In search of recruitment

Since HTNG’s inception, the organisation has always played an important but nebulous role in connecting professional opportunities with qualified candidates in the hospitality industry. In early 2020, HTNG launched the HTNG Career Center in partnership with Hospitality Upgrade. This came at a critical point in the history of the hotel sector, as the industry was already in the process of reacting to dramatic new market conditions brought on by the global coronavirus pandemic; undergoing widespread employee layoffs, furloughs and other unprecedented changes in the employment sector.

Vital connections

In addition to meeting a long-term need for hospitality specific career resources, the portal serves the vital role of connecting newly displaced hospitality professionals with potential employers who need their specific experience and expertise.

“With Hospitality Upgrade’s extensive reach and loyal following in the hospitality technology sector, partnering with HTNG to help promote this much needed industry resource makes a great deal of sense,” says Rich Siegel, president of Hospitality Upgrade. “By combining our organisations’ resources and skill sets, we plan to help our many industry friends and colleagues as they navigate new opportunities.”

The HTNG Career Center provides a searchable database for potential employers, jobseekers, as well as access to an array of resources – such as a free résumé review, interview tips, and advice on networking opportunities and career advancement. Employers can post open positions on the site and search for available qualified candidates. They can also reach out to as many candidates as they like at no charge, since a fee only applies if the candidate is interested.

Hospitality professionals can upload their résumés anonymously and apply for open positions. In addition, they can respond to employers who inquire after their résumé and are interested in interviewing them.

“If there is a silver lining for employers in the newly disrupted economy, it is that many very qualified people, who wouldn’t normally be available now, are seeking new opportunities,” says David Sjolander, chief operating officer of HTNG.

A step further

Now, six months after going live, HTNG is taking its referral and networking process one step further, partnering with Eric Rogers Global (ERG) to establish a formal process for executive recruiting.

ERG provides services to hotels and hotel groups, as well as those companies providing solutions and services to the hospitality vertical, specialising in recruitment, and search and selection.

Currently, more than 400 corporate and individual members from across this spectrum – including world leading hospitality companies and technology vendors – are active HTNG participants. HTNG’s board of governors, consisting of 22 top IT leaders from hospitality companies around the world, has technology responsible for over 3.1 million guest rooms and world-leading venues.