This is a series by guest contributor, Anna Blue. Read Part One of the series.
Understanding generational differences in the workplace shapes how hiring managers evaluate candidates.
Gen Z and Millennial Hospitality Leaders: Show Me You Can Adapt
Younger hospitality managers are evaluating candidates through a different lens than their predecessors. They’re looking for adaptability, values alignment, and (increasingly) comfort with technology and AI.
According to Resume Genius’ 2025 survey of 1,000 hiring managers, gen z hiring trends show that 89% of Gen Z hiring managers and 87% of Millennials prioritize AI-related skills in the hiring process. In hospitality, that translates to: Can you use the tools we’ve invested in? Can you adapt as the technology evolves?
For this generation of leaders, recruitment automation isn’t about removing the human element—it’s about streamlining the process and reducing bias. They’re implementing tools that systematize evaluation because they genuinely believe it creates fairer outcomes. They also care deeply about candidate experience throughout the process. A seamless, transparent hiring journey signals that your organization values efficiency and respect for people’s time.
Recruiting millennial employees with diverse backgrounds—a candidate who worked in customer service, retail, or even healthcare and is pivoting into hospitality—shows they’re open to conversation in a way their Boomer counterparts may not be.
They’re also more likely to believe that structure and career paths reduce turnover – not create it. 79% of Millennial hiring managers believe AI can help reduce hiring bias; they tend to welcome tools that systematize evaluation.
Gen X Hospitality Leaders: Prove It Before You Say It
Gen X managers in hospitality approach candidate evaluation with pragmatic skepticism—one of the key gen z hiring challenges they observe in younger candidates.
Gen X managers in hospitality are pragmatic evaluators. They’ve seen enough candidates oversell themselves to be genuinely skeptical of polished presentations that don’t hold up in the first 90 days. They want demonstrated competency, accountability, and real experience, not just a compelling interview.
They tend to be less convinced that AI solves hiring problems – only 64% of Gen X hiring managers believe AI can reduce bias, the lowest of any generation. They’re more likely to trust their own judgment and processes, and to be protective of the human elements in hiring.
For Gen X hospitality leaders, the best candidates show up prepared, demonstrate awareness of the realities of the industry, and don’t need to be told twice.
Baby Boomer Hospitality Leaders: Character, Commitment, and Work Ethic
Boomer leaders represent a distinct cohort in managing different generations in the workplace.
Boomer leaders in hospitality have often built their careers from the ground up (something they’ll tell you, over and over), and they’re evaluating candidates through that lens. They value reliability, professionalism, preparation, and long-term commitment. They want to see that a candidate understands the demands of the industry and isn’t going to disappear after three months.
This tension reflects broader workplace generational differences—what Boomer leaders value most (deference to hierarchy, formal communication styles, in-person presence) can read as misaligned with what the largest growing segment of the hospitality workforce actually brings.
The tension is worth acknowledging: some of what Boomer leaders value most – deference to hierarchy, formal communication styles, in-person presence – can read as misaligned with what the largest growing segment of the hospitality workforce actually brings. This isn’t a character flaw on either side. It’s a gap the best hiring processes actively work to bridge.
Hospitality has always required people to work alongside colleagues who are nothing like them. That’s not a new challenge, it’s literally the job.
