Puttin' on the RitzFor Potential Employees Your meeting with a human resource representative is often your first exposure to the company you are applying to work for, and firms must provide good customer service to applicants if they expect to hire the most qualified employees. Companies have several opportunities to create a positive impression of their organization during these key points in the employee selection process. These include a variety of communication channels, such as: In-person greetings at a job fair or at the interview itself Phone calls to a prospective employee from a human resource professional to set up the interview and any follow-up conversations between human resources and the applicant E-mail correspondence to acknowledge receipt of an application and to thank applicants for submitting their job application A thank-you note from the employer following the second interview A firm that is recognized for treating prospective employees especially well is Ritz-Carlton Hotels, a subsidiary of Marriott International. When the Washington D.C. Ritz-Carlton was recruiting employees to staff a new hotel, the goal was to provide applicants with a personal demonstration of the famous Ritz-Carlton service-oriented culture. As applicants arrived, they experienced the Ritz-Carlton "warm welcome" from several employees who greeted them, wished them luck, and escorted them past a violinist and piano player to the waiting room, where beverages and snacks were available. Applicants went through a standardized screening questionnaire, and those who passed went on to a professionally developed structured interview. Individuals were then personally escorted to the "fond farewell," where they were thanked, given Ritz-Carlton chocolates, and escorted out of the hotel. The goal of Ritz-Carlton managers is to give applicants the same experience they would expect to receive as a customer staying in the hotel. Every applicant receives a personal, formal thank-you note for coming to the job fair, and those who are considered for positions but later rejected receive another note. Ritz-Carlton wants to make a good impression because an applicant could be a future Ritz-Carlton hotel guest, or the son or daughter of a guest. Ritz-Carlton continues to show exemplary service during the employee orientation process. Every employee must go through seven days of training before ever working in a Ritz-Carlton. Two full days of the orientation are indoctrination in the Ritz-Carlton values and philosophy. The goal is to build a significant emotional experience for new employees during their first few days. This happens the moment new employees arrive for training at 6:00 a.m. and see senior leaders lined up outside the doors of the hotel, clapping and cheering as they greet them. The message is clear: You are important and we will treat you exactly as we want you to treat customers. The leadership team is involved in facilitating the program, sending a powerful message about the importance of consensual commitment. "For these next few days, we will orient you to who we areour heart, our soul, our goals, our vision, our dreamsso you can join us, and not just work for us." Horst Schultz, former president and COO of the Ritz-Carlton, first implemented the motto "We Are Ladies and Gentlemen Serving Ladies and Gentlemen" in the mid-1980s, and the motto is still at the heart of the company's values today. In an address to employees, Schultz said, "You are not servants. We are not servants. Our profession is service. We are Ladies and Gentlemen, just as the guests are, who we respect as Ladies and Gentlemen. We are Ladies and Gentlemen and should be respected as such." Critical Thinking Questions 1. What are the benefits of an employer treating a job applicant like a customer? Are there costs associated with treating applicants poorly? 2. What is the Ritz-Carlton motto? How does it teach both applicants and employees about the company's value