The process of hiring in a candidate-driven market

Travel industry hiring managers will be all too aware of the leverage that job seekers have in the market at the moment. With much of the talent pool having departed the industry along with the pandemic, many have found better-paid opportunities in other industries. Additionally, with almost two years of restricted travel, there is a shortage of the usual crop of young travel enthusiasts who have just returned from their overseas adventures and looking to work in the industry.

The year ahead is set to be the first full year of unrestricted travel in three years -  travel businesses have not been collecting full balances on healthy booking numbers since the first few months of 2020. This, combined with the cost-of-living crisis and impending recession, means that cash flow for most travel businesses still isn’t what it was pre-2020. As a result, many are struggling to compete with candidate counter offers both from outside the industry and from other travel companies with strong investor support.

What can you do to attract the best talent in such a difficult market?

Attracting new talent

All of this is not to say that you can’t still attract top-tier talent. In a post-pandemic world, many candidates place a high value on things like flexible working, parental leave and mental health awareness. It doesn’t always come down to salary - although being competitive in the current economy definitely helps. Tightening up your hiring process, reviewing the working environment and giving your employer branding an overhaul will also go a long way towards building an industry-leading team in 2023.

Here are some pointers to get you started:

1. Make sure the scope of the role detailed in your job posting aligns with the reality of the day-to-day work. Don’t be tempted to oversell the position. In a candidate-driven market, employees will be more likely to start looking elsewhere if the job description doesn’t match the daily reality.
2. At the same time, make sure that you use your job posting to highlight the unique aspects of the role and what makes your company culture special.
3. Use social media and other digital platforms to promote your job openings. Don’t rely on job hunters seeking you out; you must be proactive in promoting your vacant positions.
4. Make sure you are responding to your candidates in a professional, timely manner and that the hiring procedure is quick and efficient– it’s important that candidates have a positive experience throughout the process.
5. Remain flexible and open to negotiation – there may be non-salary benefits that candidates also value, such as remote work options or flexible hours.
6. Review the compensation package that you are offering – is it the best you can do?
7. Offer employee referral bonuses or other incentives for current employees to refer candidates.
8. Engage your network – either digitally or at in-person events, a great opportunity to meet potential candidates in person.
9. Be prepared to invest in training so that new employees feel prepared for their new role – you can’t always expect people to ‘hit the ground running’.
10. Have a career progression plan prepared for the role. Ambitious candidates may ask about it at the interview stage and will be quickly turned off if the position appears stagnant.

Working with an industry-specialist recruiter

Few understand the difficulties facing the travel industry job market better than the recruiters who spend each day discussing problems and solutions with candidates and employers. A specialist recruiter will have a unique insight into the key reasons why employees are leaving their current roles and can help you avoid these pitfalls with your new recruits. They will also be on the pulse with candidate expectations across the industry and can help you benchmark your offering.

Fi at Ambitions Travel Recruitment has been working with businesses and employees across the industry for decades – aligning client needs with candidate ambitions. If you are struggling to find talent in the current candidate-driven market, Fi can help you navigate the obstacles with ease and success.