There is no doubt that the recruitment and employment market has changed, so we took the opportunity to identify what these changes were, what is driving candidate behaviour and what candidates are looking for in this new market. During February and March 2009 Frontline Recruitment Group conducted over 600 surveys with candidates that came into our agencies for an interview.

Over the next couple of issues we will share these findings with you to give you an insight into this changing market. In this edition we will share with you not just our findings but we will include a summary of the research that was recently conducted by Career One, who surveyed 2000 respondents and from this you will be able to see the parallels and together this should assist you understand how to attract and retain candidates in this changed market.

In recent times it has been a candidate marketplace with candidates receiving multiple job offers, candidates have been able to pick and choose the jobs they want and if things got difficult they would up and leave and would find another role with relative ease. With the current market, cost reductions, recruitment freezes and redundancies it is much more difficult and these conditions are causing some consternation for the Gen Y employees, who for so long have taken things for granted and have had things relatively easy.

Today recruitment is not just about finding a person to fill a role; it’s about finding the best person with the right skills and attitude for the role. Finding them is hard but keeping them is even harder, the research we conducted provides an insight into candidate desires and behaviours.

Less than 10% of prospective new employees are actively in the job market at any one time, the vast majority of employees are happy where they are but research shows that 77% of employees are keeping their options open and would move if offered a job that better fits their needs. So with that in mind we need to know what those triggers are.

What Motivates Hospitality Candidates?

We asked Hospitality candidates to rate in order of importance the most important factor in terms of attracting a candidate to a career in Hospitality and they responded with Career Opportunities as the most important factor.

1. Career Opportunities – Most important for Assistant managers

2. The Company (Brand and reputation) - Most important for Store managers and above

3. The job role - Very important for Assistant managers

4. The amount of customer contact - Very important for Assistant managers

5. Financial rewards (Salary) - Most important for Store based roles

6. Financial rewards (Bonuses) – Important for Management roles

These statistics changed depending on the role and length of time working within the Hospitality sector. 45% of the candidates interviewed were at assistant manager level, 50% at store manager level and the balance were made up of area, regional and state managers.

The average age of candidates surveyed in Hospitality were between 24-30 years of age and have been in the Hospitality sector for an average of 4-6 years.

What working conditions are Hospitality Candidates looking for?

We asked Hospitality candidates to rank in order of importance the importance of different working conditions and they responded with flexible work hours and work life balance as the most important factor closely followed by Training.

1. ,p>Flexible work hours/ work life balance – Most important for GenY candidates

2. Training – Important for all store based roles

3. Alternating weekends - Important for all store based roles

4. Culture – Very important for store based roles

Additional super, unpaid leave options, car allowance and mobile phone in that order rated very low in level of importance.

What Extra benefits are Hospitality candidates looking for?

We asked Hospitality candidates to rank in order of importance what they would like in terms of Extra benefits and they responded with the provision to achieve sales target bonuses as the most important factor, salary was less important for Hospitality candidates when applying for a Hospitality role as long there was an opportunity to bolster their salary with benefits like time off, bonuses and training provided by the company.

1. Sales target bonuses - Most important for Store based roles

2. Management performance bonus

3. Overtime pay

4. Staff discounts

5. Incentives

6. Provision of uniforms

7. Clothing allowance

What specific Training do Hospitality candidates want?

Candidates at all levels identified training as extremely important for them so we asked what specific training they would like to undertake and management techniques was the most important training desired and this is aligned to the number one motivator for candidates and that is career opportunities.

1. Management Techniques

2. Sales skills

3. Team work

4. Customer service

5. Time management

6. Computer skills

What did the Career One research cover?

The Career One research was undertaken to identify candidate behaviour with all candidates not just those active candidates, what they discovered was that all employees are candidates at some point in time and even though they may not be actively looking as is termed in the recruitment industry, with 77% of employees prepared to keep their options open to considering other jobs, the research was designed to identify what are the specific triggers for these employees. When compiling the research it became apparent that there were seven clear segments of job hunters and understanding them will assist recruiters better capture these job seekers and find the right person for the role and then have a better chance of retaining them.

The seven segments and the characteristics are:

Personal Ambition

What I need: Success and Career Progression

Predominately found in banking and finance, sales, marketing, mining and government.

Recognise Me

What I need: Recognition and Reward

Predominantly found in Hospitality, trades, and services, sales, leisure and entertainment, technology, accounting, engineering and science

Rewarding Challenge

What I need: Reward and life balance

Predominately found in agriculture, manufacturing, government, Hospitality and sales, engineering, technology and real estate.

Flexibility

What I need: Flexibility, recognition and challenge

Large proportion in Hospitality, leisure and entertainment, health and pharmaceutical, accounting and voluntary/charity work.

Contented

What I need: Flexibility and lifestyle

Predominately found in education, health, Hospitality, sales, technology, engineering and science.

Supportive Environment

What I need: Team and Training

Predominantly found in health, medical, pharmaceutical and Hospitality.

Drifters

What I need: Team and Lifestyle

Predominantly found in Hospitality, sales, leisure, entertainment, logistics and transport.

Please feel free to contact us at Frontline Hospitality. with any recruitment requirements - we are here to help.