fi n d h i g h l y s k i l l e d p r o f e s s i o n a l s f r o m a l l a r o u n d t h e w o r l d

14 Tips to improve your international

seasonal worker recruiting strategy

Hire early.
Don’t wait for the last minute. Our data show that 80% of seasonal workers in the hospitality
sector prefer to know where they will be working next summer (or winter) at least 3 months in
advance, even for fixed-term positions.

Keep them happy.

Ensuring that your international seasonal workers feel comfortable in their roles is almost as
important as keeping your customers happy. In fact, these two go together. Happy workers are
smiley, polite and efficient. Overworked, sleepy or scared employees can be grumpy, rude or
dangerous when it comes to online reputation – a potential risk if you are keen on getting
positive TripAdvisor reviews. Make sure this is a win win relationship.

Provide high-quality housing services.

Seasonal workers in the hospitality sector often complain about their own housing issues.
Treat them as your best customer and they will pay you back with devotion, superb work ethic
and an excellent customer service.

Go social.
Make your international seasonal employees your global ambassadors. Ask them to like your
pages on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter and also ask their friends to do the same. In the age
of viral YouTube videos, your employees can be your advertisers globally.

Recruit students.
University students usually make great seasonal workers. Educated, polite, friendly, fluent in
foreign languages and flexible in regard to schedules (specially in the summer), they make a
good fit for non-demanding short-term vacancies.

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Tailor job descriptions and sift applications.
Job ads for fixed-term positions often attract loads of applications from unqualified jobseekers
that may delay your hiring process. Make sure that your job ad is accurate and detailed. You
can always specify that only candidates with one or two specific skills or relevant experience
will be considered.

Check References.
You scarcely have time to test the skills of international seasonal workers, so you will have to
rely on the kindness and credibility of strangers - more specifically, of referees from other
hotels overseas. Call them to find out whether your new hires are professional, experienced
and, most of all, trustworthy.

Tailor interview questions.

Asking the right questions during the interview is important to ensure that candidates won’t go
away in the first instance when you need them the most. Ask behaviour-related questions that
will help your assess their experience and working habits, such as how they have handled in
the past pressure or awkward incidents, including angry colleagues and customers.

Have a backup.
We like it or not, employee turnover rates are particularly high with international seasonal
workers. In many cases they just go, never to come back. Make sure that you have a backup
solution from local or international talent pools, such as university students.

Train them.
The difficult bit with international seasonal workers is to integrate them as soon as possible in
the culture and routines of the company. Try to do that as early as possible to ensure efficien-
cy – nowadays it can even be done online. Customers after all cannot tell the difference
between seasonal and permanent workers.

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 Give them a mentor.
No matter how experienced they are, international seasonal workers can often feel like fish out
of the water, particularly when it’s the first time they work abroad. Assign them to a permanent
employee who can serve as a mentor and explain every bit of the job. Help them feel safe and
secure, just like at home.

Inspire them.
Make them feel an integral part of the team. Let them take pride in what they do, and what you
do too. Give them a lecture on what the brand and the identity of your hotel are about. They
will pass this on to customers.

Focus on attitude, not aptitude.

Rarely does seasonal work require anything more than flexibility and endurance. Seek and
hire candidates equipped with a “can-do” attitude. They will never let you down.

Go for “same time, next year” workers.

Our surveys of international seasonal workers in the hospitality sector show that they appreci-
ate a combination of flexibility and safety. If they enjoyed working with you and you are happy
with them too, why not see each other again next year?

Contact us www.movinhand.com
hello@movinhand.com
+44 (0) 20 7122 0921
St Georges House, 15 Hanover Square London, W1S 1HS