As operators in the outdoor hospitality industry, unorthodox is defined as normal, and normal…? Well, normal simply doesn’t exist. Partnered with this abnormality are challenges such as resort seasonality, remote locations, and the necessary skills to lead and manage a multigenerational workforce across varying departments. Complex aquatics facilities, retail, food & beverage, guest relations, and recreation/event management are a few of the many departments outdoor hospitality businesses must consider. In today’s competitive landscape, finding capable, experienced, and well-rounded managers has become increasingly challenging, particularly in the outdoor hospitality sector, where the demand for top talent continues to outpace supply.
Today’s workforce is ever-evolving. While there may not be a definite answer or one-size-fits-all solution, we turned to Kristin Bettley, one of our Regional Operations Manager, for her insights. Drawing from her expertise in managing, recruiting, and hiring talent in today’s challenging landscape, Kristin shares her words and strategies for success below.
Have a genuine Employer Value Proposition (EVP)
Your EVP should clearly represent the experience you strive to create for your employees. The right EVP can be the difference in generating interest and excitement about your organization, helping you attract the right candidates to take the plunge and apply. This article written by Harver, a software that delivers automated, data-driven solutions to help organizations efficiently manage hiring, provides some excellent examples to inspire creative and out-of-the-box thinking to entice your candidate audience.
Know your internal talent pool—and their career goals!
As a leader, your responsibility, above all responsibilities, is your team and their success; your internal team is your #1 customer, and the best bench you can build. Placing priority around your teams’ employment experience and career growth is arguably the most important pillar a company can have, and is pinnacle in your business’ talent pipeline. Mean what you say, and say what you mean by embodying your EVP every day.
Secondly, get into the layers of your business’ org chart by making time to get to know the team members reporting to your direct reports. Not only will this provide insight to your managers relationship with their team, but it opens the door for casual impromptu conversations around career goals and aspirations. Keep the conversation alive through strategic follow-up, delegate and partner on additional responsibilities that align with their goals, and by referencing these discussions with their direct report, and with them in future conversations.
Maintain regular team check-ins
Host regular performance conversations with your teams’ regarding their strengths and how to leverage them further through cross-departmental training and exposure. Empathetically share their opportunities where additional growth will support their success, and gaining a clear understanding of their goals through career coursing is the surest way to build a strong succession pipeline. Having these conversations no less than quarterly allows you to understand your team’s needs and gauge their progress and readiness to take on new challenges.
Networking–building relationships in your industry, and relevant markets
Fostering relationships both within your industry and relevant markets your businesses are located is an integral component to building your external bench. Nowadays, pounding-the-pavement can feel somewhat archaic; in the world of hospitality, this human connection and exposure is actually what can transpose networking contacts into potential candidates.
I’ve found that some of the best places to network within communities are:
- Colleges (both with faculty and students)
- The chamber of commerce
- Networking events such as community clean-up days or meet and greet meetings
- Community board meetings
Being intentional in who and how you connect, and setting a cadence for follow-up will continue to foster and build relationships. Like any relationship, it’s critical to give as much (if not more) than you take from your networking contacts. Represent your business culture and EVP when networking, and take the time to understand these contacts both personally and professionally. Offer a hand in filling their vacant roles, or support their marketing efforts, and seek opportunities to partner your businesses.
When networking, constantly be practicing the ‘You and Who’ recruiting method; “You may be interested, or Who do you know who may be interested?” Openly share opportunities regularly; you never know when/if the person in front of you would be willing to learn more about your career opportunities or knows someone who would be the perfect fit!
Host genuine and intentional interviews–who is interviewing who?
You’re fortunate to have a conversation scheduled with a qualifying candidate. Now what? In today’s hiring climate, candidates are interviewing you and your company, just as you are them. More than ever, employees are also shifting industries they’re most familiar with to try something new, and that can feel pretty intense on the candidate’s side of the table.
Firstly, I encourage you to lead into your interview with an overview of what to expect in your time together, and put your candidate at ease by emphasizing that your time together is a conversation and not a Q & A. Share excitement around your intent to get to know them and their needs as an employee, just as importantly as their skill sets, and encourage them to share these needs in that day’s discussion. In most cases, your employees spend more time with you and at their place of employment than they do with their own families. Align to ensure both parties’ needs can be met. Fulfillment at work = strong employee retention.
Secondly, know what you can teach, what you can’t teach, and be transparent in this conversation as those competencies present themselves. Be comfortable setting expectations around this as early as the first interview as a way of explaining what your needs are as an employer with your candidate. Additionally and most importantly, ask intentional questions to understand the candidates willingness and ability to take feedback and to provide it. Inquire on examples of how they embody solution-based thinking, and maintain a growth mindset in trying times of uncertainty. As a pro-tip: Specific examples from your candidate hold truer weight than theoreticals. Challenge and encourage your candidate to share who, how and when wherever possible.
A mentor of mine once shared, “If only there were a crystal ball to hiring. Anticipating when you need to hire before you need to hire, being certain in the success of the person you’ll extend the offer to, and knowing how long they’ll be in the role until you have to do the process all over again. Unfortunately, there’s not, and the work here can never stop.” In my career I’ve held this close, and cyclically speaking, in my experience it’s proven to be true. Know who you are as an employer and commit to it every day, keep your employees’ growth a top priority, be a familiar face and name in your market and industry, and when interviewing, gain a clear understanding of your candidates needs and what you can and cannot teach to help identify the right talent the first time.
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Although the talent landscape will never be ‘perfect,’ setting clear goals can make recruiting top-tier outdoor hospitality managers a lot more manageable. By honing in on your Employer Value Proposition, nurturing your internal talent, building industry connections, and keeping interviews intentional, you’ll be better positioned to attract and keep the right people. Stay flexible and committed to these strategies, and you’ll find the right talent to help your team thrive in this ever-changing industry.