Fast, fresh talent: 7 tips for sourcing hospitality talent at the last minute

Businesses always aim to get their staffing right. But in catering and hospitality things can be very unpredictable: there are times when restaurants, pubs and bars need to pull in last minute staff.
The upcoming Coronation of King Charles III – and the four-day bank holiday around it – will give a boon to the UK hospitality sector in early May. The government has even extended licensing hours by two hours for pubs, bars and clubs over the Coronation weekend.

So this is a timely reminder of the best ways to source self-employed talent when your rotas are full and you need to find more people quickly:

1. Detailed mission description

Clearly articulating what the mission entails is essential, the more detailed the better. A good description makes the role you need to fill, as well as your company overall, more inviting to the talent you are looking to attract. Give them good insight into how your company operates: people value being given a clear understanding of what they are being asked to do, as well as the culture of the business they will be working with.

2. Advertise ASAP

This may seem obvious, but in a last-minute situation do make sure you get your posting up as soon as possible. As covered above, be clear on what the role will entail and what type of company you are. Also, be realistic and include any areas of flexibility – information about how to access the venue or transport you can provide, for example.

3. Use the best contact person

Make sure your mission posting lists the contact details of the most relevant person: their full name, role, email address and telephone number if possible. Even though your posting is last minute and speed is of the essence, take the time to make sure you have included all the necessary requirements, including skills and dress code/uniform.

4. Reach out early

Once you secure someone, you will have access to their contact details, so (although you may expect the talent to contact you, and they likely will) reach out to them as soon as you can. You can provide further details and manage expectations too. Communicating early with talent will help ensure a smooth integration into the team, despite the short notice.

5. Be flexible

If the mission does not have to be carried out on consecutive days by the same person, make sure you make that clear. When posting a job on Brigad, you can make it ‘splittable’ to help open you up to talent that may have time available, but are not free for several days in a row. Another useful feature on Brigad is the option to select ‘alternative role’ if your mission is suitable to more than one type of talent – for example, if a cocktail bartender is not available, will you accept a senior bartender?

6. Embrace the new

Whilst making effective use of a whitelist is great, when you need to secure talent at the last minute it can be limiting to rely on one. So do not limit yourself when making your job posting; leave yourself open to connecting to people that you have not worked with before. You will have the opportunity to meet new experienced professionals that may be ready to help your business at short notice and may become useful contacts for the future too.

7. Consider paying more

For a mission that you need accepted as soon as possible, it is worth considering offering a higher-than-average price to secure the talent you need. On Brigad for example, there are automatic minimum price per hour, but you can always override this to offer more. That way, when people are looking through the opportunities, your posting will stand out even more.