Hiring Smarter: 3 Common Recruitment Mistakes Parks Make Every Summer

By Harry Fry, HPL Recruitment

Every summer, holiday parks across the UK face the same challenge: high guest volumes, stretched teams, and a seasonal workforce that’s often hard to recruit, and even harder to retain. But while much of the focus lands on frontline staffing, the real difference between a smooth season and a stressful one often comes down to how good your management team is.

At HPL, we see the same three hiring mistakes crop up in parks every year making tough seasons even tougher. Here’s how to avoid the 3 Common Recruitment Mistakes Parks Make Every Summer.

3 Common Recruitment Mistakes Parks Make Every Summer

1. Leaving It Too Late

Every year, peak season creeps up quicker than expected and many parks find themselves scrambling to fill roles. But effective recruitment isn’t something you do in panic mode.

The best managers treat recruitment as a proactive, year-round process. That means identifying those team members that you’d like to have back, forecasting gaps and engaging early with recruitment partners.

One park we know sends a quick thank-you note to seasonal staff after summer ends, with a simple “See you next year.” Then they drop a festive email around Christmas to follow up. Costs next to nothing - but it works. People feel appreciated and are more likely to come back. And returning team members hit the ground running.

2. Not Showing What It’s Like to Work With You

Most holiday parks have a strong guest-facing brand, but few think about how they show up as an employer. And for permanent roles like sales, maintenance, or management, especially when they involve travel or relocation, this is crucial.

Good employer branding isn’t just HR’s job, it starts with your leadership team. Empowering your managers to tell your story, speak confidently about progression and values, and highlight what makes your park a great place to work is a powerful recruitment advantage.

One practical way to support this is by keeping an active LinkedIn presence.

Regularly sharing updates, team wins, or a peek behind the scenes doesn’t just help you attract talent, it also reinforces trust and visibility with job seekers who are quietly researching where they might want to work next.

3. Hiring to Fill Gaps, Not Build a Team

When the rota is under pressure, it’s tempting to hire fast, just to plug holes. But hiring the wrong person does more harm than leaving the role open.

Strong managers know how to resist that panic button. They understand that every hire shapes the team culture, affects guest experience, and impacts retention. But your managers also need support.

That’s why training your leaders to interview well is so often overlooked. The ability to spot a culture fit, ask the right questions, and dig beyond surface-level experience is a skill, not an instinct. Investing in interview coaching for your managers can significantly improve hiring outcomes and reduce turnover across the season.

Staffing Smarter Starts with Stronger Managers

If you want better seasonal recruitment outcomes, don’t just focus on filling frontline roles, focus on who’s leading the process. Your managers are the ones deciding who makes it onto the team.

At HPL, we believe that hiring strong managers is the first and most important step. The right leader doesn’t just manage a rota, they build a culture, attract better candidates, and set standards that last all season long.

Then, by empowering those managers with the right tools, interview training, and clear employer messaging, you give them everything they need to build and retain high-performing teams. That’s how you deliver smoother seasons, better guest experiences, and a team that returns stronger every year.

Staffing churn ruining your season? HPL can help you get it under control. Let's Talk.