Diversity matters. The Wall Street Journal published an article recently that studied diversity at S&P 500 companies and found that diverse organizations are “more innovative and productive.” Diversity can come in many forms, from ethnicity, race, or sexual orientation, but also gender, age, religion, and other factors. Managers and teams made up of a diverse mix of people, the article stated, are the most productive of all.
How can your hospitality recruiting effort reflect a more diverse group of candidates? We have some strategies that will help you meet your goals.
Diversity Strategies for Hospitality Recruiters
It’s safe to assume that most hospitality companies have some sort of commitment to a more diverse and inclusionary workforce. This process starts at the front end of the employment process, with tailored steps to improve the diversity of the candidate we recruit.
Before defining a new strategy for how you go about bringing in a diverse candidate pool, let’s first acknowledge that diversity can cover everything from work styles to gender, ethnicity, and race to educational background. The idea is to create a better organization by finding the best candidates from all walks of life. But how do you do that? Here are a few suggestions:
- Expand your candidate profile goals to include relevant experience as much as education. Consider crossover skills and favor soft skills like leadership and work ethic. Be more flexible in the type of ideal candidate you consider.
- Phrase your employment ads in ways that will encourage all kinds of people to apply for the job.
- Expand your job search by placing ads on platforms you never considered.
- Create an engaging application and interview process that seeks to use every candidate contact as a way to build goodwill for your brand. You never know who that candidate will come in contact with.
- Build content that reflects the diversity of your organization. Liven up your careers page with pictures and videos to give candidates a sense of what it’s like to work in the organization.
- Train all of your interviewers on how to conduct an effective interview. Talk about inclusivity as a goal and train teams on unconscious bias in the hiring process, such as age discrimination or other issues that may hold back your diversity initiative.
- Establish mentorship programs in the organization so that everyone feels like they’re a part of the team from the first moment they walk onto the job.
- Reach out to your team for referrals that will come from the diverse audiences you’re targeting. Referral candidates are often a better caliber of recruit because they’re a known entity. Make use of these connections whenever possible.
- Set up strong initiatives to pursue diversity across your organization. Include these statements on your website and careers page. Participate in job fairs and events that could attract a more diverse candidate pool.
The hospitality industry should make every effort to search out the best candidates from a diverse pool of applications. Gecko can help by expanding your talent search. We offer top-quality resources to help you meet your hiring goals.
