New format of interview during recruitment of entry-level front-office employees focused on candidates’ soft skills
Niutanen, Elizaveta (2022)
2022
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Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2022120927448
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2022120927448
Tiivistelmä
The current product based thesis had a goal of creating a new tool that would help the commissioning party to conduct interviews for entry-level positions with a stronger focus on soft skills. The commissioning party was a luxury boutique hotel, located in the centre of Helsinki – Hotel U14, Autograph Collection by Marriott. This has defined the focus of the tool being targeted on hospitality industry specifically. The project focused solely on candidates applying for entry-level positions or internships on front desk of the hotel, and who have no or very little former work experience.
On the first phase of the research a theoretical study of the current state of matter was performed. Literature has been studied in the aspect of the factors influencing the success of the recruitment procees, the research that has been conducted conserving the required soft skills for successful performance of customer service and hotel front office positions, as well as already existing models of focusing on soft skills.
The empirical part of thesis was built using design thinking model and consisted of five steps: empathizing, defining, ideating, prototyping and testing. During the empathising part method of semi-structured interview was implied. For defining phase personas were constructed. Lotus Blossom tool was used during ideating phase. Prototypes were first built with pen and paper or presented orally, and later printed out on paper. Latest versions of prototype were built using Figma tool.
The final product is an interactive mockup of an app, which offers job seekers a series of questions, cases and challenges. It helps recreate common situations at front desk and invite candidates to share their thoughts and ideas, therefore facilitating conversations that will spotlight certain soft skills needed at front desk.
The developed product has answered the exectations of the commissioner and will be used during recruitment process at Hotel U14.
On the first phase of the research a theoretical study of the current state of matter was performed. Literature has been studied in the aspect of the factors influencing the success of the recruitment procees, the research that has been conducted conserving the required soft skills for successful performance of customer service and hotel front office positions, as well as already existing models of focusing on soft skills.
The empirical part of thesis was built using design thinking model and consisted of five steps: empathizing, defining, ideating, prototyping and testing. During the empathising part method of semi-structured interview was implied. For defining phase personas were constructed. Lotus Blossom tool was used during ideating phase. Prototypes were first built with pen and paper or presented orally, and later printed out on paper. Latest versions of prototype were built using Figma tool.
The final product is an interactive mockup of an app, which offers job seekers a series of questions, cases and challenges. It helps recreate common situations at front desk and invite candidates to share their thoughts and ideas, therefore facilitating conversations that will spotlight certain soft skills needed at front desk.
The developed product has answered the exectations of the commissioner and will be used during recruitment process at Hotel U14.