I work with Human Resource professionals in the hospitality industry on a daily basis. It is my job to help HR and other hotel executives construct advertisements when job openings arise. What some people may not realize, is that there are simple tactics that can be put in play to make a great advertisement that can result in a quick hire.

Putting branding and other advertising options aside, let's focus on the raw ad and how you can do it right, the first time. One of the mistakes I see more than I would like, is a limited service hotel posting for a Director of Sales. Unless you have a Sales Manager working under that "Director of Sales," try to stay away from using this title. This results in over qualified candidates applying to that ad, wanting far more money than what you can offer. This goes for all positions. Try to avoid big titles, such as "Director," unless there are Managers working below that person. 

Another thing to be careful about is posting your salary range. If you do this, be sure to research your market well, because if you are below average on the salary scale you will struggle with candidate flow. Posting your salary range is useful if you fall within the average or even better if it is above average. Hcareers has a partnership with PayScale, which is a reliable source you can count on to educate yourself on salary ranges based on location and title, specific to the hospitality industry.

Working on the advertising side of things, some of the challenges I hear most often include receiving many out of state candidate applications. I always tell my customers to write it directly under the job requirements, "Local candidates preferred" or "Relocation not offered." It is still an employer's market out there, and job seekers are willing to take demotions more than ever to secure full time work, and are increasingly willing to move across the country, even for non-management jobs such as a Front Desk Agent. It is hard to believe, but true!

Overall, you need to sell your company to job seekers just as much as they need to sell themselves to you. If you don't have a profile page on Hcareers, add in a line or two in your job description about why it is so great to work for you. And if you spot a great candidate, get on it, because they are applying for other jobs as well, and chances are if you think they look great, so will your competitors.

Be sure to ask your Hcareers rep for tips on getting the best results from your recruitment ad. We want you to find the best hire. Good luck!