Tips for Recruiting Seasonal Employees

It seems like we blinked and everything exploded into green!  Summer is just around the corner and for many businesses, especially in the food and hospitality industry, that means things are going to get busy. Your success this summer is very much dependent on hiring good seasonal staff.  Are you prepared to recruit and retain a successful summer staff?

• First things first, start advertising open positions, if you haven’t already.  The longer you wait, the most likely the really prepared and responsible candidates (the ones you want) will have already found a job for the summer.
• Create job descriptions and job advertisements and post them on online job sites, high school and college job boards, Kijiji, and job fairs.  Make sure they clearly describe the position and the specific skills required.  This will narrow in on more suitable applicants.
• Market the position(s) by including it in your other online and print marketing materials.  Put it in your newsletter, in your advertising, and post it on social media.
• Be picky and don’t rush the process.   Don’t just hire someone because they were first to apply.  Make sure you carefully screen resumes, check references, and conduct productive interviews with qualified candidates.  If you hire people who are under qualified or unreliable you’ll have to go through this whole process again mid-season.
• Train seasonal staff properly.  Do you ever eat at a restaurant and feel like the staff are practicing on you because they weren’t trained properly?  Seasonal employees should go through the same training as your year round staff.  There is always a place for ‘learning as you go’, but do your best to make sure everyone is ready to do their jobs properly when the busy season starts.

This new season brings possibilities for learning and success for you and your employees.  Embrace it!