Four Tips to Strengthen Your Rehiring Process

Quickly finding, vetting and hiring the right people to work at your property was hard before the pandemic; it’s even harder now.

This time last year, the hospitality industry was shut down in many regions. Amid the closures, hospitality employees were being laid off or furloughed. Since then, vaccine rollouts have led to an eagerness for people to travel. One survey reported that 50% of Americans have a trip planned for this summer.

As a result, the landscape of hospitality is rapidly changing and hiring demand has increased at an exponential rate. There were 343,000 jobs added in the leisure and hospitality industry this June, however the industry is still 2.28 million jobs below pre-pandemic employment numbers.

Despite the hiring demand, hospitality companies are reporting not finding enough people to hire. Strategically attracting and hiring top talent is now more important than ever.

As you bring back hospitality workers, the below tips can help strengthen your hiring process:

Increasing Time-to-Hire

As the hospitality industry evolves, time-to-hire has become an increased focus area for organizations and their candidates. In order to attract top talent, hospitality organizations are striving to hire as quickly as possible, and the imperative is clear: 89% of potential candidates drop out of the hiring process if an organization’s screening processes take too long. However, hiring quickly can be more difficult than it appears.

In the recruitment and interview process, you can consider posting jobs across social media platforms, conducting flexible/group interviews, and using automated scheduling systems to speed up time-to-hire.

Identity Verification Comes First

As a safeguard against identity fraud, every background check should begin with the verification of identity. This type of verification confirms that your candidate is who they claim to be throughout the application process.

Through AI, a candidate’s identity can be verified in moments using a mobile phone-based process. A person would first take a picture of their government ID, followed by a selfie on their phone. Advanced technology then matches the provided documentation to their photo ID.

Identity verification and background checks work hand-in-hand to build trust and safety in the hiring process.

Incorporating Criminal Background Checks

Along with identity verifications, criminal background checks can add a sense of security that you are choosing the right person to join your organization and represent your brand. While recruitment tools and techniques can help find candidates faster, it is important to invest in mobile-friendly onboarding experiences and efficient background checks.

Instead of becoming a bottleneck in the hiring process, background checks can be seamlessly incorporated into your hiring process to verify information and uncover any potential criminal activity. These checks can aid in maintaining your corporate culture, protecting your brand, and building your organization around a foundation of trust and safety.

Utilizing a Covid Testing Program

Even with a Covid-19 vaccine, there are still many unknowns. At this point, there are now new variants of the virus and we have seen some vaccinated people contract Covid-19. There are also questions around how long vaccinated individuals are protected from the virus.

In a time of increasing unknowns and a rush to hire, incorporating a Covid-19 testing program into your strategy will maximize safety. Testing can be administered to hospitality employees on-site, or prior to their return to work.

Safe and Efficient Hiring

While hiring quickly, it is important to not sacrifice safety for speed. With the recent rush to hire hospitality workers, partnering with a best-in-class screening provider that can provide accurate and fast results can revolutionize your hiring process. Background checks, Covid-19 testing, and identity verification can help maximize trust and safety at your organization, while cultivating your corporate culture, protecting your brand, and maintaining the great experience you provide for your customers.

Ken Schnee is the General Manager of the Technology, Media, Entertainment, and Hospitality group of Sterling, a provider of background and identity services. With over 10 years of experience in the talent industry, he brings extensive expertise in sales, operations, and technological innovation. Prior to his current role, Ken held several leadership posts at Sterling, including Reginal Director of Sales, Vice President of Solution Consulting, and Head of Client Operations. Find him on LinkedIn. For more information, visit Sterling or call 1 800 899 2272 with any questions you may have.

This article was originally published by Hospitality Technology.

Sterling is not a law firm. This publication is for informational purposes only and nothing contained in it should be construed as legal advice. We expressly disclaim any warranty or responsibility for damages arising out this information. We encourage you to consult with legal counsel regarding your specific needs. We do not undertake any duty to update previously posted materials.