How To Write a Great Job Ad In Hospitality
By: Grit Hp - Hospitality
Tags: Hospitality, Recruiting, HR, Hiring, Jobs

Job Ads In Hospitality

Writing stunning job ads is more complicated than most of us think. With so many job description templates out there, finding the right information to stand out and attract quality applicants can feel like a daunting task. Even if you tried your best to keep it short and get to the point, most people forget an important statement: why someone would want to work for your business and on your team.

Communicating to the modern workforce requires speaking the right way to your audience, and guess what? It’s hard to stand out. You have to be specific, express your brand, and create a connection between your culture and the job opportunity. Below you will find a structured way of writing a quality job ad that pulls away from the status quo and moves you forward into a modern hiring process that will help you connect with the modern workforce.

1. Compelling Readers

Your post title can be an attention-grabber and more than just a job title. You can have fun with this by including the name of the job title and adding one to three things that will make the job attractive to the desired applicants you have in mind. Make it stand out from the masses, be creative, and match it to what your business stands for.

For example, Bartender is a direct, standard job title. If your establishment uses high-end ingredients and top-shelf liquors, Mixologist adds a flare of sophistication. Consider your company culture and try to adapt your title to that. Adding descriptors can be helpful, too. i.e. Eccentric Bartender or Spirits Expert.

2. Create An Introduction That Sparks Emotion.

On Grit, our job ads are formatted like company portfolios covering the most important human resources points. We encourage you to create a short introduction that shows off your company’s most important accomplishments or best-known attributes, and highlights your team culture.

Example: Flay restaurant has been a trendsetter in our city since 2019. We’ve been named one of the best restaurants this past year by Eater, Food and Wine, and often visited by food bloggers from across the world. Our team members created the service, culinary, and beverage program we have cooked up here. Here at Flay restaurant, we work together, laugh together, struggle together, and thrive together. If your interest sparked, like ours do when one of our chefs tells us he made “the family” dinner, keep reading.

3. The Job Description — Get To The Point.

We suggest you provide 3–7 bullet points on what a normal day looks like and what their primary duties will be. It is vital to get to the point and not list anything more to take up space. You want to be clear and concise, so that the job seeker can identify with the responsibilities and understand right away if they’re qualified.

For example:

Here is what you need to bring to the Kitchen:

A keen eye for quality ingredients

An expert way with a knife and prep table

A communicative nature and strong work ethic

An understanding of seafood and shellfish cooking

A desire to learn (and invent) new plating and garnishing methods

A positive attitude

4. Qualifications and Requirements

Be realistic! Most places set too many high expectations and miss out on great candidates that might need a little bit of training, but have the capabilities. The modern workforce is always willing to learn, and they learn fast! Start by years of experience, descriptions of work environments or establishments, the sizes of numerous teams they might have managed or been part of, specific expertise, creative thinking, planning, and more.

Example:

3–5 years of experience in fine dining Strong understanding of traditional Japanese cuisine Strong understanding of modern Japanese cuisine. Previously worked with Beverage Directors to create strong pairings with dishes on the menu. Strategically manage inventory Experience with creating local partnerships. Such as coffee brands and more.

5. Tell Your Company Story

How do you market to your customers? You do so by telling a story! A similar method is subconsciously expected from your desired applicants. By telling a story, you can create emotion and help job seekers connect with your business, its culture, services, and brand in ways you haven’t before. Plus, you will attract more quality applicants.

6. Make It Interesting With Visuals

You want to help job seekers visualize what it is like to work at your business. Our job ads are formatted to help you achieve that goal by creating an experience for job seekers that’s reminiscent of how they engage on social media. Pulling you away from outdated practices and helping you connect with applicants on a deeper level through pictures and video, you can say a million words versus a few hundred. This doesn’t exist in the traditional job platform webspace.

7. Offer Challenges, Not Rewards

Why challenges? Presenting a challenge sparks confidence and motivation. You can challenge your employees to earn things like certain experience, mobility, and certifications, which is far more valuable than rewards like small bonuses or company parties.

8. Clarity on Career Path

What career path do you offer? The modern workforce is young, driven, and they have career goals! Therefore it is essential you are communicating how and in what direction they can advance their career. And more importantly, how your managerial team helps them with that. Additionally, you can also share some of the career development programs your business has in place.

9. Salary Range

We get it. Not all businesses can afford the same wage, but job seekers want to know what you are paying. In an economy and society like this, a salary determines a lot. Is it enough to cover the basics such as rent, utilities, commute, phone bills, and groceries? Next to that, will they be able to buy some of the things that will make them happy? Such as saving, clothes, technology, products, or vacations? To be honest, you’re saving yourself hours of time by stating this upfront. No one likes getting through a long interview process only to discover the salary requirements are the deal-breaker.

We suggest you always add a salary range for job ad rankings and one that is honest. Don’t post something you’re not willing to pay.

Example: $20-$25 based on skills and knowledge

Finding a quality candidate is tough! Regardless if you are an owner, manager of a restaurant or hotel, etc. You now know nine tips for creating a quality job ad that will help you showcase your company, your brand, and describe your open job positions in ways that meet how we communicate with each other online. By following our tips and using our complete job post template, we hope you will find your next quality hires. We’ll guide you through all the steps. Just visit our job site and start posting today.