With Dubai as one of the world’s leading travel hubs, hospitality is the sector seeing the most growth these days in the UAE.
Only three years ago the most attractive industries for jobs in the Emirates were perceived to be banking and finance, construction and oil, gas and petrochemicals, as shown by Bayt.com Job Index survey. Today, a research by Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry highlights that tourism is expected to generate 245.000 new jobs in the UAE over the next 10 years, registering an annual growth of about 4.1%.
That said, recruitment activities for this industry gear up for relevant growth in the upcoming years, with key professionals looking for a set of traits and skills for their top hires ahead of Expo 2020. But what are the WOW factors that shape truly qualified candidates in this booming industry? Whether they operate in hotels, travel agencies, airlines and other leisure services directly supported by tourists, here a list of top 5 skills of great hospitality employees in the UAE according to us.
The hospitality industry largely relies on communication for making sales, as it involves interacting with potential clients and persuading them to buy a range of new products and services. In today’s globalized business world, English has emerged as language of trade and a standard for communication: advanced business-orientated English vocabulary helps practitioners at all levels increase guest satisfaction by reaching consensus and fulfilling orders, which in turn results in higher productivity and long-term profitability. Besides oral communication, internal written English communication can make significant contributions to enhancing the performance of hospitality employees as well as the overall organizational efficiency. Sorting through emails, fielding phone calls and passing data to colleagues are vital abilities needed to make procedures smoother and create harmony in a high-pressure work environment. To make sure you’re evaluating your candidate’s prociency in business English the right way, try Bayt.com Test, our solution thought to empower top employers like you.
As today’s global economy becomes more complex, the tourism and hospitality industries are continuously exposed to new challenges. According to the Bayt.com, ‘Innovation in the MENA’, January 2013, creativity is an important skill for professionals to hone. It is important for organizations to create a culture that fosters and rewards innovation, with employees always up to suggest new things, embrace a challenge and explore alternative solutions to enhance the customer experience. In the hospitality context [too], the employee ability of thinking outside the box can be an unparalleled skill to gain or maintain key competitive advantage over the long run.
Hospitality is a truly global industry. As such, being bilingual, trilingual or just having basic knowledge of a foreign language is an exceptionally strong asset, if not a prerequisite. Guests genuinly enjoy engaging in conversations in their native language. That’s because, even if most of the visitors seek a taste of local culture once abroad, listening to familiar words will always makes them feel home and valued in their own cultural dimension. Whether in a beach resort or in a luxury hotel, multilingualism is a soft skill you should look for if you want positive, long-lasting relationships between international clients and your staff in the UAE.
Being flexible with an ever-changing and discontinuous work environment is essential in today’s fast-paced corporate life. If you want your business to thrive, you need to look for people who can easily adapt to the marketplace, adjust whenever required and be ready to go the extra mile. Not only this ability will make your employees more responsive to change, but it will also allow them to strike the work/life balance and be able to manage multiple responsibilities simultaneously.
Customer service is the quintessence of tourism, a major driver to revenues and pretty much of what it takes to master the art of hospitality! Regardless of their job role and level, top hospitality hires in the UAE are expected to demonstrate exceptional service and commitment to always sending customers away satisfied and keen to come back. After all, their main objective is to deliver the most extraordinary experience possible, isn’t? Such a must-have quality implies being patient, having scholarly eye for details, adapting to guests’ demands, and even thinking forward to identify their potential needs and fulfill every possible desire they may come up with.
Did you like this blog post? What skills are you looking for when hiring candidates in the hospitality sector? Get in touch with us, we would love to hear from you!
