If you’re at your personal best when most of the world is asleep, it can be hard to find work that suits your body’s internal clock. Fortunately, there are plenty of options within the hospitality industry for those of us who are wide awake in the dark hours of the night.
What’s Your Chronotype?
A chronotype is your personal circadian rhythm, the way your mind and body experience the progress of the day. According to WHEN: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing by Daniel Pink, only about 14% of us are true early birds, waking up early in the morning and wearing out by early evening. Another 21% are true night owls, with our energetic peaks occurring overnight. The other 65% of us fall somewhere in the middle, in a range Pink calls “third birds,” experiencing our most energetic hours in the mid-to-late morning and mid-afternoon to early evening.
Unfortunately, much of the modern work world has been set up to suit third birds, leaving early birds and night owls struggling to re-wire their biology. But in the hospitality industry, businesses often need workers for these off-hours. So if you’re an early bird, awake and alert at 3:00 or 4:00 am, or a night owl with your mind most active at midnight or 1:00 am, you can look for jobs that suit your internal clock.
Hospitality Jobs for Early Birds
Any hospitality business that has guests and customers early in the morning needs staff to prepare for them and serve them. Bakeries and coffee shops immediately come to mind, with some shifts starting at 3:00 am or 4:00 am to start baking or to prepare for the pre-work rush of coffee fiends. Restaurants that serve breakfast also need early-morning staff to get the shift started.
Hotels need early morning staff, too, with shifts starting around 7:00 am and continuing until around 3:00 pm for the front desk, housekeeping team, and managers.
You can also look for remote work that lets you set your own hours, or remote work for a company in a different time zone. For example, a remote worker in California could start their day at 5:00 am to line up with an 8:00 am start time for a company on the East Coast.
This schedule works particularly well for remote workers who need plenty of quiet focus, but who also need to meet with their team on occasion. They can get their quiet time in the early hours of the morning, while still being available for team meetings later in the day. Think social media/marketing managers, analysts, and bookkeepers/accountants for hospitality businesses.
Hospitality Jobs for Night Owls
If you find you’re most alert in the middle of the night, you may wish to look for work between the hours of 11:00 pm and 7:00 am. These “third shift” or “graveyard shift” jobs sometimes pay more than traditional hours, since it can be harder to find staff to fill these roles.
In hospitality, you could look for work as a bartender or bar manager, with shifts often ranging from 5:00 pm or so until 3:00 am. Some restaurants and food service businesses also run a night crew, either prepping food for the day shift, or serving customers at 24-hour diners and cafés.
Hotels also need overnight staff, allowing for late-night check-in and servicing guest requests. A night auditor will prepare the day’s reports, while also handling guest check-ins and check-outs. And overnight security helps keep the hotel guests and staff safe.
And of course, remote work is also an option. Just like early birds, night owls can look for jobs that let you work from home on your own schedule, or find a company to work for in a time zone that aligns with your late-night lifestyle.
In some roles, the overnight hours can be a boon to completing your tasks without disrupting operations. Network administrators, web developers, and IT support for hotels and other hospitality businesses often make the necessary adjustments overnight.
Hospitality Jobs for Third Birds
If your internal rhythm peaks in the late morning and mid-afternoon, you have the most common chronotype. This means most office jobs will naturally work well with your biological schedule.
Many administrative positions in hospitality have daytime hours, including jobs in purchasing, sales and marketing, housekeeping, and guest services. Restaurant jobs may also suit third birds, especially those that are open for lunch and dinner, but not late into the night.
Event planners and coordinators may also have good luck during these hours. Their jobs require a great deal of planning and coordination, which can be completed during the day. And the events themselves may take place during the day or in the evening. Of course, some events—like weddings—can run into the early morning, so this could also be a good option for night owls!