Journal of Human Resources in Hospitality & Tourism, 10:372–399, 2011 Copyright © Taylor & Francis Group, LLC ISSN: 1533-2845 print / 1533-2853 online DOI: 10.1080/15332845.2011.588571 Factors Influencing Hospitality Recruiters’ Hiring Decisions in College Recruiting LINCHI KWOK Department of Hospitality Management, Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York, USA CHARLIE R. ADAMS Nutrition, Hospitality, and Retailing, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas, USA MARGARET A. (PEGGIE) PRICE Curriculum and Instruction, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas, USA The purpose of this study was to assess the criteria employed by hos- pitality recruiters to select entry-level managers among hospitality graduating seniors. This article introduces the Factors Influencing Hospitality Recruiters’ Hiring Decisions Model based on researchers’ review of recruitment and hospitality literature. The Factors In- fluencing Hospitality Recruiters’ Hiring Decisions Model guided the qualitative inquiry of 14 in-depth interviews with 22 purpose- fully selected recruiters/managers, who represented 14 companies from five hospitality industry segments. The data were analyzed with the content analysis techniques of phenomenology qualita- tive research and revealed that leadership, relevant job experience, person-organization and person-job fit, and personality are the most influential factors in recruiters’ hiring decisions. KEYWORDS Hospitality, recruiters, hiring decisions, conceptual model, qualitative inquiry, rational choice theory INTRODUCTION Today, there are 170+ four-year undergraduate and 800+ associate-degree hospitality programs in the United States (Rivera & Upchurch, 2008). Re- cruiters can choose which campuses they want to visit. Since December 2007, the U.S. economy has entered a worsening recession, with 8.9% or Address correspondence to Linchi Kwok (Lingzhi Guo), PhD, Assistant Professor, Depart- ment of Hospitality Management, Syracuse University, 304 Lyman Hall, Syracuse, NY, 13244. E-mail: lkwok@syr.edu 372