How to recruit the best staff
Have you ever interviewed for a role which turns out to be significantly different to the original advert description when you’re trying to recruit the best staff?
This is actually a common complaint from travel job seekers. Worse still, some recent starters have told us their new role has turned out to be quite dissimilar to the position that was discussed during their interview. This may lead the employee to regret their decision to leave their last position and resent their current employer.
Every decent employer should avoid this situation. To recruit the best staff for travel roles can be a costly exercise, both financially and in terms of time spent, so making the right choices can be crucial.
10 steps to ensuring you recruit the best staff for your travel role:
- Ensure your travel job descriptions are reviewed regularly and are checked by someone who is currently in the role.
- Review the travel job advert before it is placed to ensure it is an accurate reflection of the position on offer.
- Add an initial telephone interview stage to your recruitment process. This will enable both parties to discuss the fundamental aspects of the role at the outset, before a face-to-face interview stage.
- Have a team member meet your applicant after you have finished the interview. In addition to providing another opinion, this will also give you another opportunity to find a travel professional who fits your company’s culture.
- Structure your interview questions around the job description and desired outcomes of the role, to ensure you are getting the best-matched person for your travel job.
- Ask the right kinds of questions. If you ask someone why they left their last role and they blame someone else, it’s important to follow up with another question. If they continue to cite external forces for their problems, without justification, you may want to reconsider this candidate.
- Encourage the potential employee to ask questions about your travel position to indicate they have a thorough understanding of what is required for the role.
- Take the time to evaluate and learn from your past hiring processes and decisions made. Have your hires succeeded? If not, why not? What could you have done differently?
- Once hired, it is vital that you have a formal induction programme in place for your new travel recruit – rules, regulations, health and safety and other policies should be explained in full. Introductions should be made early to ensure your “newbie” feels welcomed.
- Review and look back over the recruitment and selection process. Did it go as well as you hoped? What could have been improved upon? Give yourself a headstart for next time.
Not all your hiring decisions will work out. You can do all the right things when hiring, and you may still end up with a person who isn’t a perfect match. However, with the right preparation, hiring new talent to your business should be an exciting and successful time for both you and your new employee!
Contact me or follow me on LinkedIn for all your recruitment needs.