What types of businesses are hospitality?

Hotels                                       Motels                             Resorts

Holiday Parks                        Motor Camps                Bed & Breakfasts

Farm Stays                              Backpackers                  Hostels

Restaurants                            Cafes                                 Takeaways

Retail Food Outlets             Conference Centers      Wedding Centers

Function Facilities                Bars                                    Night Clubs

Taverns                                     Casinos                            Caterers

Commercial Airlines             Trains                              Cruise Ships

Charter Boats                            Events Management          Clubs

Amusement Parks                      

Of course there are many more…

Within these businesses there are many different types of jobs available including:

Food & Beverage Attendant         Bar Attendant                   Runner

Glassy                                                     Commis/Demi Chef

Chef de Partie                                     Specialist Chef                  Sous Chef

Head Chef                                             Executive Chef                  Kitchen Hand

Cook                                                        F & B Supervisor               Maitre d

Host                                                         Cashier                            Restaurant Manager

F & B Manager                                     F & B Executive                 Conference Manager

Conference Attendant                     Functions Assistant           Conference Technician

Café Assistant                                     Café Supervisor                Café Manager

Bar Supervisor                                   Bar Manager                     General Manager

Cleaner                                                 Room Attendant               Receptionist

Reservations Assistant                Front Office Supervisor      Front Office Manager

Concierge                                           Porter                              Valet Attendant

BellHop                                              Butler                              Room Service Attendant

Maintenance Attendant               Site Tradesperson             Security Assistant

Security Manager                           Training Assistant             Training Manager

Human Resource Manager           H R Executive                   Payroll Assistant

Accounts Assistant                         Night Auditor                             Finance Manager

Marketing Manager                         Marketing Assistant           Sales Manager

Sales Assistant                                 Sales Executive                 Activities Coordinator

Customer Service Manager        Flight Crew Member

And again there are many more types of jobs found in hospitality businesses.

With such a broad range of business types and so many different types of jobs on offer the opportunities for career advancement are significant particularly as there is a skills shortage in many roles; I have outlined an example below.

Food & Beverage Attendant              to              Restaurant Supervisor           to

Sales Manager                    to                           Restaurant Manager              to

General Manager

• The above example shows how Kylie, a Food and Beverage attendant, began working in a restaurant serving guests and learning skills such as customer service, order taking, POS processing, attention to detail and product knowledge.

• From F & B Attendant Kylie was promoted to supervisor which involved supervising a small team and area of the business and developing her management and leadership skills.

•  From there was another promotion this time to Restaurant Manager where Kylie began to learn the skills required to run a business including marketing, sales, financial control, reporting, recruiting a good team, developing a great team, leadership and communication along with higher level hospitality skills such as menu development, occupancy, promotions and working with suppliers.

•  At this stage Kylie was offered a job at a local 5 Star Hotel as a Restaurant Manager, a similar role but with more scope for promotion plus the added advantage of learning more about the accommodation side of the industry.  Kylie excelled in this role and in the new environment and soon found she was successfully managing 3 of the Hotels Restaurants.

•  Kylie’s people skills and sales ability were recognised by her managers and very soon was offered a role as the Hotel Sales Manager which enabled her to work more behind the scenes.

•  The Hotel saw the potential in Kylie and very soon she was offered a development package to fast track her to the role of General Manager, running her own Hotel within the chain.

Examples similar to this are common in the hospitality industry and in many cases promotions can be achieved in a relatively short time frame.  For those with the right attributes promotion can happen rapidly and before long you can find yourself managing a hospitality business or even starting your own.

Hospitality skills are in demand around the world.  Hospitality provides a great platform for travel and many people began working in the industry as a means of seeing the world and have continued their careers in the industry when they return home.

I welcome your feedback, comments or if you’re working in the industry currently – outline of where your hospitality career began

 Keep a look out for our upcoming feature taking a detailed look at what it takes to be successful in hospitality

To assist with your festive season planning here are 6 steps to a Successful Festive Season Plan.

Step 1 – Know what your competition is up to.

Knowing what your competition has on offer is a valuable tool to use to your advantage.

If your business enjoyed a busy and successful festive season last year you can rest assured your competition will know what you did and how you did it and will be looking to incorporate your winning formula into their planning this year which means that the reason for your success last year may not be as relevant this year.

Be sure to take the time to study your competition and develop a new plan with points of difference for each year.  Failing to do this may see you leading the pack one year but trailing the next.

Step 2 – Define your product for this festive season

This year take some time to define your product by asking yourself and researching the following questions:

In past years what went well and what didn’t? – Check surveys and feedback

How long have we been offering this concept, is it time for a change?

What is our competition offering?

What is the state of the market this season (economy)?

What innovative products and/or services could I include this year?

What are the trends in our industry this year?  Eg. A more casual approach to dining or increased focus on healthy eating options…

Use this information and research to define your product for this year.

Step 3 – Define your target market

As is the case for any marketing activity defining your target market is an important part of planning and the festive season is no different.

Begin by looking at these points:

Were bookings strong last season and why?

Was last years marketing successful in capturing the target market we were aiming for?

Are previous target groups still purchasing your type of products/services this year and at similar volumes?

Will festive season target markets be different to other periods of the year and why?

Looking at competitors target markets, are there any gaps/opportunities?

Use this information and research to define your target market this year.

Step 4 – Establish your points of difference

Points of difference are the key reasons why guests/customers buy from you and not from your competition.  A point of difference must be just that, a reason that is different from competition so using “excellent service” as a point of difference has little marketing capacity as everyone uses that point…

Think outside the square and come up with innovative points of difference that your competition won’t already use to give your target markets a reason to buy from your business.

Step 5 – Market your product

Once the planning is done the next stage is to get your product or message to the market.

Identification of your target market is imperative as it will tell you how you will need to market and where to get access to your target groups. For example if a good proportion of your target market play golf then you are far better to invest a few dollars in advertising in your local golf club newsletter than spending large sums of money in a local newspaper as it is far more targeted.  If your target groups are regular users of social networking find out which site/s they use and ensure it forms part of your campaign.

The more you know about your target groups the more targeted your marketing can be, the less your marketing will cost to get your message out and the more effective it will be.

Outline your marketing plan and incorporate an advertising schedule to keep you on track.

Step 6 – Roll out the best festive season ever

With great planning comes lower stress levels and a more organised and enjoyable environment which is good for you, good for your staff, good for your business and good for your guests.

I welcome your comments, feedback and perhaps some ideas that I haven’t included which have worked for you.

So how do you ensure you and your team are providing the best possible service at all times?

Easy… By providing an individual approach to customer or situation.

In order for this to occur there are a number of things that need to be taken into consideration

1. Learning to read your customer is the first and most important step
2. Use a service approach that will meet the needs of the customer/situation
3. The next step is to deliver that approach checking at all times to ensure your approach is meeting the needs of the customer/situation and where required refine the approach

Reading your customer – How is this achieved?

Have you ever been in to a retail store and had an assistant come up to you and ask if they can help you?  If yes, how often have you felt the assistant is being pushy and either left the store or given the assistant a cold response?

This happens because in our own eyes we have already told the assistant that we do not want any help even before they come up to us, how?  Through body language.  Our body language is informing the assistant from the moment we walk into the retail store about whether or not we need help, are simply looking around or are filling in time with some harmless window shopping.  Because through body language we have already informed the assistant we don’t need help we become frustrated when they then come up and ask.

By watching your customer as soon as they enter your business you can begin to tell the following:

• Are they comfortable in this environment ie. have they been here or in this type of business before?
• Are they looking for assistance – is their body language open, are they looking somewhat lost or trying to make eye contact?
• Do they wish to communicate with you – is their body language open or closed ie. are their arms crossed or are they using a bag or similar as a shield or are they open and looking to make contact with you or another employee.

By focusing on this we are able to make an informed decision about how to act with the customer.

If the customer is looking uncomfortable it may well be that they have not been into your type of business before eg.  A customer walks into a Fine Dining Restaurant and looks around somewhat lost.  This is a sign that they possibly have not been here or are not frequent diners in this type of restaurant. 

In this situation you will need to spell out in more detail how the restaurant operates eg.  Good afternoon, have you dined here before?  No, let me show you around and explain what we have available.

This instantly puts the customer at ease and they are grateful you are taking care of them. 

Once seated it may be necessary to clear cutlery and glassware etc away and simply present the tools they need for each course ensuring the customer is not having to worry about getting it wrong.  Also indicating that you are there to look after them, and will get beverages etc for them tells them that they do not have to go anywhere else to place orders, pay  or for anything else.

By focusing more on the customer and/or situation you are able to tailor the service to their needs.

The key to success is;

Watch – our body language is continually communicating with others without us even knowing

Listen – What we say can be less important as how we say it.  It is easy to make up verbal communication but more difficult to make up physical communication.  Combine the two to ensure you are getting the right message.

One standard will not be right for all so look at tailoring your approach by collecting the information you need and pitching the standard at the level you believe it should be

Dont worry – you will from time to time get it wrong.  If this happens simply adjust your pitch and try again.

In no time at all you will find your own service standards improve.

For more information about the IC Customer Service programme visit www.initialconsulting.co.nz

In order to be work ready there are a number of areas which need to be thought through and arranged including:

Transport – Where can you get good reliable transport to each and every day?

CV – Review your CV and ensure it contains all relevant data including;

• Contact details – make it as easy as possible for a prospective employer to contact you
• Experience – An outline of experience relevant to the industry, business and/or role you are applying for
• Detail – ensure you provide sufficient detail to ensure the prospective employer is not left guessing
• Strengths – Outline clearly your strengths relevant to the industry, business and/or role
• Education and Professional Development – Ensure all relevant information is contained

Cover Letter – Remember that this is the document that will introduce you and ensure that your CV is read.  Employers will provide the points they feel are important in the copy of the advertisement so ensure that you cover off each of these points to again make it as easy as possible for an employer to select you.

Positive Attitude – One of the most difficult things to do is to sell yourself.   Having a positive attitude will assist you to remain focused and ensure you are in the best position to sell yourself.

Have a plan – Know what you are required to do each day, make a plan and stick to it.

Be Proactive – Dont wait for prospective employers to contact you, take control.

Have other aspects of your life taken care of – Ensuring that any outstanding requirements in your personal life are taken care of will ensure you can remain focused on your current job – the job search.

Have personal details on hand – Having ready access to bank details, tax details, superannuation information etc will ensure you can provide the information quickly to your new employer.

Keep networks up to date – Ensure your networks are informed about any change in your circumstances so they know to assist you with job search opportunities

The most important component of being work ready is:

Know what you want to do – Searching for a “job” in the “job market” is like trying to find a needle in a hay stack.  Define your search by focusing on an industry or role of interest, learn as much as you can about that industry and use that information to strengthen your job search and applications. Employers are looking for people who have a genuine interest in their industry, business and role they have available.

Ensuring you are work ready will save both time and energy later in the process and will ensure your job search is more focused leading to a positive outcome in a shorter period of time.

The first step is to break down the tasks into achieveable actions:

First Step – Understand your strengths and weaknesses, likes and dislikes. 

Second Step – Research different industries beginning with those you have considered previously

Third Step – Select the Industry of choice

Fouth Step – Research the different roles available in your industry of choice keeping in mind there can be hundreds of different roles within an industry.  Ask people who are in the role currently.

Fifth Step – Select your role/s of choice

Congratulations you now have a focus for your new career.

Now you have chosen your industry and role you now need to look at a strategy that will see you achieve your goal.  Often when we look at a role of choice early in a new career the role looks unachieveable.  No matter what your choice is there are always at least two points of entry which include:

1. Enrol in and complete an appropriate qualification  and then complete the job search component of your career plan.

2. Secure a position in the industry you have chosen but at a lower level.  Once you are working you can begin workplace training or part time provider training to gain the qualification you require.

Both options lead to the desired outcome using a different process.

There are a number of factors that you will need to take into account when making the decision on which option is for you including;

Seasonal variations within the industry – Some industries have peak and off-peak seasons which means that if you are carrying out this process during off-peak season then it may be preferable to complete your training during the quieter season and be ready to begin work during the busy season.

Personal Circumstances – It may be preferable for you to complete one component prior to the other

The Economy – Your industry of choice may be experiencing a downturn at the moment meaning that it may be preferable for you to carry out the training component so as to be work ready once the market picks up.

Working through these processes will provide you with:

your Industry of choice

Your role/s of choice

The point of entry you will use to achieve your goal.

Once you have worked through these points you are ready to complete your career plan and work towards securing your new career.

Watch for our new career topics including:

Being Work Ready – What does this mean?

CV Marketing – Providing access to non-advertised jobs

Career Planning Made Easy

Support when you need it