Copyright © 1998, Nanette Miner
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Reprinted/excerpted with permission. The Training Doctor. Author: Nanette Miner. www.trainingdr.com

Hire for Aptitude - Train for Skill

By Nanette Miner, EdD

Have you ever been waited on by someone in a service position who was unfriendly or who acted annoyed that you were there? Have you thought to yourself, "That person should not be in this job?" You were right!

Years ago when I was a training manager for a major hotel chain, I was involved in the hiring process for the food and beverage facilities. I remember having a lengthy argument over the selection of a particular candidate. We each had a different candidate in mind. Her candidate had years and years of waitressing experience, but during the interview, I was not impressed with her "personability." She didn't smile very much. She didn't contribute to the conversation but rather simply responded to questions that we asked. I felt that we had to pull from her - rather than that she was giving to us.

My preferred candidate had no experience as a waitress or in the food-service iindustry at all. But during the interview she smiled a whole lot. She nodded her head enthusiastically in response to questions that we asked. She was curious and asked questions, and generally, participated in the conversation with us. Why do you think I wanted the latter candidate? Because she had the type of personality that someone in a service industry need. I knew that she would be pleasant to people. I knew that she would be engaging and outgoing and draw people into conversations and take an interest in what they had to say. She made me feel comfortable during an interaction when she should have been at a disadvantage (the interview).

The restaurant manager wanted the person with experience because then she wouldn't have to put forth any effort to train. She was looking out for her own personal needs, whereas I was looking out for the needs of the function that I was trying to fill. There's a lesson in this for all of us. I knew that I could train my nice person to be a waitress. I also knew that 90% of being a waitress is interacting with the customers. And if I could find some one who could interact well with the public, I could train them in the tasks that needed to be done.

Certain folks have an inherent aptitude for certain things. A lot of it is based on personality - whether we are introverted or extroverted individuals; a lot of it is based on skill - we are able to multi-task or we're not; and a lot of it is based on personal preference - I could do the work of a bookkeeper but I wouldn't enjoy it because I don't particularly like math. It's not that I couldn't learn to do the tasks of bookkeeping or even that I would not be pretty good at it - I'm sure that I would , but I know that I would never excel at the job because I don't like to work with numbers, I like to work with people.

The other side of this equation is actually more important than the point I just made: no matter how much training you 'apply' to an individual, some people will never be able to do the job. Do you have a receptionist who is curt to callers? Have you sent this person out for telephone skills training? Have you sent this person out for customer service training? Does it seem that they return from the training no different than when they left? It's not because they don't know how to answer a phone, it's not because they don't know how to transfer calls, and it's not because they don't know how to take messages - all tasks of the job. It's probably because they don't have an aptitude for being a receptionist. They next time you are looking to hire an individual to fill a certain position, look beyond the black and white résumé. Look beyond the skills that they bring to the table. And prior to the interview, have a vision for what the job itself entails, especially when it comes to entry-level positions - it's more important to hire for aptitude and train for skill. You can't teach 'personality.'