Recruiting Made Easy: 8 Tips to Find Employees through Your Network
Mar 21, 12 | 3:07 am 
By Gaby Feile
It is a Sisyphus job, especially when you work in hospitality where high turnover rates are the norm: recruiting! Many hotel HR professionals moan about how difficult it is nowadays to find qualified staff. Depending on the country they are based in and the industry they work in, they either get bombarded with applications and need to select the more promising applicants for the next round. Or they struggle to get good or any applications at all and need to really think about new ways to attract good people.
Effective and smart: networking
Chances are that the great people you are looking for are actually not looking for a job actively. You need to find them yourself. Social networks are a technological extension of your personal network that consists of the people you know privately and in business. If you look for a nice restaurant or a hotel, you probably ask someone for a recommendation. Why are you doing this? Because you would like to minimize the risk and save time and money. After all, people will never recommend something they do not like.
How can you use this principle to find employees that meet your requirements and complete your team? Basically, by using your network actively!
Here are some tested tips on how to spread the message about your job openings:
Talk about it.
Let people know that you have a job opening. Start with the people closest to you: family, friends, colleagues and most importantly your employees. Don't assume that they check your website, the intranet or the notice board regularly in order to learn about any job openings. They might not have the time to do so. You should still post your vacancies in all those places and refer people to the posts for more information.
Better: Whenever you meet members of the team ask them personally if they know someone who would fit into the team. You might be surprised how many people will be delighted to help.
Think about paying a little "commission" (a voucher might do) to employees that have referred someone successfully. I recommend to pay it only once the new employee has passed his probation.
Make your message public and shareable.
Update your online profiles on LinkedIn, XING, Facebook, Twitter etc. and link to the job posting on your career site.* Remember that you compete with thousands of updates so be specific, creative and short. Write as if your post appears on the front page of a tabloid i.e. make it interesting like hell in order to have people click on the link. Alternatively, you can post a question and ask your contacts/followers: "Do you know a person who can (insert specific skill) and is (insert specific description)?
*Do this even if you have posted the job on public job sites. You rather would have people visit your website than browsing the openings of your competitors. If they find their ads more interesting you may lose a potential candidate in an instance. And if you do not have a career page, you better get one!
Send a message by using good old e-mail.
With the emerge of social networks we sometimes forget that there are still people who are not part of the buzz or at least are not part of your online activities. In addition, people might miss your update. Sending an e-mail to selected people (e.g. in the city where the job is based, to people in your industry, to former colleagues etc.) can be a good idea. In an e-mail you have the chance to describe the job in more detail and to attach a PDF of your ad (or a link to the posting). Be clear with your message and encourage the recipients to forward your e-mail to their network or to people they know who might be interested. The more attractive and unique your job ad is, by the way, the more likely will people notice and share it.
Bonus: if you send it to people with huge networks, you can leverage your message even further!
Be direct.
Ask people personally if they can recommend someone. They might do so.
Be pro-active.
Contact people with interesting profiles directly. Send them a private message and mention that their profile looks great and that you like what they have accomplished so far. Nonchalantly, ask if they are interested in learning about your company. Leave it totally up to them to take the next step. Remember: you are not a head hunter who can approach people just like this. Beware that the person might inform their boss and this could shed a bad light on you and your company. So, keep it all very friendly and non-binding until you have met in person at least once.
Offline tip: approach staff at other hotels or restaurants while you are their guest. Do it discreetly and leave your business card with them. Ask them to get in touch and don't be surprised when they do.
Take things offline.
Try to meet people in person - as often as possible. Once you have identified an interesting candidate avoid too much documentation and rather ask people to meet you either in your office or somewhere in a café if they prefer a neutral place.
Be patient and quick at the same time.
You cannot force anyone to quickly leave his/her job and join your forces! Building up trust is really important. If, however, someone is ready to move, make sure that you have the contract ready speedily and get it signed as quickly as possible. Chances are that the current employer will make a counter-offer and is likely to "win".
Support and help others.
Remember the Golden Rule of networking: Give before you take!
By the way, in case you are waiting to be approached for a great job opportunity read "How to find a job through networking".
Do you have further tips on how to recruit professionally? How did you manage to fill a vacancy through networking? How is the recruiting situation in your country/city/hotel? Please share your experiences right here! Thank you.
"I have learnt most things from reading,
travelling and asking questions." (Gaby Feile)
About Gaby Feile
Since the age of 5, Gaby Feile has been fascinated by words. She read the newspapers before entering school and could write as early as this. Her personal writing style has been influenced by an international life style and an open mind. Gaby has learned to listen with her eyes and speak with her hands and has become an excellent observer and appreciated listener. She knows that asking questions is more important and more effective than making statements.
With her company "Kommboutique", Gaby delivers feel-good communication that creates memorable moments through positive emotions. People who like her approach can book her as a copywriter, moderator or idea producer.
