How to get started in hospitality recruitment [3 tips]

Recruitment is an industry that requires a lot of thought - a lot more than people usually give it credit for. Agency recruitment is often seen as an industry you fall into rather than choose to pursue, and internal recruitment comes with its own challenges.

Whether you're in agency recruitment recruiting for hospitality roles, or internal within a hotel, restaurant, or hospitality based company, there are a few key points that will help you get started.

1) Industry knowledge.

A common misconception is that if you have recruitment basics, you can recruit for any industry. Technically, you probably could. However, if you want to be more than just one recruiter amongst thousands, set yourself apart by having an understanding of the industry. Talk to your candidates and colleagues if you're in agency recruitment, glean as much information from them as you can. In internal recruitment, ask to shadow your colleagues for a couple of hours - this will give you an insight into what their jobs really consist of and give you a much better understanding of how the industry works.

2) Understand what you are recruiting for

There are always going to be job descriptions that don't give you the full picture, or roles that are more complicated to recruit for than others. Take the time to sit down with the hiring manager - be it in-house or with your client, and get the full picture. Go beyond the generic job description, find out about the team, the day to day of the role. If you have a good understanding of the role you are recruiting for, you will be able to identify suitable candidates a lot quicker, and overall the process will be smoother for you.

3) Ask probing questions.

When you're talking to or interviewing candidates, don't be scared to ask as many questions as you want. The better the understanding you have of your candidate's strengths, weaknesses and skills, the better you'll be able to place them in a role that suits them. This means that in agency recruitment, your success rate will be much higher, and in-house, you'll have better staff retention rates.

Recruitment is a very rewarding industry and uses a wide range of skills that you can develop into the career you want - be it within recruitment and talent acquisition, account management or HR. It can be tough in the beginning stages, while you get to grips with how things work, but follow these three tips and you'll see things come together.