When you think about vacations, it is synonymous to travelling and clicking several pictures. With travelling becoming a new passion amongst millennials, the tourism industry is growing by leaps and bounds. One of the integral parts of tourism is hospitality. The increased opportunities in the hospitality industry have made hotel management program a hot course. There are several hotels and restaurants opening in India currently, thereby leading to demand of professionals.
The most crucial aspect of hotel management courses is giving weight to internships and first semester exams. There are two modes for gaining internship chances –
1) Contacting the hotel: The best way to learn the opportunity is by directly calling the HR department of the hotel and asking for vacancy concerning internships. If you are lucky and there is vacancy, they would ask you to send across the resume. If your CV gets shortlisted, you will be called for an interview.
2) College: On completion of the hospitality management courses, the easiest to get an internship is through college. Many colleges ask students for their CVs. Some universities also provide a structure for the resume. They send them to the A-listed hotels and soon, hotel interviews get done through panel method.
Preparations:
Both hands-in experience and classroom learnings play an essential role while considering the internship. Good grades and decent attendance are the ways to enhance your chances of securing a suitable hotel internship. When you prepare for the interview, research thoroughly about the hotel, senior staff, and management. Learn about the company’s achievement, events, and awards carefully. Apart from mentioning such facets, you should also speak about things that interest you and what motivates you to work in the company.
The questions that the hospitality management directs towards you are not only to test your problem-solving skills but also for checking your sense of teamwork, diplomacy, and tactfulness. The skills they consider mainly are –
• Customer service skills – Ability to work under pressure and remain organised as well as focused.
• Communication skills – You need to have command over the language, both English and regional, along with industry familiarity.
Reasons to opt for internships –
The easiest way secure experience is by interning with the hotel. Colleges and institutes assist students in securing internships in a hotel. Hotel management is about treating the customers rightly, and students can gain such an experience only if they work on field. Professionalism in hotels means interpersonal communication, interacting with diverse audience, knowledge of community planning, researching, and critical thinking. Two prerequisites of the industry are willingness to genuinely help and portraying a friendly personality.
Things to remember:
• Resume preparation: The hospitality field is hugely competitive. The resume should focus on the unique challenges you overcame, times where you showed real leadership, and the times when you handled the personal and company reputation simultaneously. Managers love those who consider consumers as their guests and give preference to guests’ experience.
• Customer is always right: You should ensure to cross boundaries to turn an upset consumer problem into a good story. It should speak about how you went ahead and made sure the consumer left the hotel with a memorable experience. Aspiring hotel managers should see ways of making every complaint as an opportunity to prove their stance.
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