Personality or skill? The differing expectations of hospitality managers and students

This paper examines hospitality managers and students assumptions about the preferred attributes of hospitality employees. Using a quantitative approach, 74 hospitality managers and 137 students were surveyed, revealing a significant divergence in views. Students believed knowledge and skills were important for new employees and to get promoted, they would need to become good communicators. Industry however, was far more interested in the personalities of new employees and prioritised initiative over specific skills. The concern is that while educators are helping to develop graduates with specific skills, industry may not value these, being more intersted in the kinds of people they are. Their expectations and assumptions are significantly different and the gap is a cause for concern for educators and industry to address