Alan Stutts | Professor | Author

Crafting Your Message - Alan Stutts

Many of your best contacts are people you meet unexpectedly. When you call or visit someone to whom another contact referred you, you may only have ten minutes to talk with them. Prepare to make the most of these meetings.

Networking requires you to be friendly in a genuine way. Listening is the key. Start a conversation by asking questions about the contact and building good rapport. Before too long, they will turn the conversation around to you. Now you can talk about what help you would like from them, and perhaps even the particular goal you want to reach. Explain what it means to you. Pose open-ended questions. “Who do you know who…?” is better than “Do you know anyone who…?” which can be answered with yes or no.

Your goal is to inform the person of your plans and ask if they might be able to help you. Don’t ad lib. Plan these conversations in advance, write down what you plan to say, and practice, practice, practice.
Keep a list of opening lines handy in your head and use one that fits the situation:

” “I was given your name by…”
” “I am considering a career in…”
” “I understand that your organization is a leader in…”
” “I heard that you have been working in the area of…”

Once you have opened, deliver the key part of your message. This must be succinct and explain exactly what you want.

Ask Alan Stutts if you need more answers

Career Networking - Alan Stutts

Career networking requires organization and a willingness to make yourself known to total strangers. These are two qualities required for success in the hospitality industry, so what better way to cultivate them than by using them to find a job?

You started career networking long before you knew you were doing it. Your address book is testament to that. Now, however, you are going to be deliberate about locating people who might be able to help you.
First, make an inventory of who you know now and how they might be able to help you. Your first official networking interactions are with these people, people who already know you and care about you. They are a friendly audience.

Secondly, expand your contacts by finding and talking with people you don’t already know. You find these people by joining trade groups, going to career fairs, contacting names your friends have given you, or contacting people whose names you doing research.

Every place you go where one or more people are present is a networking opportunity the bus stop, the supermarket check out line, your friend’s birthday party. As you meet new people, find a way to let them know that you planning a career in hospitality, and ask if they might know anyone who might be willing to help you.

One conversation leads to another, but along the way, you need to follow-up with every person who gave you a referral or helped in any other way. This kind of follow-up is not only polite, but it helps cement their interaction with you in the memories of the people you talk with.

Let Alan Stutts know if you have any questions.

Choosing the Right References

If you are new to the hospitality industry or seeking an entry-level position, your references should speak to your strengths and demonstrate that you have the abilities for work in hospitality. After a few years working in the industry, your references are the people who managed you or worked with you. These people can attest not only to your aptitude and work ethic, but your achievements, your specific skills, and your commitment to the field.

Is the person you are asking to give you a reference familiar with your experience relative to the job for which you are applying? Co-workers can be references; you do not have to list only your former supervisors. Company protocols sometimes forbid employees from giving references about former employees. If this is the case for any of your references, seek out someone who has left the company, but was there when you were there.

When you include someone as a reference on a resume or a job application, know what they will say about you asked. The best way to find out what they will say is to ask them. Call or visit each person you intend to use as a reference. Ask them for permission to use their name. If they yes, ask them to summarize what they will say. If they say no? Ask why not; you may learn some very useful information.

Hospitality Job Search

Jessica jobseeker is specific. She conveys enthusiasm. She clearly has researched Great Big Hotel and knows what their current needs are. Without repeating her resume, she has included enough information about her work history, achievements, and education to show that she more than meets the requirements of the job.

Follow these guidelines when writing each cover letter.

” Direct your letter to a specific person. Include the person’s full name, title, company name, and company address. If you cannot get a name, use a job title, if known. Avoid saying “To whom it may concern.”

” Include your full name, address, and contact information. Many experts recommend you create a personal letterhead to use for cover letters.

” Use a formal greeting (Mr., Ms., Dr.) in the salutation if you know the addressees gender. Never assume gender. Do not open a letter “Dear Sir” if you are not certain the addressee is male.

” If you do not have a name, your salutation line should use a job title, such as “Dear Hiring Manager” or “Dear Employer”

” Do not address the person by their first name unless you already know them personally have permission to use their first name.

” Write 2 or 3 paragraphs at most. The paragraphs should have no. more than five or six lines. Use short sentences. The reader has hundreds of cover letters to read and will appreciate brevity.

” Type the letter and the envelope or create it on your computer and print it on a laser printer. If you do not have a laser printer, take a disk to Kinkos or the library and print it on their laser printer.

” Center your margins.

” Use standard English and avoid slang.

” Double-check your spelling and grammar.

” Use standard white paper. Make this the best quality stationary paper you can afford. Do not print your cover letter on copy paper or any paper that is less than 60 lb weight. Look for “bright white” paper if you are buying printer paper.

” Sign your name with ink, preferably with a fountain pen. A good roller ball pen is the next best choice.

Choosing the Best Keywords for Hospitality Job Searching

Your primary tool for searching job boards is keywords. Keywords are words or phrases you enter into the board’s search engine. Some boards help you narrow your search by specifying an industry, a location, salary range, and other common criteria so that your keyword search eliminates listings that are not of interest to you.
Use the same keywords that you used to make your resume scannable. Include general industry words and job titles in your search, too. Some keywords to try include:

Hospitality
Hotel
Lodging
Catering
Restaurant
Food service
Banquet
Convention
Front desk
Seasonal
Resort
Cruise line
Manager
Management
Assistant manager
Chef
Housekeeper
Concierge

Most job board search engines let you type in multiple keywords with only a space between each word. If you type a phrase that you want to be searched for s a phrase, enclose it in parentheses. Be sure to read the board’s hints for keyword searching to learn any special rules for entering keywords.

Try combinations of your keywords words or phrases until the listing results are predominately jobs you want to apply for. Use this winning combination on all of the boards you visit.

About Hospitality Companies First Hand

Do not discount the power of information about the hospitality industry and specific organizations that you can get from friends and relatives. Ask all of your companions if they or someone they know has worked in the hospitality field and get their ideas of the companies they worked for. If you already work in hospitality field, ask your workers where else they have worked or what they know about other hotels or hospitality related organizations. They have former friends who still work at these organizations who may be willing to talk with you.

Finding Out Why You Didn’t Get the Job

When faced with rejection, there are three questions you want to ask yourself:

Is the rejection due to something beyond my control?

Did I do something to cause the rejection?

Am I applying for the right positions?

When you are not offered a position an interview that you think went very well, don’t take it personally. There could be many reasons that have nothing to do with your qualifications. To avoid guessing, ask.
You probably will not hear any of the following as an answer to your question:

The job was advertised and you were interviewed because company policy required it, but an internal candidate was already selected for the position.

You are neither white or not white; male or female; homosexual or heterosexual; six feet tall or 5′ 7″ tall; blonde or red haired; under 40 or over 40; or some other stereotype that the hiring manager considers suitable for the position.

The hiring manager has no training or experience in conducting interviews and making hiring decisions, and made a bad decision.

Some event happened after or during the interview and they changed their mind. Perhaps the incumbent decided not to move to Fiji or the guy who held the job three years ago called and said he wanted to come back.

Hopefully your question will be answered honestly and you will learn something that you can use to improve your chances at the next interview. The placement director at a University called 153 companies who had interviewed university candidates and asked why the candidates were rejected. The companies’ answers are a list of ways to fail in job hunting:

Lack of career planning

Inability to express themselves clearly - poor diction, poor grammar, poor voice.

Poor personal appearance overdressed or underdressed.

Lack of confidence and poise - nervousness, failure to look the interviewer in the eye, ill at ease.

Poor scholastic record showing no improvement over time.

Narrow interests or failure to participate in school or community activities.

Makes excuses - evasive, blames others, condemns past employers, hedges on unfavorable factors in record.

Unwilling to start at the bottom.

Late to interview without a good reason.

Ask no or poor questions about the company.

Not prepared for the interview; did not research the company or the job.

Little interest or enthusiasm

Overemphasis on money or status.

Lack of tact or courtesy.

Lack of maturity.

Lack of experience.

Intolerant, unaccepting of others.

Poor handling of personal finances (garnishments on salary, bankruptcy).

Unclear on salary range.

Limp handshake, not assertive.

Marked dislike for school work.

Overbearing, aggressive, conceited.

Sloppy application form or resume.

Only wants a short-term job.

Unwilling to travel or relocate.

Can you honestly say that you did not commit any of these mistakes? If you have doubt about your own behavior, take some time to review your behavior or materials and do whatever must be done to fix it.
Lastly, if several employers tell you that you do not have enough experience for the position, that you lack the training or education needed for the position, or that you seem unwilling to accept conditions such as shift work or travel that are a normal part of this job, then you may be applying for the wrong jobs.

Reacting to Rejection

Your verbal or written reaction when you are called or receive a letter saying you are not getting a position can impact whether you get another job. What if the selected candidate backs out? What if a similar position opens latter? What if the hiring manager changes to another hotel and has to fill the same position there? You are not going to be called again if you are not polite, respectful, and totally adult in your reaction.

“Thank you so much for the chance to interview for this position. Your news is disappointing, of course. Can you tell me why I was not selected?”

The news that you did not get the job may come through a recruiter. How you react in front of this person could result in not being sent out for other positions. At the same time, passively accepting the decision as though you were expecting it or don’t really care also reveals a lot about your character.

Learning from Rejection

Job hunting is full of rejection:

An employer does not acknowledge receipt of a resume.

An employer responds to your resume with a form letter and says they will keep your resume “on file.”

A contact never returns your telephone call.

The ten companies you cold called on Tuesday all said they had nothing for you.

You post your resume on 31 job Web sites and receive zero responses.

You stand in line for six hours to get into a packed career fair, visit 17 tables, leave 12 resumes, and none of the recruiters contact you.

After three interviews with staff and supervisors, and a lunch with the department manager, the HR clerk calls to tell you the selection committee decided to hire someone else.

Stress and the Job Search

Being unemployed is one of the four most stressful life experiences, joining marriage, moving, and the death of a close relative as the events that push us to the edge emotionally. It stands to reason that looking for work is also a stressful experience, especially if you are doing it because you are unemployed!

Exactly what is stress? Stress is both a physiological condition - the production of adrenaline by the body to prepare it for “flight” from perceived danger - and a perception that one is facing extreme or unrelenting pressure to accomplish a task. A certain amount of stress in life is helpful; the adrenaline “rush” you experience skiing down a mountain or feeling “psyched up” to get through a test are signs that you have put yourself on a high-level of alertness and attention in order to face a challenge.

The short-term stress created by sport or a challenging task seldom has long-term negative affects. When the stressful event is over, your body lowers its adrenaline level, you slow down your activity level, and both your mind and body return to its normal level of alertness.

Stress becomes a problem when you cannot or will not work at a “normal” level of alertness. Your body never gets a chance to relax and restore itself. Sleep deprivation and built up physical stress begin to impact your emotional well-being and your interactions with others.

Making hundreds of contacts with employers and getting no interviews is discouraging, and the longer it goes on and the lower the bank account gets, the more discouraged we feel. And even if you get interviews, most of these interviews end with a “We’re sorry to inform you…” letter or telephone call. Not exactly anyone’s idea of a good time.

The reality of the job search - being in a competition to get a job and losing most of the time - produces stress in most of us. This stress may be exhibit itself as an increased motivation to succeed or lessened motivation to continue. For some people, this pressure results in feelings of low self-esteem or futility.

How you handle the pressure of the job search is probably no different than how you reaction to other pressure situations. By adulthood, most of us have developed patterns of behavior for all of life’s common occurrences. If you were a basket case during the 12-months you spent applying to colleges and then waiting for acceptance letters, you may be a basket case during the job search. If you approached the choosing of a college and the application process as an exciting opportunity that could only have a positive outcome, you may think job hunting is great fun.