Bruno Cruz leads the recruitment efforts at JA Resorts & Hotels in his capacity as the Cluster Recruitment Manager. In his current position, Bruno is responsible for spearheading recruitment and manpower planning, as well as promoting career development. In this interview with Bayt.com, Bruno shares with us what JA Resorts & Hotels look for in their new hires and how companies in the Middle East and North Africa region can hold on to their human assets.
Bruno Cruz earned his Master's degree in Social Psychology with specialization in Behavior Assessment from the Instituto de Ciências Pedagógicas (ISPA), Portugal. With his early career spanning across Portugal, Spain, Malta and the UK, Bruno had a headstart in the recruitment industry, working for some leading companies in this field, including Randstad, Kelly Services and Nortempo. Bruno further lent his expertise to start-up companies that required assistance during their key initial phase, by acting as Interim HR Manager. As a multi-linguist with excellent international exposure, Bruno has been instrumental in driving HR at JA Resorts & Hotels.
JA Resorts & Hotels is an international hospitality company based in Dubai, with over 30 years of experience in managing and operating resorts and hotels. The group employs over 1,500 people across a large portfolio and is proud of the rich diversity of cultures and nationalities that exists across its properties. The work culture at JA Resorts & Hotels is a mix of professionalism, passion, dedication and heartfelt hospitality.
When we receive applications, we look at various factors which help us come to a decision. When we meet candidates personally, we try to analyze and observe how the individual would fit into our company structure and culture first and foremost. Secondly, dedication and honesty are two elements necessary and form the base of a successful career, and at times it is possible to catch a glimpse of these qualities among potential candidates. However, there isn’t just one particular quality I search for in all new hires, as it may differ from position to position.
We have to be aware that whenever we contact a candidate, they could potentially be in touch with other hospitality brands. That is why we always expedite the entire process from selection to orientation in order to welcome the new associate into our family. Also, we ensure that we follow up with the promising applicants and give them a time-frame for decision making.
In today’s competitive job market, it’s necessary to be really sure when you take up a job. It has to be what you want and you should enter the industry reminding yourself to never give up. Hospitality can be tough, but it is rewarding and a great industry to work in.
I catch up with Hospitality Business ME and Hotelier Middle East for updates, plus the usual business section in daily newspapers. Plus, the best way to know about everything is to keep networking!
Recognizing and Rewarding. These two R’s are integral to keep someone of excellent and trustworthy calibre. Also, encouragement and guidance always helps to prepare someone to be the ‘top talent’.
Bay.com is definitely a great and very handy website for any recruiter. The menus are intuitive and easy to use, and the search tools are detailed and extremely accurate.
