What Kind of Personality Will Succeed in Hospitality?

Not everyone is cut out for the hospitality industry. Dealing with customers and the needs of others requires particular personality traits – it is not an industry for unsociable people with little patience. Make recruitment decisions with this in mind and you will find you fill your business with employees willing and able to go above and beyond for your customers. But, what should you look for?

Enthusiastic and committed to accommodating the wishes of others

Hospitality is all about serving others and looking after their needs. Your employees will encounter a whole range of situations and customers, and at all times of the day or night. Recruiting enthusiastic candidates that put themselves second and thrive on pleasing others will ensure your customers are not left wanting.

Patient, resilient, and able to empathise with customers

In hospitality, patience is essential. Your employees will encounter a diverse range of customers, all of whom have their own expectations and requirements. Selecting patient candidates that empathise with customers will ensure frustration levels stay at a minimum regardless of how demanding, indecisive or confused a customer gets – how will your new recruits handle being asked question after question by one customer or waiting whilst another debates a decision at the reception desk as a queue forms behind them?

Good at problem solving and able to make decisions

Not everything is going to go smoothly, things will go wrong and mistakes will happen. But outcome, in terms of how your customers feel when they leave, is down to how your employees react. Those that can remain calm under pressure and find solutions quickly will manage issues far better than those that panic and make rash decisions that could turn a small issue into a big one, or a satisfied customer into an unsatisfied one.

Organised and able to multitask

Wherever you are in the hospitality industry, be it the reception desk, the bar or the restaurant, there is likely more than one thing happening at once. Organisation, prioritisation and the ability to multi-task are essential to ensuring that everything gets done on time and to a high standard.

Excellent communicator and able to listen

Communication is key. Whether it is providing information or answering customer questions, your employees need to be confident and able to communicate clearly with your customers. And this extends beyond words. Body language and how your employees present themselves to customers will make a big difference to atmosphere and customer experiences.

Sociable and good at team work

In hospitality roles, you rarely work alone. Each department relies on a team of employees, and those employees will change from shift to shift. Recruiting sociable candidates that work well with others is essential to keeping team morale high. Furthermore, a team that works well together and helps each other out, regardless of personal feelings, will be more efficient than one where everyone is focused only on themselves.

How to determine if a candidate is suited to the hospitality industry

Determining personality is difficult using conventional recruitment methods, but with psychometric and behavioural testing it is easy. Psychometric tests determine candidates’ suitability for a role based on answers to behavioural and personality questionnaires that assess, for example, motivation and how candidates will respond in certain situations. If you think psychometric testing could help you and would like to know more, speak to e-Talent today.