Let personality make the decisions in recruitment

A GREATER focus on personality has led to a change in the traditional job interview in some companies. Many companies now prefer more interactive, personality-revealing hiring sessions.

This is the view of Dale Simpson, the curator of Radisson RED Hotel V&A Waterfront in Cape Town, who says the growing importance placed on company culture has contributed to this shift: “Hiring candidates who are the right ‘culture fit’ positively impacts their commitment.”

The trend is particularly prevalent in the hospitality industry. “In our sector, personality is key, and while most skills can be taught, personality — for the most part — cannot . . . we look for people who have the right personality and energy for a particular role, even if this means an employee will require significant upskilling.

“Being guest-centric means above all being people-centric and, for RED, moving away from the standard approach to recruitment inspires this,” he says. Simpson has this advice:

You need to be willing to try new things, some of which may seem revolutionary. For example, when it comes to the RED casting process, candidates cannot prepare for it. “Through a series of four interactive workshops, candidates are put in a position where their true behaviour will shine through, which allows us to get a feel of who they are.”

In the case of Radisson, the recruits are given broad training that covers a range of roles. “A person will be trained for the overall position, depending on the type of role they are filling. This means that a kitchen creative will be capable of carrying out every job in the kitchen, from cooking, to cleaning and serving. This ensures the ball does not drop.” —