Hiring for Hospitality Roles: The Skills to Look for Beyond Experience
The hospitality industry is fast, expectations are high, and every role directly impacts the guest experience. When you’re hiring for positions that require constant interaction with guests, coworkers, and leadership, knowing what to look for in an interview is key to finding the right candidate. And, while resumes and past job titles matter, they don’t always tell the full story.
Experience alone doesn’t guarantee someone will perform well under pressure, communicate effectively during a rush, or contribute positively to a team environment. To build strong, reliable hospitality teams, employers need to look beyond the candidate’s experience and focus on the not-so-obvious skills that help employees thrive
Start With the Role, Not the Resume
Before posting a job or interviewing candidates, consider what success actually looks like in the role you’re hiring for. Is this position guest-facing? High-pressure? Does it require constant communication, quick decision-making, or the ability to handle unexpected situations calmly? Maybe it’s a behind-the-scenes role where recognition isn’t always given. Understanding the daily realities of the job can make it easier to identify which skills are essential and which can be taught.
When hiring in hospitality, it’s helpful to separate skills into two categories: the hard skills someone needs to do the job and the soft skills that determine how well they’ll actually perform once they’re in it.
The Most Common Hard Skills
Most hospitality employers expect candidates to have the following skills, or be able to learn them quickly. These often include:
POS and reservation systems
Scheduling and timekeeping tools
Cash handling and basic financial accuracy
Food safety, compliance, or role-specific certifications
Understanding standard operating procedures
These skills are important, but they’re also the easiest to train. Most candidates can learn systems and processes on the job rather quickly.
Where hiring often gets tricky is that many of the skills that truly impact one’s performance aren’t hard skills at all; they’re behavioral.
According to Indeed, the most in-demand hospitality skills employers look for include communication, customer service, English proficiency, a hospitality mindset, and attention to detail. These skills should appear consistently in job postings because they directly impact guest experience, team efficiency, and overall business success.
The Soft Skills Often Overlooked
Beyond the obvious, there are soft skills that don’t always make it into job descriptions but matter just as much:
Situational awareness (aka “reading the room”) – understanding guests, timing, and team dynamics in real time
Emotional regulation under pressure – staying calm and professional during rushes or challenges
Ownership mentality – taking responsibility instead of passing problems along
Adaptability – adjusting quickly when shifts, staffing, or guest needs change
Coachability – being open to feedback and willing to adjust
A good job post or job description explains this so candidates and employees know how they should show up on the job. Many of the most valuable hospitality behaviors happen behind the scenes or in the moment — and they often go unnoticed unless something goes wrong. Giving employees or candidates the expectations of how they are expected to behave and perform puts them in the best place to thrive in their roles.
How to Identify the Right Soft Skills During the Hiring Process
Because soft skills are behavioral, they’re best identified through conversation. Asking candidates to walk through real situations like how they would handle a difficult guest, how they work through a mistake, or how they would navigate a high-pressure shift can reveal how they think, communicate, and take action.
It’s also helpful to pay attention to how candidates respond, not just what they say. Self-awareness, adaptability, and professionalism often come through in their openness and tone during the interview itself.
How Do You Hire for Long-Term Success?
Hard skills help someone qualify for a role, but soft skills help them thrive in it. Hospitality teams that hire with both in mind tend to see stronger performance, better teamwork, and more consistent guest experiences—outcomes that matter long after onboarding is complete.
