why ‘relevant hires’ is a success metric.
Your hiring budget is shrinking, the push for productivity is rising, and your retention rates aren’t where they need to be. The pressure is constant.
At a time when every HR team and people leader is stretched, it’s easy to see why time to hire might become the focus. Or why your resource ends up driving volume over value. That’s when you know the hiring process has taken the wheel, and you’ve lost sight of your purpose. Because the purpose of hiring is to find the right person, not just any person.
That’s why ‘relevant hires’ is a significant success metric, because these are the people who add to your culture and live and breathe your values. They innovate and deliver the experience you want for your customers and guests. They’ll gel with and enhance the team and are genuinely aligned with your brand purpose. Your business makes sense to them, and so they drive success, they stay with you, and they attract others to you.
And when it comes to the other success metrics you need to deliver on, hiring for relevance pays you back across the board. When you hire for relevance, you cut attrition levels, reduce hiring spend, ease onboarding, strengthen teams, boost culture, and elevate employer brand.
what is a ‘relevant hire’?
Relevant hires are not just like your other team members. The idea of ‘cultural fit’ is a thing of the past. Hiring for culture fit creates teams of people who think and act just like everyone else, resulting in missed opportunities for growth and innovation. Instead, culture-add and relevance should be the guiding principles for any modern hiring strategy.
Here are some ways to help you define a ‘relevant hire’:
complementary skills & perspectives: A relevant hire is someone who brings something new to the table, whether it’s a specific skill set, a fresh perspective, or even a different approach to problem-solving. It’s about assessing where the team’s strengths and weaknesses lie and finding someone who can fill the gaps rather than replicate what's already there.
alignment with brand & values: A relevant hire doesn’t just perform tasks; they embody your brand. In the hospitality industry, where customer experience is everything, the right hire will understand, internalise, and reflect the values of your brand.
emotional intelligence & adaptability: In hospitality, interpersonal skills are as crucial as technical expertise. The ability to read a room, empathise with others, and adapt to ever-changing circumstances are all marks of a relevant hire.
diversity of experience and thought: Diverse teams think, learn, and communicate effectively, because they come from different but complementary perspectives. Hiring for relevance means seeking out individuals with varied backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives, allowing for richer, more innovative problem-solving.
how to hire for relevance.
Let’s look at how you can approach hiring for relevance:
assess team dynamics first.
Before you start looking for your next hire, take a step back and evaluate your existing team. Ask yourself questions like:
What qualities does our team already possess, and where are we lacking?
Are there any skills or experiences that would complement the current team?
How do team members interact with each other, and what types of personalities best add to our existing culture?
What are the learning and communication styles of the current team, and what might complement this?
By answering these questions, you’ll have a clear picture of where the gaps might be and what you need to look for in your future hire.
interview with Intention.
A relevant hire doesn’t just deliver in their role; they contribute to the bigger picture within the business. In interviews, go beyond the CV and uncover the candidate’s core attributes. Look for answers that demonstrate empathy, emotional intelligence, problem-solving abilities, and a passion for your brand values.
Prepare questions that get candidates talking about how they think, work, and have tackled challenges in the past. For example:
Tell me about a time when you had to adapt to a major change at work.
How do you prioritise customer experience in everything you do?
How do you handle conflict or disagreement within a team?
These types of questions go beyond surface-level skills and give you insights into a person’s mindset and how they would add to your company culture.
back up intuition with data.
Assessment and intuition are important, but data can help you make more informed decisions. You could use tools like psychometric assessments to understand cognitive styles and emotional intelligence, or try team analysis tools that identify strengths and areas for improvement within your team. These insights will help guide you toward the most relevant candidates.
need help with hiring for relevance?
By focusing on hiring people who are relevant to your team, you’re not just solving an immediate recruitment need. You’re investing in the future health and success of your teams and your company.
Hiring for relevance doesn’t have to take time, but it does take preparation and practice. If you’d like to talk about how mum can help you hire the most relevant people for your business, let’s chat.