Attracting GOOD talent, by Óscar Correia

How should we think about talent in the context of hospitality?

By focusing primarily on individuals’ contributions, personality fit, and having a people’s people-driven attitude, the talent movement, by definition, succeeds in making the work placement and brand whole equal to the sum of the parts and no more.

Best hospitality brands are obsessed with talent; they hire the top graduates from the top hospitality schools, but how do they keep existing talents motivated and engaged with the newly arriving talents on the block?

They pay them lavish signing bonuses and compensate them beyond their best next alternatives. But the market is so fragile in keeping its best team members who have made the brand’s success along the way!

Identify your star performers and turn them loose, empowered for return. They will build a performing culture environment if they are aligned with the brand’s vision.

All this reinforced with a superstar mindset, sometimes it is the point of potential narcissism, in which the best interest of the brand is sublimated to the self-interest of the superstar. So the critical issue is not the individual talent that you have, but rather the competitive advantage is what you do with the talent you once had it!

And this is a brand issue. Teamwork tends to beat the best talent. Think about it.

About talent, my take is; unhappy team members often look for new job opportunities, and happy ones do not! And that is not a bad thing. You may have to look harder and more creatively to find the best candidates.

Searching for someone to successfully fill a position may mean contacting people who are satisfied with their current positions and who never dreamed of considering an offer from another competitor. This step might just yield your strongest candidates. But the really loyal employees will be very polite and thank you for your intention, and may suggest you to someone else who is looking for the next career move.

Everyone is scouting! But when money is the major motivation factor, work is difficult to win.

Start by truly promoting the brand values that can be a good selling factor. Drive and dive a structure search process to be less bureaucratic and more responsive to individuals’ concerns and interests. Making a clear statement regarding the values, mission of your brand, and what the candidate can bring to the team, and how the prospective team member will be able to grow in that position, is necessary.

The challenge is not only finding talent, it is also what we do when we have them!

For attracting and retaining good talent within the hospitality industry, people interact with others and generate feelings of friendship and affection, they develop attachments through years of association that provide identity and belonging. No one can achieve consistent excellence that is required for top performers without support from superiors and leaders, cooks and cleaners, servers and bellboys, and encouraging families, practice settings that are in proper conditions to strive for perfection.

Attracting and retaining top talent within the hospitality industry relies heavily on the human element. Enjoy it. Be there for them and make their day.

hem loose, empowered for return. They will build a performing culture environment if they are aligned with the brand’s vision.

All this reinforced with a superstar mindset, sometimes it is the point of potential narcissism, in which the best interest of the brand is sublimated to the self-interest of the superstar. So the critical issue is not the individual talent that you have, but rather the competitive advantage is what you do with the talent you once had it!

And this is a brand issue. Teamwork tends to beat the best talent. Think about it.

About talent, my take is; unhappy team members often look for new job opportunities, and happy ones do not! And that is not a bad thing. You may have to look harder and more creatively to find the best candidates.

Searching for someone to successfully fill a position may mean contacting people who are satisfied with their current positions and who never dreamed of considering an offer from another competitor. This step might just yield your strongest candidates. But the really loyal employees will be very polite and thank you for your intention, and may suggest you to someone else who is looking for the next career move.

Óscar Correia – Culture Brand Ambassador Director at Vila Vita Parc

Óscar Correia has over three decades of experience in the hotel and restaurant industry. He started out as a waiter, before graduating in catering management from the Estoril School of Hospitality and Tourism. Ambitious, he quickly rose to the position of food and beverage director, gaining various experiences in England, Spain and Portugal – most of them in the Algarve region, his greatest passion being to serve and design experiences that bring magic to those who enter a restaurant. Proactive, dynamic, focused and goal-oriented, he is now Culture Brand Ambassador Director at Vila Vita Parc, having previously been Corporate and Executive F&B Director at Sublime Hotels, and has also worked at Discovery Land Company, the Plateform group, Sandals Resorts, Altis, Vila Galé, Ô Hotels & Resorts, Occidental Hotels & Resorts, Penha Longa Hotel Golf Resort, Meliá Hotels International and Slieve Donard Hotel & SPA, among others.

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