Recruiting in retail and hospitality feels like an uphill battle. Between chronic staffing shortages, high turnover rates and the constant competition for talent, finding the right people can feel nearly impossible. Traditional job ads aren’t cutting through the noise, and candidates want more than a basic job description. They want to see the culture, the team and the real experience of working with you.
Smart retail and hospitality brands are turning the tide with employee video content. Not polished corporate videos, but authentic stories from real team members that show what life is actually like behind the scenes. These videos build trust, showcase company culture and help candidates picture themselves as part of the team, leading to better hires who stick around longer.
The Unique Hiring Challenges Facing Retail and Hospitality
The retail and hospitality sectors are grappling with some of the toughest recruitment challenges across any industry. Here’s what’s making it harder than ever to attract and retain great people:
- Persistent staffing shortages and high turnover – The numbers don’t lie. Hospitality businesses are struggling with ongoing skills shortages, with many roles remaining unfilled for months. High turnover rates, often exceeding 70% in some hospitality segments, mean you’re constantly in recruitment mode, trying to fill positions while maintaining service standards.
Perception problems around career progression – Many potential candidates see retail and hospitality roles as temporary stepping stones rather than viable career paths. Without clear visibility into advancement opportunities, mentorship programmes, or skill development pathways, talented individuals often look elsewhere for long-term prospects.
- Demanding work conditions and scheduling challenges – Weekend work, evening shifts, holiday hours and unpredictable schedules can deter potential applicants. Combine this with the physical demands of the work and sometimes challenging customer interactions, and you’ve got a reputation challenge that affects your talent pipeline.
- Competition from other industries – With low unemployment rates across Australia, retail and hospitality businesses are competing not just with each other, but with every other sector for quality candidates. Office-based roles, flexible work arrangements and industries with different working conditions can seem more attractive to job seekers.
- Difficulty showcasing workplace culture – Static job postings can’t capture the energy, camaraderie and genuine passion that often defines the best retail and hospitality workplaces. The team dynamics, customer interactions and daily variety that make these roles rewarding are nearly impossible to convey through text alone.
Why Video Is a Game-Changer for Retail and Hospitality Recruitment
While not a fix-all, video storytelling can help address some of these challenges by giving candidates an unfiltered look at what working with you is really like. Here’s why it works so well for retail and hospitality employers:
- Authenticity builds instant connection – When potential employees hear directly from current team members, not HR or marketing, about their genuine experiences, it creates trust. Real people sharing real stories resonates far more than corporate messaging.
- Visual storytelling captures the energy – Retail and hospitality are inherently visual industries. Video can showcase the bustling kitchen environment, the satisfaction of serving happy customers, or the collaborative spirit during busy periods in ways that job descriptions simply can’t match.
- Addresses concerns before they become barriers – Employee videos can tackle common misconceptions about career progression, work-life balance, or workplace culture. When a team member shares how they’ve grown within the company or describes the support they receive, it preemptively addresses candidate concerns.
Top 5 Video Strategies That Work for Retail and Hospitality Recruitment
1. Employee journey and growth stories
Capture team members talking about how they started in entry-level positions and progressed within your organisation. These stories are powerful for showing that retail and hospitality offer genuine career pathways, not just temporary jobs.
2. Day-in-the-life content
Give candidates a realistic preview of different roles through video walkthroughs of typical shifts. From opening procedures to customer interactions to team handovers, these videos help set proper expectations and attract people who thrive in your environment.
3. Team culture and behind-the-scenes moments
Showcase the camaraderie, teamwork and fun moments that happen during shifts. Whether it’s staff celebrations, team training sessions, or the way colleagues support each other during busy periods, these videos demonstrate your workplace culture in action.
4. Location and lifestyle spotlights
For businesses with multiple locations, create videos featuring team members who can speak to the benefits of working in different areas, from city centres to regional locations. This helps attract candidates who might not have considered certain locations.
5. Skills development and training highlights
Show how you invest in your people through training programs, mentorship or professional development opportunities. Videos of team members discussing new skills they’ve gained or certifications they’ve earned demonstrate your commitment to employee growth.
How Compass Group Transforms Recruitment with Authentic Employee Stories
Compass Group Australia, one of the world’s leading food service and hospitality companies, has mastered the art of employee video storytelling. With over thousands of team members across diverse locations, from corporate offices to remote mining sites, they face the challenge of showcasing opportunities across a wide range of roles and environments.
Through their VideoMyJob Story Feed, Compass Group has created a dynamic video library that lives on their careers site, featuring real employees sharing their experiences across different divisions and locations. Their approach includes:
- Diverse role representation – From executive chefs and nutritionists to FIFO catering teams and corporate support staff, their video library showcases the breadth of opportunities available within the organisation.
- Career progression stories – Team members share how they’ve grown within Compass Group, moving between roles, locations and levels of responsibility, directly addressing the career progression concerns common in hospitality recruitment.
- Location diversity – With operations spanning major cities and remote locations across Australia, their videos help candidates understand what working in different environments looks like, from bustling corporate dining facilities to isolated mining camps.
- Cultural connection – The videos capture the sense of purpose that comes from nourishing people and communities, helping candidates connect with Compass Group’s mission beyond just the functional aspects of the roles.
This authentic, employee-led content helps Compass Group attract candidates who understand not just what they’ll be doing, but why it matters and how they can grow within the organisation.
View their Story Feed created with VideoMyJob here.
Your Next Step: Making Video Work for Your Business
The retail and hospitality landscape is challenging, but the brands that invest in authentic storytelling are winning the talent game. Video content doesn’t require Hollywood budgets or professional film crews – it just needs real people sharing real experiences.
Whether you’re running a single restaurant, managing a retail chain, or operating across multiple hospitality venues, employee video can help you stand out from the competition, attract better candidates and reduce turnover by ensuring new hires know what they’re signing up for.
Ready to transform your recruitment strategy with employee video storytelling? Book a demo and discover how VideoMyJob can help you capture and showcase the authentic stories that will attract your next great hires.