Bailey
What technical skills and personality traits are best for Hospitality and Management?
Hi, I'm Bailey, from Ottawa, Canada, I'm in 12th grade. I have an assignment for my coop class asking what are a few technical skills and personality traits you should have for your preferred career, which for me is Hospitality and Management- Hotel and Restaurant to be specific. I can think of a few, but I was just hoping to get answers from experts! :)
Thank you :) #management #hospitality #restaurants #hotel-management
7 answers
Donald Knapik
Donald’s Answer
Hello again,
Just a few practical things for you to consider:
A good work ethic: you have to show up! There's a commercial that plays here that says," arriving early is on-time, on-time is late and late is unacceptable". It really is like that in an industry in which all the players are needed to deliver the service. It doesn't matter if you are the brightest person on staff if you don't show up. When you are at work, dedicate your time to your job....social media will have to wait. You are there to provide service to others - do that sincerely and people will notice. Never leave a problem with a customer unless it is solved or handed off to someone else who will solve the problem.
Be flexible. New ideas, services, companies and the associated changes are a fact of life and need to be embraced by participants to give each an opportunity to be fairly evaluated. And, expect that no new program will go off without some problem, unanticipated consequence or success, each of which may require adjustments. finding the problems is the easy part - developing and implementing solutions are the real work.
Be inquisitive....ask a lot of questions. This industry is very heavily invested in what to do and in many cases the how to do it is left up to the individual. Further, it is important to know why things are done and how they fit in to the overall business. I don't know is not a wrong answer.....
Make mistakes...just don't make the same one's twice. Know that you will and be prepared to discuss them rationally when they do occur. In many cases, asking for forgiveness will be better than asking for permission. This is a good conversation to have with your supervisor early in your career.
When asked to do something that is technically "not your job", use it as an opportunity to learn another aspect of the business you are in. The more overall knowledge you have, the better are the opportunities that will be presented to you as you progress in your career.
In a general sense to begin with and continuing development in your knowledge of business finance. In a restaurant,knowing how to cook great food is as essential as knowing how much it costs to put a plate on your guests table and what that contributes to the bottom line (profit/loss).
Everyone has good ideas and the people who are doing the actual work are the one's closest to most of the problems. Listen to them and acknowledge their efforts and ideas. To do this you must be approachable, credible and open to be seen as a person who is part of the solution. Make sure you get back to people on what you did with their ideas and give them the recognition when they help solve the problems. By helping others succeed, you also build your own success.
Aside from all the technical skills...which if anyone can learn, so can you.....it's all about people.....they are your greatest assets and challenges. It is a lifetime process to develop high levels of skill in this area and is only limited by the limits you place upon yourself.
Be safe and provide a safe environment for yourself, employees and customers. It is everyone's job. Walking by an unsafe act, condition or other situation is condoning and accepting it. Failing in this area can do irreparable harm to people, business and reputations. You can't just look at things...you have to learn how to observe.
I also would note that one of the reasons I am responding to this question is because you wrote a "Thank you" comment to both people who responded to you. To me, this shows you're off to a good start.
Regards,
Don Knapik
Cary Fisher
Cary’s Answer
Well first off let me say you at a young age being in the hospitality industry is a great industry and field to be in. This industry is forever changing and evolving, but these traits and skills are going to always be and stay the same though Some skills you need to have to be successful in this industry are communication, public speaking, leadership, multi-tasking and creative skills just to name a few. The personality I would suggest you should have is very creative, honest, loyal, trustworthy and open to change. Like I just said this industry is always changing and evolving so you have to be open-minded and open to change whether it's good or bad. Also, one of the biggest skills and personality trait that you should have that not a lot of people have is customer service skill. whether you are working at the front desk or working as a server in a restaurant, you have to have the ability to connect with guests & customers. I hope my advice was somewhat of a help for you.
Thanks!! This is very helpful :D
Bailey
You are very welcome! I'm glad I can be somewhat of some help for you.
Cary Fisher
Jackie DeCicco
Jackie’s Answer
I would say the most important skill or quality to have when entering the Hospitality or Resort and Hospitality/Tourism would be interpersonal skills, communication skills, problem-solving skills, critical-thinking skills, and positive determination. The most important key to hospitality is customer service; the guest comes first, their wants and needs, from the moment they enter the property, to the minute they depart because the Hospitality Industry is all about the guests! Being able to communicate properly without upsetting the guest, going above and beyond to ensure guest satisfaction, and creating a positive atmosphere. If we don't please the many friends and families that come to Disney World, then no one would want to return and the park would not be as huge as it is today! In fact, this is typically how hotel companies fail; lack of service & hotel upkeep.
Positive determination or having a positive mindset is very important when working in a service based industry such as Hospitality because there are times of guest difficulty , but when you are determined to do things for others or putting others needs first then this field will work perfectly for you.
I hope this helped with your project (:
Ann K Flynn-Terrell
Ann K’s Answer
Great job asking about some of the skills that you'll want to investigate if you're considering a career in Hospitality and Management.
I will say that the technical skills specifics may change but the basics will remain. Being proficient in software like Excel or Google Sheets will help you get a good understanding of some of the best pieces of tech that can assist you with beginning to understand schedules and budgets. Depending on if you go into Hotel or Restaurant management the software will be different but they will all have some similarities so any experience you can get with systems like Aloha or Asana would be helpful.
As for personality traits you will likely find that being someone who thrives in a fast-paced, ever-changing environment is very beneficial. Many of the people in the hospitality industry also have what we call a high EQ (which stands for Emotional Intelligence). A high EQ means that you can understand people, their feelings, and you can empathize with situations. It also means that you manage your own emotions well as the hospitality industry will put you in front of many different situations that can be seen as frustrating, engaging or exciting and it's up to you to be the person who can balance those emotions. It's also helpful if you find that you like being around people and addressing a variety of needs. Hospitality is always changing since you'll be interacting with a range of people! If you like being around a variety of different people and personality types it can be a very exciting career path!
I hope these, and the other answers, help you on your path to your desired career!
Rosie Romo
Rosie’s Answer
Bailey,
I have been in the hospitality industry for many years and I feel strongly that those who love to be of service and smile are the most genuine in our industry. Loving what you do and multi-tasking well are key attributes to success in hospitality. I found a helpful article that may help you as well.
http://smallbusiness.chron.com/characteristics-restaurant-employees-16720.html
Good Luck!
Chef R
Garry Abbs
Garry’s Answer
A caring personality with a proactive vision to surprise and delight others with your actions.
Sokhun Keo
Sokhun’s Answer
Hi Bailey,
I have worked at two different hotels as a front desk manager on duty. I think the only technical skills you need to have are the ability to learn new systems/software and multitasking . All hotels have a property management system (PMS) which are used to manage reservations. I didn't have any prior experience working with a PMS but was able to learn quickly on the job. I think as long as you can pick up and open your mind to learning, then that is really the only technical skill you need to have. For personality traits, I find the following critical if you want to be successful in the hospitality industry: charisma, empathy, attentive, and most important is to naturally be a people-person. In order to work and survive in the hospitality, your motivation and passion needs to come from somewhere within. You need to absolutely love and care for people. Customer service is transactional, you get or do something for somebody. Whereas hospitality is about creating a relationship with people.