Black Collegian Career Center

Within each category are a multitude of jobs. Some specific job titles include the following: Manager/ director/supervisor/coordinator of food services, rooms division, housekeeping, laundry, guest services, beverage services, room services, engineering, purchasing, human resources, accounting, health and fitness services, convention services, banquet and special functions, valet parking and bellmen services, business and reservations services. These are but a few of the titles found in the choices of hospitality careers used by hospitality industry leaders such as Marriott, Renaissance Hotel Group, Hyatt, Hilton, Ritz-Carlton, Holiday International, and Hampton Inn.

At the 81st Annual International Hotel/Motel and Restaurant Show in New York City during November 9-11, 1996, key sessions focused on the unlimited opportunities in the food service and lodging Industry. The speakers announced that options and opportunities are unlimited for people preparing for careers in hospitality. For success, pursuing a career requires a special level of preparation. This preparation includes enrolling in a hospitality management/administration program at an accredited college or university. It is important to enroll in a program that requires work experience through an internship or co-op-class. Without work experiences, your chances of getting a managerial position will be minimal.

What are additional requirements expected of the hospitality graduate? The requirements include the following:

Service Attitude

Service attitude means that you must be inspired to provide service that exceeds the expectations of guests. Going the extra mile to make a guest comfortable may mean that you must bend the corporate rules. For example, if a guest comes to the hotel, checks in, and complains that there is no place to purchase food, how can you assist? You know that the kitchen is closed, but that there may be some food you could offer the guest that takes a little time to prepare. Prepare and take the food to the guest. He will always remember the hotel because of its accommodation.

Flexibility

You must be flexible and open-minded. Flexibility means that you accept the fact that "changes" are rapid and constant. In the hospitality industry, rapid change is the norm. Traditional methods of providing guest services are constantly being replaced with empowered employees who are solving problems at the level on which they occur. The creative use of technology to enhance the guest experience is also an expected feature of providing service.

Enjoying Serving People

You must enjoy, and care about people of diverse cultures, backgrounds, and social agendas. Hospitality is a "people serving people business" (SPB) in an atmosphere of ambiance, care, and excited employees who "smile" and are genuinely interested in serving guests. Guests expect positive experiences when they pay for a room, food, beverages or some other product/service.

Management and Leadership Qualities

You must know and practice the business functions of planning, directing, controlling, staffing, coordinating and evaluating hospitality operations. Leadership qualities include being able to develop vision that when implemented adds value to an operation. A leader whose vision has no strategic planning and action is like a manager who plans to fail because he failed to plan. Taking action within the parameters of operation demonstrates leadership potential. Other leadership skills/qualities include staying in a learning mode, promoting team concepts as you develop people. Develop the greatest abilities: accountability, credibility, reliability, and responsibility.

Enjoy What You Do

Providing hospitality creates a level of satisfaction to the provider. Therefore, you must enjoy serving guests. You must realize that each day in the industry presents exciting challenges unlike those of any other day because of the mobility of guests, the diverse population we deal with and a change in guests' tastes. We no longer can use the same models to meet guests' needs. We must create new models to meet the global market.

Dedication and Commitment

Many hospitality industry components operate 24 hours. Hotels, motels, resorts, and some food service components stay open 24 hours a day. Therefore, guest services must be available for 24 hours. This means that 50-60-70 hour work weeks are expected. Managers who enjoy their work do not count the time they spend. However, managers must balance their lives by balancing career, family, personal development, and social activities.

Job Opening: How to Connect

Hospitality jobs are available in all major cities. If you are interested in a position in one of the specific areas (hotel, restaurants, resorts, recreation centers, casinos, etc.) apply directly to the Human Resource Department. Many times, the specific position you want may be unavailable, but take what is available. Get your foot in the door, do an exceptional job, and within months, you will have the job you wanted. In many of the top hotels (Hilton, Marriott, Ritz-Carlton, Hyatt, Omni, etc.), promotions occur at least twice a year, so check out the daily classified ad sections of the newspaper. There are usually many choices.

Other ways of landing the job you want is to attend local and regional career fairs where a cadre of recruiters are available to meet and interview prospective candidates. All colleges and universities sponsor career days.

The University of Delaware will sponsor a career day on February 23-24, 1997. More than 100+ company representatives will be on hand to interview candidates. Check with your local colleges and universities and other local businesses for times and dates of upcoming career fairs.

Salaries of New Graduates

The salary range for a graduate with hospitality experience is $24,000 to $28,000; the salary range for a graduate without experience is $21,000 to $24,000. Traditionally, as a graduate, you will be hired as a management trainee, then move into a permanent position within six months to a year. If you aspire to become a general manager, you can look forward to earning a six figure salary. To achieve this, you must work diligently and move up the ranks in one or several properties. The opportunities are unlimited!

Hospitality Careers for the '90s and beyond are exciting and challenging. Most of all, however, they provide options. There will be and continue to be more jobs than qualified persons to fill them. Ninety-five percent of the graduates from the 26 HPBCUs (Historically and Predominately Black Colleges and Universities) have jobs when they graduate. Eighty percent receive job promotions within six-months. Plan today to enter the Hospitality Industry. In it is a career you can learn and earn a living in.