February 1993. Gray sky, gray houses, gray snow. I come out of the subway and walk past the kiosks to the address written on a piece of checkered notebook paper.
I read the announcement in the newspaper, with the address for an interview at the new Casino-Entertainment Club. Back then, there was no internet or social media.

The requirements were straightforward: young men and women over 21 years old with knowledge of the English language for the job of a dealer. Most young people knew about dealers, roulette, and cards from literary classics and video films shown in video salons...
A considerable number of people gathered in the room where the interview took place. First, we had to fill out a form (with a photo), and then take a math test on multiplication. The second stage was an interview with English people in English.
The conversation itself was straightforward; they were mainly evaluating if the candidate could speak a little English. They were looking for people with no work experience to train them as casino dealers.

I began my story from those distant years because, looking back, I realize that I learned the basics then and continue to learn, taking into account various changes in the modern world of casinos. Most importantly, employees are the most valuable resource for managers, and they must be used wisely to achieve the best results in everything! Though, there are managers who still write with a "pen and ink."
An experienced manager sees a promising, competent individual, with an excellent attitude towards work and responsibilities. There is an evaluation system, assessing employees based on various criteria.
Following the evaluation, an employee can be promoted or remain without a promotion. But most importantly, there is a private conversation about the strengths and weaknesses of the employee, both professionally and personally. This personal communication allows the employee to grow further, pay attention to their weaknesses, and work on improving them.
It is essential for the evaluation to be an official event and not just private conversations. Officiality gives significance and effectiveness to the process.

I passed the selection, and I was extremely happy. I was 21 and in desperate need of a job...
Around 125-130 trainees started their training in two shifts in a rented auditorium of one of the schools in the central district of the city. The entire team was young, and the training was quite positive despite some monotony...
We were trained by the English people, who later became managers at the Casino. None of the trainees knew what awaited us after completing the training...
After a couple of weeks, some of the guys left. Some lost interest, others didn't see themselves in this job, and some just said goodbye. The first requirements were discipline! The second was excellent performance on computational tests.
And, in general, our attitude towards training was treated as work. In the future, these qualities helped some of us professionally advance and climb the career ladder...
In other words, we learned things we had never known and acquired new skills and a new perspective on what was happening to us and around us on the go.

Until June 1993 - the opening date of the Casino, a couple of months were left. We continued training on its premises. The opening was delayed due to unfinished renovations and other issues.... And here, I will emphasize our motivation, which gradually faded. The managers noticed it too. And here, for the first time, I saw what real work on motivation was. They started paying us a stipend and providing us with lunches. Ironically, it worked and strengthened people's loyalty to the organization.
The first training was the longest in terms of duration but certainly the best. We learned a lot, and the standards were something we could handle.
In June 1993, the complex opened, and real work with real life and work lessons began. The first year flew by quickly, and we all understood how we should work and what to do in various work situations.
I started observing how the English people who trained us and the English people who came to work in linear management were working. It was a slow but very interesting process of learning and analyzing something new for myself.

During the work, we continued training in practice, and they guided and showed us what and how to do in various standard and non-standard situations. So learning and acquiring skills and abilities should continue at all stages of personnel work. This is crucial to improving work quality.
I won't delve into the work process; it can be talked about for a long time. But after 3-4 years, the most advanced among us started working as pit bosses at the Casino. Some part of us went on to work in similar positions at other casinos in the city. At that time, this business was a pioneer, and several establishments, including ours, were the crucibles of personnel.

Now, when selecting, recruiting, and inviting personnel to work, you can approach the issue with a wide range of choices and understanding - what you need and what you expect from the establishment. Nowadays, the level of competition in the entertainment industry is very high, and owners and managers need to understand what market niche they will occupy and accordingly conduct their personnel policy.