Sending the Right Message

For better or worse, the US airline industry has been capturing mainstream headlines lately.

Thanks to social media, now any passenger can have an international impact. Viral videos filmed by passengers. Twitter attacks from politicians. Any conflict can now be broadcast globally in an instant—and actually change its outcome.

Achieving Social Media Altitude

The customer may not always be right, but that adage takes on new meaning when, with the drop of a single hashtag, the whole world may be watching.

It’s a wonder any company can survive such an onslaught of attention. Clearly, customer-facing staff require more scrutiny during the hiring process than ever before. But this doesn’t just mean finding someone who can hand out cans of tomato juice and pretzels; damage control, quick responses, and on-brand voicing are paramount to every interaction.

Even entry- level roles require careful scrutiny for proper job fit, especially if they are public-facing. With online reviews and social media awareness increasing exponentially, an inappropriate response or poor attitude can quickly damage a reputation and brand.  CRI’s BestHire assessment takes these skills and aptitudes into consideration. You don’t want an employee’s first test under real pressure to be on the job.

Taking Off and Taking Charge

Public tension has also been building between competitors over the past few years. Did you ever think you’d hear of $39 fares? Economy airlines like United, Frontier, and Spirit often seem neck-and-neck, dangling jaw-dropping deals every day.

These prices come at a cost, though. Some comforts are sacrificed, while extra fees get added along the way. Still, it is often worth it for those who may not otherwise fly.

When it comes to service offerings and marketing strategy, it is important to have top-level management in place who understand the industry and make tough decisions seem easy. Hiring driven and experienced executives can be intimidating. Thankfully, CRI’s Executive Achiever assessment filters out the most effective leaders, without endless rounds of interviews and second-guessing.

In cutthroat business climates, such as those faced by the airline industry, your team needs leaders who keep their organizations above the competition. The intellectual measurements and long-term success predictors of this assessment can determine the right candidate for every C-level role.  

Gaining Speed

Even with these challenges, the airline industry continues to grow. For one example, Frontier recently announced its plan to double in size by summer 2018. The company is also adding 21 new cities with 85 fresh routes to their network. With this effort also comes the hiring of 300 more pilots and 800 additional flight attendants.

When trying to reach new heights, where does an HR department even start? In the case of customer-facing positions, the Achiever assessment is a company’s best friend.

This versatile evaluation is the best benchmark for all your managerial staff, taking into account mental aptitudes, personality dimensions and validity scores. CRI’s industry-specific benchmarks also provide you with over 50 years of data to help determine each manager’s career trajectory. It’s clear that a great social media manager or product lead is an ideal co-pilot in any industry. They keep things running smooth to boost team morale and customer experience.

And with reliable colleagues in every role, you’re far less likely to find yourself the subject of satire.

Contact CRI today to learn how our assessments can suit your company’s needs. We’ve got 50 years of business under our belts, and are still flying high.