Understanding the Role of a General Manager in Visitor Attractions
Recruiting general managers for visitor attractions is crucial to ensuring these sites continue to thrive in today’s competitive landscape. Finding the right person to lead can make all the difference between stagnation and growth. At Action, we understand the unique challenges and opportunities in this sector, and we take pride in matching attractions with the right leaders.
Recently, we’ve had the pleasure of partnering with two exceptional and overall unique visitor attractions to help them identify and place general managers who not only fit the role but also elevate the entire experience.
Below, we’ll dive into our early 2024 recruitment case study and outline how we approached to filling this vacancy.
Hook Lighthouse – A Recruitment Case Study
Hook Lighthouse, one of the oldest operational lighthouses in the world, is a treasured historical site on the Southeast coast of Ireland. It makes sense then that one of the longest established hospitality recruitment agencies in Ireland will be privileged with the task of recruiting for their new General Manager.
Voted one of Ireland’s favourite attractions, Hook Lighthouse in Wexford is truly one of a kind and we knew what that meant – their new GM had to be unique and exceptional as well. Not to mention, it had to be someone who’s a cultural fit first and foremost, but also a leader who can easily navigate managing staff and reporting to the board.
The Recruitment Strategy for Hook Lighthouse
Job Advertisement
We’ve collaborated with this client in the past, so we had a pretty good idea of what was needed. However, we never make assumptions when it comes to high-calibre roles. One of the team took a detailed brief of the role, discussed all the details of the process with the client and agreed on criteria and timelines.
This collaborative approach ensured a fair selection process, utter transparency when it comes to the role, and in the end, the satisfaction of all parties involved.
As far as recruitment goes, Hook is truly close to Joyce’s heart as she’s visited it so many times. It made sense that she’ll be the one to lead the charge with filling this vacancy. An appealing and transparent job ad was created, approved by the client and a robust recruitment strategy was put in place. The job ad itself was published concurrently in the local papers, by us on our website and on a jobs board previously agreed on with the client. It ran for precisely 4 weeks.
Playing to our strengths, we also featured the role on our social media, especially LinkedIn where at the time we had 22k followers.
Sourcing Candidates
Working off our initial strategy, the team implemented the next steps while the ad ran its course.
We leveraged our extensive database of pre-screened candidates to identify potential matches which would be reached out to after the advertisement period expired. Furthermore, we engaged in proactive search to create additional talent pools to tap into at a perfect time. This included targeting passive candidates not actively seeking new opportunities as well.
Such a meticulous and multi-faceted approach ensured no stone was left unturned and everyone was given a fair chance.
Interviewing Candidates
Once the advertising period ran its course, two consultants reviewed and short-listed the active applications. We also reached out to the previously identified passive candidate pools and started ironing out the interview schedule.
Action recruitment streamlined all applications and conducted the first round of interviews to assess candidates’ qualifications, experience, and fit for the role. The interviews were set back-to-back over a span of 3 days and each interview lasted precisely 45 minutes. All times and activities related to this project were meticulously documented.
We created an interview template specifically for this role and used it to ensure everyone was given the same, fair treatment. Joyce conducted the interviews with Christy as her wing woman and they scored each candidate’s answers. First independently and later together to ensure maximum objectivity.
Candidate Submissions & Final Round Interviews
Short-listed candidates were submitted to our contact on the client side who then decided who will be called forward. All final CVs were submitted along with a reference and a bio to facilitate for an efficient and effective decision-making process. It was up to us at this point to manage application feedback and organize the final round interviews.
The final round of interviews involved a 75-minute meeting and presentation with the board, held at a location in Wexford.
More than a hundred applications were reviewed. Twelve were submitted to the client. Out of the twelve submitted, 7 were called forward for the interview. One person was offered and accepted within the 48-hour timeframe.
Overall process, from publishing the job ad to the successful candidate sending the signed offer letter back, lasted less than 2 months.
recruiting general managers for visitor attractions recruitment timeline
Recruitment Challenges in Recruiting for Visitor Attractions
|
Challenge |
Solution |
|
Formal, multi-layered process |
Efficient use of resources |
|
The recruitment required 3 team members working on the role and collaboration with multiple stakeholders. |
Timeframes and touchpoints we set on the initial call with the client. Recruitment strategy was outlined in detail leveraging the different strengths of our team members. |
|
Length of process |
Transparent communication |
| In this fast-paced world, candidates want to be hired fast more often than not. And the expectations are rightly high on both ends. Our entire communications strategy had to cover each aspect without becoming text-heavy or off-putting. |
Action Recruitment maintained transparent and timely communication with all parties involved. The process and duration were outlined in all advertisement. We also made sure the candidates are acutely aware of what to expect both of us and the process itself. |
Looking to recruit a general manager for your visitor attraction? Contact us to find the perfect fit for your team.