Attracting and retaining talent is a challenge most companies face. This is why Times of Malta has partnered with Jobhound to offer a job-seeking service on Malta’s most popular website. Carina Scerri, HR Manager at Eden Leisure Group, explains why she is using Jobhound.
The hospitality sector in Malta is a significant contributor to the economy, with estimates indicating that this is in the region of 15 per cent of the GDP. This positive economic contribution depends on various factors – including infrastructure, the attractiveness of the tourism product, and the availability of human resources.
“The main skill that we are constantly on the lookout for is exceptional customer service,” says Carina Scerri, HR manager at Eden Leisure Group. “This is paramount to ensure our guests’ satisfaction and loyalty. Communication and language skills are also essential for interacting with guests, colleagues as well as for resolving conflicts and addressing customer concerns. Being a Monday-to-Sunday operation we also need adaptability and flexibility from our employees.”
Eden Leisure Group currently have a significant demand for most positions, from operational positions such as housekeeping and food and beverage attendants, to more managerial roles such as sales managers.
“These skills are available, however in gainfully employed people, so finding candidates who excel in these areas can be challenging,” says Scerri. “I do believe that the demand is greater than the supply, so it is difficult to find the skills that we need. Many of skills required are best developed through hands-on experience and so we find that candidates with prior experience in customer-facing roles, or within the hospitality sector, may possess a stronger skill set.”
It is also challenging to find the right people to apply for vacancies.
“It is critical to have effective recruitment strategies in place to attract top talent,” says Scerri. “Sometimes we are lost for places to advertise, as the usual sources generate the same candidates over and over again. For certain vacancies, we need people to start within a month or so and we get many applicants who are from other parts of the world who would not be able to start for at least six months with all the procedures that need to be followed. Moreover, local applicants can be counted on one hand – and since we rely on many foreign candidates who might be well qualified in customer service and communication, the quality and content of such qualifications may vary, leading to discrepancies in skill levels among candidates.”
The hospitality industry is also a very competitive one – and therefore attracting talent is a challenging process.
“We do get candidates from sectors such as retail, customer service and sales but they require additional training to excel in specialised roles in the entertainment and hospitality sectors,” explains Scerri.
Attracting talent is only one side of the coin – the other is retaining resources.
“After completing the recruitment process, our emphasis shifts towards retaining talent,” says Scerri. “Conducting regular engagement surveys allows us to gauge our employees' sentiments and gather their input. We firmly believe that attentive listening to our employees is pivotal to maintain their satisfaction with the company.
“Additionally, we offer a range of company benefits and organise various employee activities. We also actively promote work-life balance, ensuring that employees understand the importance of maintaining harmony between their professional and personal lives for overall happiness.”
Eden Leisure Group have recently signed up to Jobhound for their recruitment drive.
“We are always looking for new places to advertise our vacancies – and the affiliation that Jobhound has with Times of Malta gives it credibility and a wide reach,” says Scerri.
“Moreover, the fact that all our applicants from different sources go into one Applicant Tracking system makes it very convenient. It allows us to streamline the recruitment process, since we can post job openings quickly and efficiently and then we use the tracking system to screen candidates, which saves us valuable time. Through Jobhound we can track how well our job is doing since it provides metrics – according to which we can then adapt our recruitment strategies.”
With the opening of The Eden, the new entertainment centre scheduled to open in June, Eden Leisure Group have various vacancies for operational positions. All can be viewed on the Careers Page.