Have you recently used a voucher to have an awesome night out? Perhaps it was an Entertainer ME voucher. The Entertainer ME is a young, dynamic and passionate company that is growing seriously fast. We interviewed Chantal Endemann, the HR Manager at The Entertainer ME. Chantal has worked in various fields and roles from finance to administration, but has found her passion in HR. Let’s see what Chantal has to say about the working culture at The Entertainer ME, what she looks for in a potential candidate, and much more.
In a nutshell, I’m South African and have worked for 10 years in Dubai and 6 years in South Africa. I have experience from start-ups to large MNCs. I have one child and a happy life. During the time of working in so many different companies and roles, I found my passion in HR. I can understand the language of various departments and help solve key issues and problems effectively. I see my role as more of an HR leader. I open windows – when the air is still with old ideas – and get everybody to look outside and see the potential of a different view. I have an unshakable belief in and focus on what is working and keep the team spirit high in the face of uncertainty, risk and setbacks. I can show you what the end result and strategy would look like and get those involved excited about the process of building it! My passions lie in growth and development of management teams, employee engagement and creating highly-engaged and productive teams to deliver on the strategy of the company.
Who doesn’t know the Entertainer? We're a cutting-edge company making leaps in the digital field. We have an amazingly strong brand; we're a Dubai-founded, global company with a motivated, driven team that has passion and integrity. Seeing the growth of The Entertainer as a publishing company in Dubai to now a well-known global company is extremely fascinating. Entrepreneurs often look up to our company’s story and get inspired to start their own business. The staff are also highly motivated and driven, and there’s an incredible amount of passion in our product. We also have each other’s back during hard times.
Passion, talent and commitment. I believe in hiring for culture and training to do the job. I would never bring someone into the company who doesn’t culturally fit. You might bring someone in who has the right skill-set but they might have a really hard time fitting into the culture. I would say it’s fine if a candidate has 80% of the skills you need, and 20% you can help develop and train. Our culture is a young, dynamic business and we want people who can fit in!
Make sure you have the right managers. Of course benefits, salary structures and all those tick boxes are important, but people usually leave managers. Everyone has heard that saying, but top talent move because they feel undervalued, with little investment in their growth and development. Spend the investment and time in ensuring your managers are motivated and keeping other employees motivated.
For the CV, it’s grammar and spelling. I see grammar and/or spelling mistakes and throw the CV straight away. My feeling is that if a candidate cannot take pride in their CV – which is their first touch point with me – then they probably aren’t the right fit for the company. The job interview is a candidate's opportunity to shine; to tell me how to fit into the job and what they can bring that I don’t have. I expect candidates to research the company and then tailor their discussions to what it is about. Make sure to research competitors and new products, as well. Also, it’s extremely important for me that you use our product before coming into the interview.
To be honest, when I close a role, I love the fact that Bayt.com sends emails to all the candidates thanking them and saying the role is closed. There is nothing worse than being a candidate wondering if you are still being considered or not.
