Jobs and Careers Autumn 2019 - 99

H O S P I TA L I T Y

9 It's never boring

8 Customer interaction

Don't want to spend your life sitting
at a desk? Then hospitality could be
perfect for you. The time you get up,
how many hours you work, your daily
tasks, who you speak to, even what
you eat - everything varies from day to
day. It's also highly flexible and can fit
around other commitments like family.

If you're someone who enjoys dealing
with customers face to face, the decision
to go into this sector is a no-brainer.
"There aren't many other lines of work
where customers are able to directly show
you their gratitude," says Willingham.
"People genuinely appreciate what
you do and you can make people
happy - I think that's rather special."

10 The diverse people
There are few other industries that
bring you into contact with so many
people from different places and
backgrounds - not least because it
employs so many people from overseas.
"You meet different people every day,
so you learn about other countries and
cultures as well as being able to share
all the exciting information about your
own area," says Miller. "This can also
apply to colleagues who are likely to be
from a range of countries - I've learned
a lot about countries' traditions which
I would never have known without
working in hospitality. Also, it's really
helpful when you go on holiday and
they can recommend places to go so you
get to see the 'real' parts of the country
instead of just the touristy bits!"

Check out
the future

Hospitality business are
trying to attract and retain
the next generation of talent
- and that means exciting
opportunities and perks
As a huge industry - it's the fourth
largest in the UK and the biggest
employer worldwide - hospitality
is always looking for new talent,
and this recruitment is likely to be
particularly intense in Britain over
the next few years as the flow of
labour from Europe slows following
the UK's exit from the EU.
Industry body UKHospitality
(ukhospitality.org.uk) operates its own
academy, offering apprenticeships and
eight separate diplomas to help people
into jobs, as well as the Hospitality
Works programme (in conjunction
with the DWP, Job Centre Plus and
Springboard) which has created
more than 8,000 jobs since 2015.
The Institute of Hospitality
(instituteofhospitality.org) offers
mentoring and careers advice
and in 2018 ran a programme
designed to inspire young people
to consider a career in hospitality
called My Hospitality World,
supported by leading hotels.
In an effort to attract and retain
young staff, many hotel companies
offer them discounted accommodation
- which often includes hotels all around
the world - to allow their employees
to travel affordably and make full
use of their holiday entitlement.
Companies are often present at job
fairs, which is useful for jobseekers
because it allows them to find out the
full range of roles available beyond the
obvious visible ones (like reception,
waiting and cleaning staff), but you'll
also find them in other places perhaps
more accessible to young people.
"Social media has a huge part to
play," says Ben Bengougam, a senior
vice-president in HR for Hilton. "At
Hilton, team members regularly
take the reins of our Instagram and
Snapchat channels to give prospective
candidates an insight into what
working with us is really like."

JOBS & CAREERS /// 99
http://ukhospitality.org.uk http://www.instituteofhospitality.org
Jobs and Careers Autumn 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Jobs and Careers Autumn 2019
