Career Guidance - Career in Hospitality Industry

Do you love people and understand them? Do you like catering to the needs of others? Do some of these qualities form part of your personality? If good communication skills and an outgoing personality is also a part of your persona, then hospitality industry is the perfect career. The boom in tourism and travel industry has triggered rapid growth in the past decade. The demand for manpower in this industry offers career choices in hotels, restaurants, airlines etc.

Hospitality is a booming industry in India. Tourism and hospitality are the third largest net earners of foreign exchange and they are expected to be number one by the year 2010. The ninth five year plan has predicted a shortage of 30,000 trained professionals every year.

The Indian economy has been booming since the past three years. It is now growing at the rate of eight to nine per cent per year, and is on course to becoming the world|s third largest economy by the year 2025. By the year 2050, its GDP (in US $ terms) is expected to surpass that of the US, making it the second largest economy after China, according to the Goldman Sachs, 2007 report titled |India|s Rising Growth Potential|.

Services have become the largest component of the Indian economy - contributing to 51 per cent of the GDP - making India|s situation unique in the developing world. Driving this service-driven economy were the policy changes that eased its regulatory environment and an available supply of skilled workers who, very importantly, spoke fluent English.

In fact, it is estimated that by 2010, India will have the highest number of English speakers in the world. The future also favours the service-driven economy as India|s demographic profile boasts of a large working class (20-56 years age), as well as the largest size of young population (at a record total of 1.1 billion) in the world. This age profile amongst the global population is considered to be a better dividend for the country|s economy.

During the Commonwealth Games about one million foreign tourists are expected in India. In all, over 10 million foreign tourists will visit the country for site seeing and visiting religious and eco-tourism places in the near future. Hence, there is a huge potential of employment in this sector.

Why a career in Hospitality?
The hospitality industry other than being a growing industry is a labour intensive one. India has a large concentration of educated English speaking people, which provides an impetus of growth to the hospitality sector.Here is a list of industries where you can make a career:

Restaurant Management / Fast Food Joint Management
Club Management / Recreation and Health Centre Management
Cruise Ship Management
Institutional and Industrial Catering
Airline Catering and Cabin Services
Hotel and Catering Institute
Hotel and Tourism Associations
Catering Departments in banks and insurance houses.
Govt. Owned Catering Departments e.g. railway, armed forces, ministerial conventions etc.
In food, confectionery, beverage production industries.

A degree in Hotel Management is usually the basic requirement to take the first step towards a career in the hospitality industry. Hotel management as a career stream is extremely rewarding.

You should look for hotel jobs opportunities if you are interested in working in the hospitality industry. You can easily find something in your area because there are hotels everywhere. You can do many different jobs in a hotel, and you have to be flexible to do them effectively. Hotels need workers at all hours and on all days of the week because they never close. If you are lucky enough, you can secure a daytime position, even if you haven’t worked at a hotel for a long time you can still make your Hotel Career any time at any age.

What is covered in the curriculum of hospitality management studies?
It includes various aspects of running a hotel/service sector and understanding their influence on the day to day operations. In hotel management, one learns two subjects in great detail – rooms division, including front office and housekeeping; and food & beverage, including food & beverage production and service, and kitchen stewarding. One learns about hotel accounting, nutrition and a foreign language, as well. In addition culture, social life, ethnic products, tourism, local rituals and cuisine are also included.

With increasing globalisation, career opportunities in this field are not only unlimited within the country but there are chains of hotels, which operate internationally providing scope of a career abroad. It is a glamorous profession, which has a bright future. With the growth of hotel industry propelled by foreign and domestic tourism and business travel, the demand for well-trained quality personnel too has grown impressively.

Career in the hospitality industry is glamorous, growth oriented and offers rewarding prospects for a hardworking individual who has the taste of entertaining guests. The Hospitality Industry can provide lifelong career. And its areas of expertise vary from marketing to cooking, engineering to public relations and from security work to accounting.

A new trend has been observed in the last few years. Accounting to this, hotel managers are being hired in large numbers in other service sectors like banks, airlines; call centers (BPOs), multiplexes shopping malls, cruise ships etc., A number of such companies are now coming to hotel management institutions for placement in a routine manner. Apart from the new graduates, there is also a high demand for those who have worked in hotels and restaurants, particularly in areas dealing with customers, like front office and F&B service. A number of hotel managers with a good record have been joining banks, airlines; call centers etc. for good jobs, sometimes at salary levels much higher than what they were getting in their hotel jobs. The number of such jobs is increasing by significant percentage points every year.

Hospitality is more of an attitude than a skill-set that can be acquired by going to a business school. An ideal person who perfectly fits would be the one who possesses traits such as warmth and pleasantness, empathy and humanity, good listening skills, confidence, etc. If you feel that you do not have the basic capability to relate to other people and empathize when they are in need, then you are not cut out for this profession. Do you love people and understand them? Do you like catering to the needs of others? Do some of these qualities form part of your personality? If you have good communication skills and an extrovert personality, then hospitality industry is the perfect career. With the boom in tourism and travel, industry has grown rapidly in the past decade and is still growing. A degree in Hotel Management is usually the basic requirement to take the first step towards a career in the hospitality industry.

Marketing / Sales Executives in Hotels, FMCGs, Sports Companies, Media houses, PRO agencies, Advertising outlets and Events Management.
The work in hotels, big or small is divided among key departments. The Manager and assistant manager in hotels make sure the efficient operation of their establishments. Big hotels employ hundreds of workers and management is divided into various levels. Under the supervision of the top management, the various department heads operate. The various departments in a hotel are

1. Catering Management : includes Beverage Manager, Banquet Manager, Restaurant Manager and Food & Service Manager etc.

2. Catering operations : It includes culinary department, steward department and food service department.

3. Front Office department : Front office manager, Receptionists, Information Assistant, Bell boy etc..

4. House keeping department : Floor supervision, Room manager, House keeper
5. Accounting department.
6. Marketing department.
7. Engineering department.
8. Personnel department-security.
9. Forecasting department.

Eligibility :

+2 with compulsory English --> 3 years degree in Hotel Management OR
Graduation in any subject --> 2 years post graduate degree in Hotel Management.
S.S.L.C --> certificate courses for 3 months to 1 year.
+2 to degree --> diploma in Hotel Management and Post Graduate diploma.
B.Sc. Catering Technology & Hotel Management --> after +2. Duration : 3 Years

Salaries are going up in the industry and reputed brands are paying high salaries. Beginners are paid Rs.10,000 to Rs.15,000 per month. The hospitality industry is usually not affected by recession as even if one of its sectors is sinking, another could be expanding.

It demands a great deal from its people but offers the most rewarding of careers in return, making it the ideal choice for people who like to interact and be with people and who have interest in serving and entertaining others.