Why the end of speculative applications is costing us dearly.

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Series: Recruitment, AI & HR in the hospitality industry · Post #7 of 90

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Why the end of speculative applications is costing us dearly.

It sounds like a minor detail. Someone sends an email saying: “I’d like to work for you. Here are my documents.” In the past, this was taken for granted. Today, the reply is increasingly: “Please apply exclusively via our careers portal.”

There is usually no malicious intent behind this standard phrase. The reference to the portal serves to protect data, creates standardised processes and reduces the workload on the HR department. Understandable. But this development has a side effect that hardly anyone talks about: it cuts companies off from the most motivated segment of the applicant market – precisely the segment they urgently need.

The hidden job market is larger than the visible one

Before we discuss the problem, it is worth taking a look at the scale of the phenomenon. Labour market experts estimate that only around a third of all job vacancies appear on the public job market – two-thirds are never officially advertised. (Source: Karrierebibel)  For management positions, this proportion is said to be significantly higher.

So anyone who focuses exclusively on advertised vacancies is playing a game that reflects only a small slice of reality. And conversely: companies that rely solely on their careers portal see only the portion of candidates who are prepared to go through the official channels. The unsolicited application has traditionally been the bridge to this hidden market – for both sides.

Three out of four HR professionals value unsolicited applications

The good news is: employers are still interested in proactive candidates. According to a study by the industry magazine ‘Personalwirtschaft’, whilst around a quarter of HR staff view unsolicited applications as something they could well do without – this conversely means that three out of four people in HR teams view unsolicited applications positively. (Source: Robert Half)

The findings are particularly revealing for smaller businesses: in companies with fewer than 500 employees, as many as one in two HR teams are actually pleased when interesting candidates reach out proactively. (Source: Robert Half)

And yet, companies systematically erect barriers that make precisely this kind of contact difficult or impossible. This is a structural contradiction that is rarely discussed.

The hospitality industry is hit particularly hard

For the hotel and catering sectors, this development is particularly problematic – for two reasons at once.

Firstly, the hospitality industry is a ‘people’s business’ in the truest sense of the word. Anyone hired here is in direct contact with guests on a daily basis. Personality, charisma, and an attitude towards hospitality – these qualities cannot really be captured on an application form. The chef who, after returning from holiday, spontaneously asks in a restaurant if there’s a vacancy. The waiting staff member who admires a venue and imagines being part of the team. It is precisely these people – motivated, with a genuine connection to the business – who are often put off or fobbed off by the requirement to use a career portal.

Secondly, the shortage of skilled workers in the sector has long been structural. Traditional solutions are often expensive or short-sighted: headhunters charge two to three months’ salary per hire, whilst temporary staffing merely fills short-term gaps. (Source: Dehoga-rlp) In comparison, a spontaneous approach from a motivated applicant who reaches out to the business of their own accord would be the cheapest and most organic recruitment method of all – if it were allowed.

What is being lost: the potential of proactive candidates

A speculative application demonstrates motivation and commitment – character traits that companies regard as particularly important criteria for recruitment. (Source: DIESTIFTUNG): Anyone who applies without a specific vacancy advertised has a plan. Has done their research. Has a reason for wanting to join precisely this company.

What’s more: with unsolicited applications, the candidate has to stand out against a significantly smaller number of competitors – which increases the chance of being genuinely noticed. And even if there are no vacancies at the moment, that initial contact can mean the person is remembered for future vacancies. It is precisely this potential that is wasted when the only response is: “Please use our online portal.”

Practical example: What works, if you let it

A concrete example of how things can be done better is provided by the Sporthotel Wagrain, a family-run 4-star superior hotel in the Salzburg Alps. Instead of relying on traditional job advertisements, the hotel, in collaboration with recruitment specialist Talentlobby, was able to recruit five regional bar and service staff in just six weeks – at an average recruitment cost of around 950 euros per person. (Source: Dehoga-sachsen)

The key point here is that this approach focuses on skilled staff from within a 30-kilometre radius. This lowers costs reduces the need for accommodation and ensures stronger staff retention. (Source: Dehoga-rlp) No career portal, no headhunter – but a structured talent pool that systematically identifies and engages proactive candidates from the region.

The principle behind it: the business’s diary is filled weekly with pre-qualified interviews from the region – candidates who are a good fit for the business and want to stay long-term. (Source: Dehoga-kompetenzzentrum) At its core, this is nothing other than the speculative application 2.0: no form with mandatory fields, but a low-threshold, personal initial contact – with a clear structure behind it.

Three practical steps any business can take

The Sporthotel Wagrain is not an isolated case – but it is still the exception. Most businesses wait for someone to find their careers portal. Yet there are simple ways to encourage unsolicited applications:

1. Set up a talent pool and make it visible. A simple form on your own website with the message “No suitable job vacancies? Register here” costs nothing and sends a clear message: we are open to applications. Someone who registers today might be exactly the specialist we need tomorrow. Some hotel recruitment agencies have already consistently adopted this approach: a brief email with a CV is sufficient; everything else is discussed over the phone. (Source: Stuttgarter Nachrichten)

2. Use LinkedIn and Instagram as open doors. A note in your profile or in a post – “We welcome contact requests from hospitality professionals in the region” – takes less than ten minutes, but it sends a clear signal: this business is approachable.

3. Value that first personal contact. In the hospitality industry, it’s perfectly normal for someone to drop by in person and ask. Those who treat this moment with respect and a concrete next step – a brief conversation, a business card, an entry in the talent pool – are also demonstrating hospitality towards their potential future team.

Conclusion: Processes must not bury potential

The digitisation of the recruitment process has improved many things. But it has also created a uniformity in which there is no longer any room for spontaneous, human initial contact. Particularly in the hospitality industry – a sector that thrives on personality, relationships and genuine commitment – this is a serious loss.

Anyone who simply refers applicants to the careers portal sends an unintended message: process is more important to us than people. This may not be done with malicious intent. But it is a strategic weakness in times when motivated skilled workers are scarce and every point of contact counts.

What can you still do today? Check your own careers page: Is there a talent pool? Is there an email address someone can contact without filling in a form? Does it include the phrase: “We also welcome unsolicited applications”? If not – that can be changed in an hour. And it could lead to the next great hire.

The unsolicited application is not dying because nobody takes the initiative anymore. It is dying because companies have stopped accepting them. And that is a problem we can solve ourselves.

Sources: Personalwirtschaft / Robert Half (HR study on unsolicited applications); IAB / Karrierebibel (hidden job market); DEHOGA Bayern / Talentlobby (recruiting skilled workers in the hospitality industry); Talentlobby / ÖHV (case study: Sporthotel Wagrain); JOB-HOTEL.de (unsolicited applications in the hotel industry)