Finding our tribe: How we RECRUIT for the world's most hospitable team.

We interview lots of amazing people from around the country who, for a variety of reasons, are interested in joining our team. Some are attracted to the lifestyle - working in a campground can be a thrilling experience. Others are attracted to the location - Wyoming, you say? Count me in. But who are the ones that are the best fit for our company? They are the people who are attracted to something bigger: the ability to wake up each day with purpose.

Purpose: The reason for which something (or someone) exists.

It is a privilege to find purpose in one's "job". Rarely are the two - purpose and job - interlinked. The word "job" often conjures up ideas of something we have to do. I have to wake up at 7am to get to my job where my day will be spent on tasks including [checking in guests, cleaning cabins, delivering firewood]. Alternatively, the word "purpose" speaks to the things we "get" to do. I get to wake up at 7am to go to my place of work where my day will be spent [delivering happiness]. The difference between a job and a purpose can be a simple shift in perspective, but the impact of that shift is the difference between people who work well on our team, and those who don't.

How, then, do we recruit people who are seeking purpose? Or, more appropriately, how do we recruit people who's purpose aligns with our own?

If someone shows you who they are, believe them. - Maya Angelou

Our recruiting process starts long before the interview itself.

It starts with how we present ourselves to potential future team members and entails a three-part approach:

Our recruiting process...

1. We Show Them Who We Are

At Team Outsider, we are on a mission to be the most hospitable company in the world. If you haven't heard us say that before… nice to meet you. An entire section on our website dedicated to our culture? You betcha. Social media posts that celebrate our team members? Yup, those too. Our culture is our superpower. It is our version of Popeye's spinach. Anyone who is looking to join our team and who has viewed any of our external-facing communication material knows how important our culture is to us before their interview even begins. Why? Because we show them.

**Candra J.**

"I spent the last nineteen years in Oregon around the Portland area. I loved traveling and camping so my husband and I hit the road in June 2018 full time. I love food, candy, my dogs and family! Oh and I'm a big goofball!!"

We have never met a couple (Candra and her husband Aaron) so enthusiastic about their life. We all need to meet them and take notes. Their unwavering smiles and laughter fill us all with such joy! We are so thankful they are part of our team.

2. We Focus On the "Why", Not the "What"

Take these two job descriptions. Same role. Different companies.

"The Front Desk job is responsible for checking in guests, taking reservations, responding to emails, answering phones, selling firewood, and dealing with all guest related issues."
"Members of the Guest Services team are driven to surprise and delight campers at every turn. We've never met a stranger who didn't quickly become a friend. We love to help our guests find what they need, even when they didn't know they were looking for it. And boy are we good at doing that. Guest Services team members are responsible for WOW'ing our guests during registration, at the front desk, while escorting, when selling firewood and store products, and during all other guest-facing interactions. Want to spend your days making other people smile? We'd love to meet you."

One of these job descriptions focuses on the "what"… dealing with all guest related issues. The other focuses on the "why"… delivering happiness. If you had to guess, which do you think is more likely to attract a candidate who is seeking a job with purpose? Which candidate do you think will be a better fit for our team?

3. We Leverage Our Greatest Resource… Our Current Team

Our first core value is "We put our team first". One of the best ways to find new team members is to find people that are recommended by our current team members. So why do our current team members recommend working with us? In the words of one of our Community Managers…

"I have been in the workforce for over forty years and I've never had a company put their team members first until now. LLA is top-notch at living up to all of the company's core values. LLA's core values make working with them enjoyable and rewarding."

In Conclusion...

As we approach the start of this year's camping season, we wish many things for you and your campground: