Service has become a competitive advantage in the hospitality industry. The
following paper identifies the theoretical characteristics required of employees to be
successful in the service encounter. The necessary characteristics that an em
ployee requires to be successful closely parallel Snyder's (1974) concept of self-
monitoring. A person's self-monitoring tendency is related to the theoretical aspects
of consumers' determinants of quality service. The self-monitoring scale has been
used in both experimental and applied situations. The validity and the reliability of
the scale has been extensively studied and verified. The self-monitoring scale is
discussed as a method to identify the employee's service potential. Finally, three
additional implications of using the self-monitoring scale are discussed in regards to
the hospitality industry. Key Words: Selection, self-monitoring, service, job tenure,
suggestive selling, employees.
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