According to a recent survey, and following active growth in the hotel industry, hoteliers are becoming increasingly challenged to find the right senior talent for their teams, and in the fastest way possible. As it’s taking longer to secure talent for permanent positions, 88% of hoteliers consulted now employ task force practitioners as a smart HR strategy to fuel their growth in the interim, a 60% increase from the 55% who reported using this hiring strategy five years ago.
We recently consulted with a selection of hotel leadership teams to see what they are looking for in senior staff, how their recruiting practices have changed over the past five years, and how they value task force professionals as a key component to their hiring strategies.
Key findings: It’s all about securing the right talent, and fast. According to the survey:
- It’s taking longer to source senior hospitality talent: In 2013, 50% hoteliers spent 3-4 weeks to hire a senior candidate for a permanent position; in 2018, 55% of those hoteliers have to spend over four weeks in their search, up from 35% in 2013
- Hotels increasingly use task force consultants to fill senior positions: In 2013, 50% of hotel leadership did not contemplate using task force; in 2018, 72% of them regularly use task force consultants in their senior executive hiring plans
- The time to recruit senior task force consultants has dropped to 2 weeks: On average, the majority of hotel leadership teams take less than two weeks to source a senior hospitality professional, half the time needed to secure a qualified candidate for a permanent position
- Task force recruiting is fast and furious: One quarter of all task force positions are secured in less than one week (something no hotel indicated was possible back in 2013)
- Task force is a consolidated hiring practice for senior management: An overwhelming 88% of hoteliers consulted use task force professionals to fill senior positions in hotel management today, with 6% engaging senior hospitality task force professionals often or very often, and 57% on occasion
- Hoteliers report satisfaction with hospitality contractors: 72% say they are satisfied or very satisfied with the work of their task force consultants; no hotels consulted noted they were unsatisfied with the consultants they brought in to their hotels
- More hotels use agencies for task force than for permanent positions: 46% of them refer to agencies for short term hires only, while 31% use for permanent and contractor positions; just 8% of hotels use selection agencies just for permanent positions only
- Qualified candidates and speed are key: When asked what they appreciate in task force hires, 40% of the hoteliers consulted indicated they value the consultant’s senior, qualified profiles most, while 33% appreciate the speed in securing the candidate
According to Jacqueline Villamil, COO, “Senior hotel talent is in high demand, and hotel leadership teams consider task force an increasingly effective way to quickly bridge a need gap and introduce experienced professionals to the team. A true sign of the times, hoteliers know the cost to keep senior positions open affects their bottom line and are willing to explore new avenues.”
If you’re interested in becoming a taskforce consultant, please reach out to us here.