The Role of Technology in Hospitality Recruitment in Ireland
Challenges in the hospitality recruitment sector in Ireland are clear and persistent. Staff shortages not only affect operations but also customer experience. As hospitality operators fail to fill empty roles, mismanagement and losses mount, further aggravating staffing challenges.
So, how can talent leaders navigate through these challenges and hire the right talent?
Luckily, the right technologies deployed at the right time can make life much easier for talent leaders to attract and screen candidates for their hospitality business.
In this article, we will discuss how technology can help talent acquisition teams navigate past the hospitality recruitment challenges and be successful in their pursuit of quality staffing.
- Leverage AI to Fill Open Positions
One of the major challenges in the hospitality recruitment sector is finding talent with specialised skills across diverse expertise. For instance, finding a special chef for seasonal delicacies will be very different from searching for a housekeeping staff.
AI-driven candidate screening tools can identify candidates with the right experience for the job role. Such technologies can help recruiters create a list of candidates and schedule a screening interview within seconds.
Remember that while AI can simplify the process, a human should make all the hiring decisions. Recruiters can also reach out to candidates with personalised messages to create a positive experience.
- Faster Recruitment with Virtual Interviews
A positive hiring experience can directly impact recruitment. How a candidate is treated during the hiring process will be a reflection of their experience as an employee. This requires not only diversity and inclusion efforts but also following the candidate’s preferences.
The candidate experience should be unique, distinguishing your brand from competitors hiring for similar skills. There are several ways in which technology can make the hiring process easier.
The first step is to start with a short hiring process. Make sure to collect critical information that determines whether the candidate moves to the next step. Often, candidates are asked for duplicate information already contained in their resume, which prolongs the hiring process and makes it more complex.
From there, other technological solutions can be used to gather the information that finalises the decision to hire a candidate.
SMS can be used during the initial screening, and virtual interviews can offer the convenience to candidates to answer questions at their own pace, saving crucial time and resources for both the employer and the job seeker. Automated communication technologies can keep the candidates informed regarding their application status.
While virtual interviews are a good idea, it is recommended to tailor the interview to the type of role you want to fill. For instance, video interviews may be ideal for customer-facing roles, but consider audio-based responses to questions for other roles.
- Using Assessment Tools to Enhance Productivity & Engage Employees
The hospitality industry is all about curating a memorable guest experience. For instance, a luxury hotel in a historic property will provide a very different guest experience than an establishment catering to business travelers and conferences. Thus, talent leaders must find candidates who not only have the right skills but also possess a deep knowledge of the brand, its USPs, and the services provided.
Selecting the right assessment tool will enable recruiters to look beyond the skills and capabilities of candidates. Employers can determine the candidate’s behaviour and whether they align with the organisation’s purpose and are driven enough to adapt or make a difference in their environment.
Building a pre-screening assessment can effectively gauge various attributes beyond skills and experience simultaneously. This way, recruiters can assess the viability of each candidate and make informed decisions to fill vacancies with the best candidate.
By identifying a candidate’s suitability to the brand, talent leaders can enhance engagement among employees and reduce turnover, which will, in turn, create a consistent experience for customers.
Finding the Right Consultants for Efficient Staffing
The hospitality industry has struggled to return to pre-pandemic staffing quality, but the emergence of AI and other technologies can help identify, attract, and select the best candidates. But in a marketplace so dynamic, finding the right tools can be challenging.
Partner with seasoned consultants who have expertise in staffing technologies. At Hospitality Partners, we can identify impactful ways to solve recruitment challenges for your hospitality business. From operations to kitchen staff, our consultants will manage the whole hiring process end-to-end for your peace of mind and smooth operations.
Beyond recruitment, we can also create strategies and provide recommendations that streamline operations, improve guest experience, and boost profitability.
