{"id":2132,"date":"2022-01-21T16:14:22","date_gmt":"2022-01-21T16:14:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mapalstg.wpengine.com\/en\/?post_type=resource&p=2132"},"modified":"2026-08-26T12:54:57","modified_gmt":"2026-08-26T11:54:57","slug":"5-essential-steps-for-effective-hospitality-recruitment-and-onboarding","status":"publish","type":"resource","link":"https:\/\/mapal-os.com\/en\/resources\/articles\/5-essential-steps-for-effective-hospitality-recruitment-and-onboarding\/","title":{"rendered":"5 essential steps for effective hospitality recruitment and onboarding"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\"Drink<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Ever wondered how much it costs to lose new\u00a0hires\u00a0?\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Industry experts estimate that cost per hire is around 25% of employee\u2019s average annual salary. And since the hospitality industry has such a high turnover and low retention rate, letting\u00a0new staters\u00a0go\u00a0can\u00a0be hugely detrimental to the team and\u00a0involves\u00a0high recruitment and training costs.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, let’s look at two of the most important\u00a0parts\u00a0of\u00a0managing teams in the hospitality industry<\/a>:\u00a0hiring and\u00a0onboarding\u00a0hospitality staff.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1.\u00a0Hiring\u00a0restaurant and\u00a0bar\u00a0staff\u00a0based on hard and soft skills\u00a0<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

To successfully hire the right person for the right job,\u00a0first\u00a0you\u00a0have to\u00a0build a solid\u00a0hospitality recruitment\u00a0strategy.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether it\u2019s restaurant, bar, hotel or catering recruitment, your\u00a0number one task should be\u00a0to match\u00a0your most important needs to the profiles that best meet them. Then,\u00a0you\u00a0can assess hard skills based on candidate\u2019s CVs.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\u00a0next thing to consider\u00a0for\u00a0recruitment in the\u00a0hospitality\u00a0industry\u00a0are\u00a0soft skills.\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Danny Meyer,\u00a0founder\u00a0and CEO of Union Square Hospitality, applies this principle perfectly. He claims that\u00a0he\u00a0doesn’t hire candidates so much for their experience and hard skills, but more for their\u00a0emotional\u00a0skills.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He refers to this as the 51% rule, which prioritises\u00a0attitudes and personal qualities over skills.\u00a0In his book,\u00a0Setting the Table: The Transforming Power of\u00a0Hospitality<\/a> in Business,\u00a0Meyer\u00a0explains,\u00a0\u201cto me,\u00a0a 51 percenter has five core emotional skills. I\u2019ve learned that we need to hire employees with these skills if we\u2019re to be champions at the team sport of hospitality.\u201d After all,\u00a0you can always train a good waiter on technical skills. What’s difficult is to change someone’s attitude.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That’s\u00a0why\u00a0it’s so important\u00a0when hiring hospitality staff\u00a0to consider whether a potential candidate can be a team player, is flexible, shows humility, is positive and genuinely enjoys serving clients, among other qualities.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Meyer there are 5\u00a0emotional skills to look out for in a candidate<\/strong>:\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Kindness and optimism\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Intellectual curiosity\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Work ethic\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Empathy and self-awareness\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. Integrity\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When it comes to\u00a0the\u00a0technical skills that employees must acquire to work in a hotel or restaurant, there are learning platforms that can make the job a lot easier<\/strong>. These can be engaging and extremely\u00a0effective and\u00a0can\u00a0also\u00a0be adapted to suit the candidate\u2019s needs.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Provide your teams with individualised online learning and guarantee an excellent employee experience from day one. With specialised learning and development software, such as\u00a0Flow Learning by Mapal,\u00a0restaurant, bar and hotel\u00a0recruitment\u00a0and onboarding\u00a0has never been easier.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Give new hires a good first impression. Let the onboarding process begin.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Once you’ve chosen the right person for the job,\u00a0you\u00a0have to\u00a0let them know that they’ve been chosen. And that’s when the onboarding process starts.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Contrary to what many people think, the process doesn’t start on the first day of work. It starts way before that, and it\u2019s an important part of the employee life cycle.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You may be wondering, however, why it’s so crucial to ensure a good employee experience during the first few days and months.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When\u00a0almost 90% of new starters\u00a0decide\u00a0if they\u2019ll\u00a0stay in the company or not during the first six months,\u00a0this\u2019ll come as no surprise.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n


If you can ensure new starters have a great experience during the first few months,\u00a0they\u2019ll\u00a0more likely want to stay with you. This,\u00a0in turn,\u00a0will reduce turnover\u00a0in your company.
\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So,\u00a0how do you guarantee a successful onboarding process?\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

With learning management platforms such as Flow Learning, you can ensure your teams have a positive experience from the get-go.\u00a0Part of that experience is keeping the employee\u00a0up to date\u00a0from the very first day<\/strong>. They should know\u00a0exactly\u00a0what they\u00a0have to\u00a0do, what their job will entail\u00a0and\u00a0what is expected of them. They should also be familiar with\u00a0their schedule,\u00a0their\u00a0person of contact and\u00a0their\u00a0onboarding training.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not only\u00a0that but\u00a0allowing them to handle all the boring but necessary paperwork in a centralised way, even BEFORE their\u00a0first day<\/strong>,\u00a0speeds up the onboarding process massively.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

New members will feel motivated,\u00a0ready to be part of the team\u00a0and\u00a0actively get involved with their role from the very first day.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Constellation, Levy Restaurants’<\/a> HR section\u00a0experienced this first-hand when they\u00a0implemented\u00a0Flow Learning\u00a0across their organisation.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over 5000 new starters are currently assigned induction training on Flow, and Constellation has managed to reduce the time taken from application to onboarding from an average of twenty days to five.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An excellent example of how to optimise\u00a0recruitment in the hospitality industry\u00a0and\u00a0onboarding,\u00a0by providing the employee with all the information\u00a0and training\u00a0they need from day one.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Planning\u00a0a\u00a0new starter\u2019s first days at work in a restaurant\u00a0\u00a0<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We all know that the first few days are crucial,\u00a0as they set the tone for the rest of the employee\u2019s journey. So, it’s important that new starters receive a warm welcome.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To ensure a smooth onboarding process, assign new starters a buddy that can show them\u00a0around, answer any questions and\u00a0be on hand to help.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Breakfast<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It enables new starters to get to know the company culture and build relationships with colleagues from the first day, giving them a sense of belonging.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Talya\u00a0Bauer\u00a0explains this with the 5 Cs of successful onboarding<\/a>:\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n