According to Deloitte Development LLC, the travel, hospitality, and leisure industry will add more than 70 million jobs over the next 10 years. As demand for talent increases, they predict hotel and restaurant CEOs will find it progressively more difficult to find, train and retain key personnel. This is great news for hospitality management job seekers. Whether you’re fresh out of school or looking for the right opportunity to advance your career, finding a position should be simple if you consider these job truths from the brains behind top career experts.
1. Use your cover letter to deal with challenges
Employers in any industry often view gaps in employment, career changes, and job hopping negatively. Jessica Holbrook Hernandez, CEO of Great Resumes Fast, recommends hospitality job seekers address these potential red flags in their cover letters. She writes, “If you have what may be considered a ‘challenge’ or ‘obstacle’ in your job search, a cover letter is a great place to be direct and address it. You can’t do that on a resume, but using a sentence or two to explain, for example, that your spouse is in the military and relocates every two to three years, can provide an employer with some perspective as to why you’ve moved around so much.
2. Represent any college education accurately on your resume
Not every successful hotel or restaurant manager has a college degree, and you shouldn’t let the lack of one prevent you from pursuing the next step in your hospitality career. Just make sure you represent the education you do have appropriately on your resume. According to Laura Smith-Proulx, Executive Resume Writer, “If you’ve decided to start or go back to school during unemployment, list your degree program as ‘Studies for Bachelor’s Degree,’ along with the school name. This method also works well if you attended college, but did not graduate.” Showing an employer that you attended a culinary degree program, for example, will assure an employer that you do have some college experience. For those without any formal education, Smith-Proulx suggests leaving the education section off your resume.
3. Be prepared to answer interview questions about your goals and plans
A popular interview question in any industry, “Tell me where you see yourself in five years?” can be a difficult query to answer—particularly if you have yet to figure out exactly what you want to do with your career. Bob McIntosh, Certified Professional Resume Writer, and Career Trainer, suggests any answer is appropriate as long as it communicates your enthusiasm for the job at hand. He writes, “Where do you plan to be in five years? Who the hell knows? At least show your ambition by telling employers that you reach for the stars and won’t be a clock puncher—in at 9:00 am and out at 5:00 pm on the dot.” If you are applying for a hotel manager position, you can relay your enthusiasm for the job by mentioning that you see yourself working in a management position where you can continue to grow professionally and contribute to a company’s goals. Remember to also provide past experiences on how you were able to achieve these successes at your previous company.
4. Think of thank you notes as more than just a “thank you”
According to Alison Green, writer of the popular “Ask a Manager” blog, most interviewers don’t care if you thank them or not. However, you should not ignore this opportunity to express your enthusiasm for the opportunity post-interview. She writes, “Despite the term ‘thank you note,’ your correspondence shouldn’t be as much about giving thanks as about following up on the interview in a way that demonstrates your enthusiasm for the job. It should build on the conversation from the interview and explain why you’d be a good fit for the job.”
5. Even if you don’t get the job, continue to follow up in a meaningful way
According to Jennifer Foss, founder of Ladder Recruiting Group, many job seekers fail to follow up correctly, if at all. A periodic check-in with a manager you’ve added to your network is not about harassment but about “offering something of value” as a reminder that you’re still available. She writes, “This could mean forwarding an article that you think she’ll find interesting, or congratulating her if you notice she’s been promoted or earned some sort of recognition…Keep it simple and brief, and don’t ask for anything back.” For follow-up for a restaurant management position you can try, “Hi Sara, I spoke to you one month ago about the restaurant manager position, and you provided me with some useful restaurant industry trends. I discovered this attached article about a similar topic. No response is needed. I hope you find this article helpful!” If your contact happens to know of another hospitality opportunity, she will likely share it as a result.