaves and what motivates her/him in a professional environment.
The book “Who” by Geoff Smart provides concrete examples of questions that should be asked during interviews. It is a very helpful concrete guide. For instance, for reference checks, Smart highlights that the recruiter should not ask the question “what are the candidate’s weaknesses in a professional environment?” but rather “what were the candidate’s weaknesses professionally when you worked with her/him?”, suggesting that this person may well have changed and developed herself/himself in the meantime. Keep in mind that reference people do not like to share negative elements about their former team members so you have to try to find smart ways to open the door for honest feedback.
Please note that in most countries, it is mandatory to get the approval from the candidates before contacting reference people. So make sure they are the ones providing the references (and of course, you can share with them who you would prefer speaking with).
Step 7: extend an offer
Once you are sure that you want to extend the offer to the candidate, don’t waste a minute! Timing is a key element in recruitment so you will want to send over this offer letter as soon as possible, and highlight what the next steps would be to the candidate. Opt for a phone conversation whenever possible.
Once the offer is signed, raise yourself a glass and announce the good news internally! The next step will be to prepare the induction program and you may refer to our other article on how to onboard your new team member: 3 Steps to Master the Art of Onboarding
