Business

What Applicants Are Looking For In A Hospitality Job

If you’re looking to recruit a person or a group of people for a hospitality job, it is worth getting into the mindset of the job seeker so you know exactly how to attract them to apply for your job in particular. There are of course many jobs out there in this sector, especially seasonal ones. So how to do you set yourself apart from the rest without paying over the odds for every single candidate? Here is what applicants tend to look for in a hospitality job.

Hours that work for them

It is often a good idea to advertise both part-time and full-time jobs if this can work for your business. Consider parents who are looking after young children but need to work a certain number of hours in order to put food on the table, or even older adults who are looking to do less hours before they retire. Being flexible can win you brownie points with your staff, but as long as these hours are agreed upon and put into their contract so you both know where you stand.

A good hourly rate

Salary will always play a part in someone’s decision. Whilst you can’t pay over the odds just to attract a new member of staff who may well work for you for a few months before leaving (which would be an expense of both time and money for their initial training) – you could offer perks for staff who have been there for longer. For example, perhaps you can advertise a pay raise after a year of service with you, or even an extra couple of days of annual leave. Little things like this can make a big difference to how job seekers perceive you as a company.

Stability

Depending on what type of company you are recruiting for, it may well be that your job is only a seasonal one. This is true of those types of businesses such as racecourses or sporting venues where there is a peak season. However, this may work for your applicants if they are aware that you would be willing to take them on the next season without repeating the full interview process. Stability is important for for businesses, when it comes to hospitality recruitment, as people will always be nervous about being out of work.

Commutability

Another point to consider is how easy it is for employees to reach your business on a day-to-day basis. It can be expensive relying on public transport, especially if the member of staff isn’t on a full time salary. Make it known to them if there are other people travelling to your business from the same area – perhaps they could share a car and split the cost. Taking the time to get to know – and care – about your staff will make them feel like they are an important cog in your organisation and therefore may put more effort into their job.

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Business

How To Budget For Industrial Machines

The purchase of a large piece of machinery is not something to be taken lightly. It can take some serious thought and planning to decide what the best option would be for a specific company.

Below are some options available for the purchase of heavy equipment in general and tips on which would be best depending on where a company stands.

Leasing

This would be one of the better options for a just-starting-up business that doesn’t have a very substantial amount of cash handy. Since the payments don’t show up as debt, the company’s financial statement is not affected.

Getting approval for a lease is usually a pretty quick process, sometimes only requiring a few hours. And if the company so desires, maintenance can be included.

Heavy Equipment Financing

Public Banks

This would be the better option for a company that wants to actually own the piece of machinery. The best option would probably be to turn to a bank to help out, since their interest rates would most likely be the best ones you’ll find. However, pristine credit will most likely be required in order for the bank to be willing to let you borrow the money.

Private Investor

If, by chance, the bank turns you down, all hope is not lost. There is always the option for a private investor. Now, the interest rate will not be quite as good as the bank, but the investors’ helpfulness in other areas can make up for the difference.

Hard Money Lender

A third option would be a hard money lender, or an investor with a large amount of money who lives in the area of the company looking for a loan. This would be a private loan, so there aren’t any restrictions or limits on the agreement. This lender could only be interested in a short-term agreement, or they could be interested in owning a portion of the business. This option, however, would probably have the steepest interest rates.

Examples

Getting a look at actual numbers for specific machinery can help you to visualize things better. Let’s say you need to buy a plasma cutting table for your business. The prices for these usually run between seven and nine thousand dollars. So, for the sake of simple math, let’s say the one you want costs $8,000.

Suppose your good credits lands you a loan from a bank. You plan on paying the loan off in a year, so the amount you will pay each month is going to be about $667.00 plus interest. The same could go for private lenders, but as was said before, the interest will probably be higher, meaning you will end up paying more as time goes by.

Now let’s say you want to buy a hay baler for $17,000. The same concept applies. It’s a significantly larger amount of money, so let’s say you’re shooting to pay it off in two and a half years. That would be about $567 per month.  John Deere is one company in particular that offers in season cash bonuses, or 0%-3% fixed rates depending on the terms of the contract.

This time, let’s say you are working with a private investor. Your interest payment is going to be somewhat high compared to a bank, but maybe the investor has a mind for the agricultural business. The advice or opinion of this investor to help you make other decisions could make up for the interest you are paying them and help you to make wise financial decisions down the road as well.

There are many options when it comes to financing for large equipment. The company where you buy the equipment should also have financing options, so working with them can be beneficial. After all, you are buying their equipment. Who would know better than them?

In the end, the most important thing to remember is to make sure you are getting equipment of high quality. Without that, any financing you do is wasted.

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Business

Four Things To Remember For Your Next Exhibition

At the beginning of the year, it’s likely you will discuss with your company directors what your marketing budget and strategy will be for the year. There are of course a number of different ways to advertise your business from print ads to internet marketing, but a traditional form of advertising that can be put straight in front of your target market is doing exhibitions and events.

Regardless of which market you operate in, there will be an exhibition that is perfect for you; so whether you work in the hotel industry or the engineering trade, spend some time identifying the right event for you. Once you have chosen which event you would like to exhibit at, there are a number of considerations to make so your experience runs smoothly. Here are a few tips for your next exhibition:.

Be professional

It’s commonly regarded that people buy from people, so make sure that the people that you have on your exhibition stand are professional, knowledgeable and friendly. Looking for event staff? You can employ people outside of your organisation if your staff members simply don’t have the time or skills to show off your product or service in the best light. In terms of staff on your exhibition stand, it’s worth getting them all a uniform and name badge to make them easily identifiable and easier to approach for attendees.

Catch people’s attention

You’ll want people to actually come to your exhibition stand first, though so make sure it catches their attention. Many exhibitions permit you to buy “space only” instead of a shell scheme, which basically means you get allocated floor space but then it’s up to you to build your own stand. Luckily there are many exhibition stand contractors who specialize in custom-built stands; these can cost a bit more but it could be worth it if you attract more visitors to your stand, which eventually could lead to a higher number of sales.

Provide marketing collateral

Once you’ve attracted people to your exhibition stand and you’ve spoken to them, make sure you leave them with something to remember you by. When you consider that exhibition attendees will speak to many businesses throughout the day, they may not remember each and every exhibitor to exact detail. This is why you should offer some marketing collateral and branded giveaways on your stand so people can take something back to the office, or home, with them. This may be in the form of a brochure, a business card, or a simple A5 flyer. Whatever you get done, it’s advisable to have it professionally designed and printed to give the most professional appearance.

Share your knowledge

Finally, check ahead of time whether the exhibition will have any seminar sessions. You could negotiate a speaking slot in your stand space package, giving you an audience in which you can share your knowledge. It’s a time for education and not direct sales, so make sure you keep content about important industry research. Of course, you can let the audience know where they can find you in the exhibition hall to speak to you further.

About the author

Danielle Edwards is a marketing manager at a Newcastle-based hotel. When she was first looking for event staff she took to the internet to find a suitable and professional company. She now runs exhibitions for her company with ease.

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