1
Recruit Creatively
and Hire Carefully
An ounce of selection is worth a pound of training.
—R.J. Heckman
Director of Talent Management,
Personnel Decisions International
On Interstate 4 southwest of Orlando, Florida, a striking cream
and tan building fronts the freeway. A big—very big—sign de-
fines it in one eloquently simple word: casting. It’s the Walt
Disney World personnel office. That one word says a lot about
not just Disney but all companies that are focused on becom-
ing known for Knock Your Socks Off Service. They don’t
“hire” people for “jobs.” They “cast” performers in a “role.”
In service-focused companies, customer service jobs are
thought of less like factory work and much more like theater.
At a play, the audience files in, the curtain goes ...