Why some of the best candidates are not actively looking

From my perspective recruiting senior hospitality talent

The strongest candidates are rarely applying

One of the things I explain most often to clients is that the strongest candidates are usually not applying for jobs. In fact, many of the people I place into senior roles were not looking at all when I first contacted them. This can be surprising for employers who are used to posting a vacancy and expecting the right person to appear. At management level in hospitality, it rarely works that way.

Over the years I have learned that the best candidates are often fully employed, well regarded where they are, and not actively thinking about leaving. They are not scrolling job boards. They are not sending out CVs. In many cases they have been approached several times before and have said no. The only reason they move is because the right opportunity comes along at the right moment, and usually that opportunity reaches them through a recruiter they trust, not through an advertisement.

Luxury hospitality hiring works differently

This is especially true in luxury hospitality. The people who run top hotels and resorts tend to build long careers within a relatively small network. They know each other, they have worked together before, and their reputations follow them from property to property. Because of that, hiring at this level is often about relationships rather than applications.

A General Manager is more likely to be recommended than to apply.

A strong Executive Chef is more likely to be approached than to respond to a posting.

A Director of Operations may not even know a role exists until someone calls them personally.

Job boards still have their place, but they are not where most senior hires come from. They are useful for volume recruitment and for junior to mid level roles, but once you reach leadership level the process changes. The strongest candidates are usually busy running a property, opening a new project, or leading a team. They do not have the time or the reason to search online. Even if they see a job posted, they often will not apply directly. They want to know who the owner is, what the culture is like, why the role is open, and whether the move makes sense long term. Those are conversations, not applications.

When the right hire comes from headhunting, not advertising

I have seen this play out many times in very high level searches. I remember working on a General Manager placement for an extremely exclusive private island resort in the Maldives. The role had been advertised previously and the client had spoken to a number of applicants, but none of them felt right. The person who was eventually hired was not looking for a job at all. He was running another luxury property, performing well, and had no intention of moving. He only agreed to have a conversation because we had spoken before and there was already trust there. Once the discussions started, the fit became clear very quickly, but that candidate would never have come through a job posting.

The same thing happened on a search I handled for a luxury resort in the Caribbean. Again, the final hire was someone who had been singled out early in the process and approached directly. The client initially wanted to review applicants, but the person they ultimately chose was not in the applicant pool. He had been identified, contacted, and encouraged to consider the role even though he had not been planning a move.

This happens far more often than people think. In senior hospitality recruitment, the successful hire is very often the person who was headhunted, not the person who applied.

Relationships matter more than job boards

This is why relationships matter so much in this industry. Many of the placements I make come from people I have known for years. Sometimes I have spoken to them every few months for a long time before the right role appeared. Sometimes I placed them once before and they call me when they are ready for the next step. Sometimes a client asks for a certain type of person and I already know exactly who fits because we have stayed in touch over time.

That kind of network cannot be built quickly, and it cannot be replaced by advertising.

Luxury hospitality also has its own dynamics that make passive candidates even more important. Senior leaders in this space are used to high standards, complex ownership structures, demanding guests, and teams that rely on them. They do not move for small reasons. The role has to be right, the property has to be right, and the people have to be right. Because of that, the hiring process often starts quietly, with conversations rather than announcements.

Why clients work with a specialist recruiter

For clients, this is where working with a specialist recruiter makes a real difference. When a search depends only on who applies, the pool is limited. When the search includes people who are not actively looking, the pool becomes much stronger. Accessing those candidates requires industry knowledge, long term relationships, and an understanding of who is ready for a move even if they have not said it yet.

At Talent Inc., a large part of what we do is exactly that. We spend a great deal of time speaking to people who are not looking for jobs today. We keep in touch with leaders across hotels, resorts, private islands, and restaurants so that when the right opportunity comes up, we know who to call. Many of the hires we make would never have happened through a job posting alone.

Recruitment at senior level is about knowing who to call

In hospitality, especially at the senior level, recruitment is rarely about finding people who are searching. It is about knowing the people who are worth finding.

Jackie Briscoe, Founder, TALENT INC. Luxury Hospitality Recruitment