Five Qualities to Look For When Hiring Front of House Staff

A lot of skills in hospitality can be taught. I can teach you how to draught the perfect beer, upsell when taking a food order or make a delicious frothy cappuccino. When it comes to hiring staff previous hospitality experience definitely helps, but it’s not the most important factor. Over the years I realized more and more that there’s a side to working in hospitality that you can’t teach.

When working Front of House a person should have certain qualities. These qualities don’t necessarily come with experience and are even harder to teach (believe me, I tried). That’s why I am much more interested in who a person is than the skills or experience they possess.

Let me share with you the five characteristics I am looking for when hiring for Front of House roles.

Attentive

Maybe one of the most important qualities. When working in hospitality you have to stay alert and anticipate your guests' needs. This means you will need to be observant and try to read your guests. Of course being friendly and courteous also plays a big role. You make part of people’s experience and getting it right can make it a memorable one. Working Front of House is almost like being on stage, you want to make sure to leave a great impression every time.

Proactive

Rather than responding to your guests’ requests, it is even better if you can predict what they might want or need. Try to think one step ahead of them. Being proactive is not waiting for your guests to come and seek you out. When your guests walk through the door, be the first to welcome them. Ask your guests if they’d like another drink before they even realized they wanted one. Is your guest wandering around the restaurant, perhaps they are looking for the toilet? Reading your guests should become your “sixth sense”. If you’ve got that, I’m sure you are a good fit for the hospitality industry.

Hardworking

Hospitality is hard work. The hours are often irregular and shifts can be long. You are not always off on the weekends unlike most other people you know. You are constantly on your feet and one hour you are fine, the next hour you are slammed. It takes dedication, flexibility and sometimes blood, sweat and tears. Nonetheless, there’s nothing like that feeling that your guests are over the moon happy and you’ve helped to create that. No day is the same, which also makes it exciting to work in hospitality. But truth be told, you have to be cut out for it.

Cooperative

Working in hospitality is teamwork. Whether you are the host(ess), bartender, chef or server you all have to work together and play your part. No guest experience relies solely on your efforts. You probably wouldn’t go back to a restaurant if the food was good but the service and atmosphere was disappointing. Communication is key so your guests are in for a smooth ride. Working in hospitality means working for people together with people.

Passion for the industry

This might sound obvious but I’ve met plenty of people who work in hospitality because the hours combine well with their studies. However, most guests will be able to tell if you are there only for your paycheck. A lot of people in hospitality are known to be people-pleasers. This is why the job will be so much easier if you care about giving awesome customer service and that’s something you cannot fake. Only if you have a passion for this industry, you can stand on your feet for 10 hours straight, running around and trying to make other people happy with a genuine smile on your face.