Pivoting! Lessons, Insights, and Tips

Pivoting isn’t just about changing direction; it’s about aligning your strengths with opportunities.

After nine months of building a recruitment business, I’ve gathered valuable lessons to share with anyone considering a similar journey.

This is the story of how we found our focus, seized opportunities, and created a business that feels authentic and impactful.

1. Leveraging My Strengths

Having worked in hospitality, I understand the industry from the inside. Whether it’s keeping cool during a dinner rush or managing diverse guest expectations, I’ve lived the realities that make this field both challenging and rewarding.

This experience became our edge. It helps us recognize standout candidates—not just those with the right skills but also those with the mindset to handle the fast-paced, customer-driven nature of hospitality.

Example: We don’t just look for qualifications; we search for qualities like adaptability and a positive attitude, knowing these traits are critical for success in hospitality.

2. Riding Cape Town’s Hospitality Boom

Cape Town’s hospitality industry is thriving as tourism rebounds. With restaurants, hotels, and venues busier than ever, the demand for skilled staff has skyrocketed.

By specializing in this sector, we’ve become experts in:

• Understanding seasonal hiring needs (like multilingual staff during peak tourism months).
• Identifying roles in high demand (event managers, guest service staff, etc.).
• Helping businesses navigate this competitive market.

Why This Matters: Businesses trust us because we’re not just filling roles—we’re helping them thrive in a booming but challenging environment.

3. The Power of Specialization

Unlike general recruitment agencies, we chose to narrow our focus to hospitality. This decision allowed us to:

• Build deeper industry expertise.
• Develop stronger relationships with employers and candidates.
• Offer tailored solutions that go beyond simply finding people for jobs.

What We Do Differently: We act as consultants, helping businesses define role expectations, create effective job descriptions, and onboard new hires smoothly.

Key Lessons from Nine Months

1. Focus Drives Results

When we started, we tried working across industries, but it diluted our impact. Specializing in hospitality gave us clarity and allowed us to refine our processes, leading to better results for clients and candidates.

2. Relationships Are Everything

The hospitality industry is built on trust and reputation, and recruitment is no different.

What We Do:

• Visit clients’ businesses to understand their culture firsthand.
• Maintain open communication to ensure we’re aligned with their needs.
• Build genuine connections with candidates to match them with roles they’ll thrive in.

This personal approach creates lasting partnerships and sets us apart from larger, impersonal agencies.

3. Stay Flexible

The recruitment landscape is constantly evolving. We’ve embraced change by adopting tools like AI-driven screening and digital onboarding, which make the process smoother for everyone involved.

Example: When faced with the challenge of high turnover in seasonal roles, we implemented AI-powered tools to analyze candidate retention trends and identify those most likely to succeed long-term. This proactive approach helped our clients build more stable teams, even during peak hiring periods.

Advice for Aspiring Hospitality Recruiters

Here are some practical tips from our journey:

1. Lean on Your Expertise: If you’ve worked in hospitality, use your experience to understand the roles you’re recruiting for. It builds credibility and helps you identify top talent.
2. Understand Your Local Market: In places like Cape Town, tourism drives the industry. Learn about seasonal hiring trends and the specific roles in demand to serve your clients better.
3. Embrace Technology: AI tools can streamline recruitment by analyzing resumes, predicting candidate success, and improving job ad targeting.
4. Focus on Building Relationships: Recruitment isn’t just about filling roles. It’s about understanding your clients and candidates deeply and providing solutions that benefit everyone.

Final Thoughts

Pivoting into hospitality recruitment wasn’t just a business decision—it was a way to align my skills and passion with a growing market.

If you’re considering a shift, focus on your strengths, understand the market, and build genuine connections. Success comes from doing what you love while helping others succeed along the way.

?? What’s Your Biggest Lesson from a Career Pivot? I’d love to hear your story! Share your insights in the comments below.