The Gap Between How Other Agencies Recruit and How Operators Actually Hire

Recently, I was asked to help find an HR manager for a really high end, luxury property. That kind of search always stands out to me, because HR is one of those roles that people assume translates easily across industries. It exists everywhere, so it feels interchangeable.

But in hospitality, it is not. Doing HR for a restaurant or a hotel, especially at the luxury level, is completely different from doing HR anywhere else. You are dealing with a very specific set of challenges and a very specific type of environment.

You have alcohol in the workplace. You have sharp and hot equipment in the kitchen. You have constant interaction between staff and guests. You have a pace that does not really slow down. And you have people issues that show up in ways that are unique to this industry.

So when I look at a role like that, I am not just thinking about HR experience in general. I am thinking about whether someone has actually worked in that kind of environment and understands what comes with it.

That is where I start to see the gap between how a lot of agencies recruit and how operators actually hire.

Why Hospitality Hiring Starts with Brand Experience, Not Just Resumes

When I review a resume, the first thing I look at is where someone has worked.

Are the brands aligned with what we are hiring for?

In hospitality, that tells you a lot. If you have spent time in this industry, you know the brands. You know their messaging. You know what kind of people they attract and what kind of experience they are trying to create.

That context is hard to explain if you have not lived in it, but it changes how you evaluate someone almost immediately.

A resume might look strong at a glance, but if the brands do not line up, it is not the right fit.

That is not something you pick up from a job description. That comes from being in the industry long enough to recognize it instinctively.

Why Tenure in Hospitality Roles Doesn’t Mean What Most Recruiters Think

The next thing I look at is tenure. And this is where hospitality really does not follow the same rules as other industries. Two years in a management role can actually be a long time. It can show loyalty. It can show that someone stayed long enough to learn what they needed to learn and is ready for the next step.

At the same time, patterns in someone’s work history tell you a lot.

If I see one year roles over and over again, especially more than three in a row, I am probably not going to reach out right away.

Not because I think they cannot do the job, but because it signals something. It might mean they are trying to move too quickly. It might mean they are getting bored. It might mean something is not clicking in those roles.

If I see a mix, longer roles alongside shorter ones, I am much more likely to have a conversation and figure out the story.

But when things move fast and there are a lot of strong candidates, those patterns become a quick way to narrow the field.

Why One Year at the Right Restaurant or Hotel Means More Than Time Alone

Tenure only tells you part of the story. Where that time was spent matters just as much. There are restaurants and hotel groups where making it a year is an accomplishment. There are others where three years is standard. Those environments are not the same, and you cannot evaluate them the same way.

If someone has spent three years in a really challenging group, that tells me something important. It tells me they have stamina. It tells me they can handle pressure. It tells me they have been through situations that are not easy.

I would take that experience over someone who has been in a more comfortable environment for the same amount of time.

Because the demands are different, and the learning is different.

What Recruiters Miss When They Haven’t Worked in Restaurants or Hotels

There is a point in almost every search where this becomes clear. Someone will look at a group of candidates and feel confident about a few of them. Everything lines up on paper. The titles match. The progression looks good. And then I look at the same group and often see something different based on that experience.

I am thinking about brand alignment. I am thinking about how long they stayed and why. I am thinking about what kind of environment they were in and how that translates to the role we are trying to fill.

I am looking for patterns. I am looking for signs that someone stayed long enough to actually learn. I am also looking for repetition that might point to a bigger issue.

Those are the kinds of things that are easy to miss if you have not worked in restaurants or hotels. But once you have, they stand out right away.

Why Hospitality Operators Evaluate Talent Differently Than Recruiting Agencies

Many recruitment agencies are staffed by people who haven’t worked directly in hospitality.

They are good at recruiting. They understand process. They know how to source candidates.

But they do not always know what it feels like to work a busy service, to manage a team in that kind of environment, or to deal with the kinds of issues that come up day to day.

That changes how you evaluate people.

Operators hire based on what they know will work in their world. They are thinking about how someone will perform, not just what they have done. Without that perspective, it is easy to rely too much on surface level information.

What Happens When You Place the Right Resume Into the Wrong Hospitality Role

When someone is placed into a role that does not match their experience, it usually shows up pretty quickly. The environment feels different from what they are used to. The challenges are not what they expected. The pace, the culture, the pressure, it all hits at once.

And then it does not work out.

That is not always because the candidate is bad. A lot of the time, it is because the fit was not right from the beginning. That is the cost of missing these details.

What Hiring Looks Like When You Think Like an Operator

When hiring is done with a real understanding of the industry, the process looks different.

You spend more time thinking about where someone has worked and what that actually means. You pay closer attention to patterns in their experience. You think about how their background translates into the specific role you are trying to fill.

The end result is a better match. People step into roles where they understand the environment, where their experience lines up with what is expected, and where they can actually succeed. And when that happens, you see it in retention. You see it in performance. You see it in how teams function.

The difference between how agencies recruit and how operators hire comes down to perspective. If you have worked in hospitality, you look at things differently. You notice details that are easy to overlook. You understand how much context matters. And in this industry, those details make all the difference.

If you are hiring for a restaurant or a hotel, it is worth asking whether the people helping you find talent actually understand the environment you are hiring for. Because that understanding is what turns a good candidate into the right one.

About The Author:

Martha Madison is a hospitality-focused recruiter who approaches hiring through the lens of real operational experience. Having spent years in restaurant and hotel environments, she brings a deep understanding of how these businesses actually run, from the pressures of service to the nuances of team dynamics. Her work centers on helping high-end and luxury properties find talent that truly fits, not just on paper, but in practice. By combining industry knowledge with a hands-on recruiting approach, she focuses on identifying candidates who can succeed within the specific culture, pace, and demands of hospitality.

Hiring for hospitality? Talk to people who have lived it.

Every recruiter at The Madison Collective has been a senior operator in restaurants or hotels. If you are searching for leaders who actually fit your environment, we should talk.

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