Working in Tourism Will Take You Places

As the tourism industry recovers from the most challenging two years it has ever experienced, staffing continues to be a struggle for many employers. The competition for visitors is as fierce as it is for labour and overcoming this challenge will take a collaborative effort between employers, DMOs, municipalities and governments. Our visitor economy’s recovery and growth relies on a robust workforce.

With travel resuming and our industry ramping up to meet pent-up demand, Travel Alberta is launching a Working in Tourism campaign to inspire and recruit Canadians to fill Alberta’s open tourism jobs. And raising awareness that tourism is more than a fun summer job – but also a fulfilling, lifelong career.

With a message centred around the incentive that “working in tourism will take you places,” Travel Alberta ads will direct job seekers to job opportunities around the province through:

• Awareness Ads: Out-of-Home (OOH) ad placements, including tabletops in restaurants and Digital OOH ads near post-secondary institutions, and videos across social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok.
• Interest Ads: Social media ads, including static links on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

All advertisements will drive traffic to landing pages on DMO partner sites or an Alberta tourism query page on Indeed.

So what can you do to ensure job seekers land and apply for your job postings throughout this campaign and beyond? Consider these tips from Travel Alberta’s recruitment team:

1) Post your jobs on Indeed this spring

Be sure to include the keyword “tourism” in your job description to appear in this campaign’s search query.

2) Remove jargon from the job title

You want the title in your posting to be descriptive of the role and appealing to the job market, while targeting the right candidates. The job title you post online does not need to be the same as the one you use when you hire for the role, although it should be similar.

3) Use clear and concise language

You want to be clear and concise with your job posting, but still sell the position and company. Make sure to describe the position and opportunity, list all qualification must-haves and any “wish list” items for the ideal candidate. It is also important to include a section on the company culture, vision and/or values so that the candidate can learn what the company is all about.

It may also be helpful to include a disclaimer about how and when candidates will be contacted and what they can expect with the recruitment process.

4) Incorporating a salary range

There is no right answer about whether you should include a salary range in your posting – it depends on your strategy and company policy. Some companies experience an influx of candidates, and posting a salary range may be a way to limit and focus the incoming candidates. Other companies may not be receiving enough candidates for a position, and removing the salary range may be a way to get more applications in the door.

Whichever route you take, most candidates appreciate transparency as they are brought along through the recruitment process.