The Hospitality Industry and You
The Hospitality Industry and You
What Is Hospitality?
Many peoples definition of hospitality
extends only to restaurants and hotels In reality, it goes far beyond this and includes any organization that provides food, shelter and other services to people away from home When viewed in this light, the hospitality industry can be quite large and far reaching Also, the numerous career opportunities become readily apparent
hospitality should take into consideration all of the types of businesses that hospitality encompasses but also, the various career streams in functional areas across segments (such as accounting, finance, marketing, human resources, etc.) One of the common threads that binds all segments together is the service orientation that exists one must possess this in order to be successful.
other types of businesses have begun to recognize the unique combination of skills that hospitality students possess the combination of sound business and management along with a service orientation As a result, other industries have begun to recruit hospitality graduates including health care and retail
associated with the industry given the ample career opportunities, the economy, new developments, emerging markets, internationalization of companies and concepts, etc. The industry faces certain challenges too, however, which will be discussed throughout the semester.
Primary Sectors
So, what are some of the primary sectors within the hospitality industry? They include: Lodging (not just limited to traditional hotels) Foodservice (not just limited to restaurants) Gaming operations Private clubs Theme parks Destination management companies
operations) Managed park environments (natural) Resorts Senior living Managed Services Consulting services
Family background
Contact with other students Enjoy people, food, travel, etc. Opportunities for employment and
EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES
Most segments of the hospitality industry are
projected for continued growth in the number of management positions Opportunity to advance as companies grow Some segments are greatly outpacing the average New and emerging segments of the industry Growth in franchise opportunities Increasing interest in food and travel as population ages
that the best way to the top is through a strategic combination of education and experience The education component is self-explanatory it is the result of past results and future expectations. The experience component is two-fold. Some of the opportunities will come from the department through internships, etc. Other opportunities will come from your own initiatives looking for summer jobs and part time work. Be strategic about how you choose your jobs and how you progress.
learning and/or on-the job learning There are other opportunities for learning about your chosen profession. These include:
STUDENT CLUBS
Eta Sigma Delta, International Hospitality
Management Society. As a traditional honor society, it meets the standards of the Association of College Honor Societies. Hospitality students in their junior year with a 3.0 or better grade point average are eligible for membership Others: Wine clubs, Restaurant associations, Club managers associations, Travel and Tourism Research Association, etc.
GETTING A JOB
Newspapers (not!)
Web sources
Friends Family University placement office Job postings Networking Cold calling
Professional status
Potential job satisfaction Skilled jobs v. unskilled jobs Others considerations: Hours, Level of
raised concern on the part of consumers Raised concerns in the US probably began with the Jack-in-the Box incident in the 1970s More recent incidents have also raised questions about the quality of the food supply and even the water supply (e.g., bottled water).