From time to time, there are unique opportunities for hoteliers in the early stages of their careers. These opportunities are “opportunities” indeed, as they result from an urgent search for a position that became vacant suddenly and unexpectedly.
They are of particular interest to young and career-focused hoteliers. Many of these opportunities are never posted on job boards but are shared by professional hotel recruitment agencies like Renard International, HES, Horizon Associates, Executive Search International or Bristol Associates, to mention a few. Most of these opportunities never make it to the job board because of their particular character and with focus on a selective group of professionals.
When a company, for example, Renard International, and one of their consultants post a job of particular interest, it reaches the focus group and its members many almost instantly on social media, especially LinkedIn. If the posting is of particular interest to you, here is what you should do:
1. Contact the recruiter directly on his e-mail or LinkedIn message to get more information on the opportunity. But do this only if you are sincerely interested in the particular role and job. Contact him directly thru a LinkedIn message or via email. Do not post a reply like “Interested.” This is visible to everyone and not necessarily an intelligent way to communicate your interest. I do not know about the respective recruiters, but by putting myself in their shoes, I would find the responses rather irritating. The recruiter will, however, pay attention to a focused and clear e-mail or LinkedIn message.
2. Await the recruiter’s response: sometimes, it happens quickly and immediately, and sometimes it takes a day.
3. Make sure the recruiter has your updated resume. Even if you are already registered with the company, you should add a copy so he will not have to search his database. You may point out to the recruiter that you have attached your updated resume for his convenience and that the company should delete the old resume on file.
4. If the recruiter chooses you as a potential candidate, he will most likely contact you, confirm your suitability and discuss the assignment with you. There will most likely be some questions like:
– How fast could you join?
– Will you be single or with your family?
– What are your salary expectations
– What about your present job…. And other questions.
- Once you have basic information about the job, the company, and the precise location, you need to do your own “critical” self-evaluation, whether this job is for you or not. Don’t be just driven to get the job, no matter what, but think it thru clearly and consider all consequences arising from a sudden job change. Especially if you are in the early part of your career, the results will have a long-term impact.Here are the most frequent reasons for young hoteliers to change jobs early in their careers.
- Better position
- Better company
- Higher salary
- Better opportunities
- Better location
- Performance issues in the present company
- Dislike of current job due to Supervisor
Sometimes there is only one of these reasons for the job change, but most often, it is a combination of all of the above. If you are an ambitious hotelier with a clearly defined career objective, you should carefully review these questions and give honest answers. Here are some tips which will help you to complete the self-questionnaire.
- The Two-Year Rule:
Ensure you have been in your present job for at least two years. Even if it is not the perfect job for you or you feel you need a change, give in to the urge and instead explore the root cause. Unless the opportunity offers real advantages and represents an upward move into an equal or even better company, you should hold back and think it thru carefully. Over the run of your career, you will confront this situation frequently. Make sure you do not become a job hopper. This often happens in the hotel industry. One of the first pieces of information experienced recruiters and HR professionals look out for is how long you have been in the various positions on your resume. If they see that you grew in your work over time but did not spend at least two years with a company, you will fit the position, and nobody wants to hire you.
- The Good Company Rule:
Let’s assume you are privileged to work with an international brand like Marriott, Hilton, Hyatt, or Accor. You should ask yourself: “Why would I leave an almost secure and brand-rich “Ecosystem” with its well-developed training programs and upward career paths for the best employees? And here is the trick. Even if you are not always a top performer, there is a good chance that you will be promoted by seniority. You will get your call in today’s “Team-Oriented” work culture. So moving out of this perfect ecosystem would be counterproductive. If you are presently working as a Duty Manager for a Hilton Hotel, get an offer as Front Office Asst. Manager in a Wyndham Timeshare hotel or a Holiday Inn, you should bite your nails, complete the two years minimum, and then if nothing did happen, have a constructive conversation about your career progress with your department head and later the HR manager.
If, for whatever reason, they cannot promise or do not want to commit to a promotion down the line; you are free to look out for alternatives but make sure you move only within the brand ecosystem. I need to point out the importance of a mentor with whom you have an excellent professional relationship. If you are fortunate, it could be your General Manager with years of experience who will take you under his wing. Your department head or direct supervisor is not necessarily the right person. A: Because you are indirectly a potential future competitor, and B: He is probably too young to give you valuable career advice.
- The Better salary Rule:
One of my clients called me two weeks ago from the UK and told me his salary is insufficient and that he feels to look out for a better opportunity. He had gotten an inquiry from another company willing to pay him a 15% higher salary. He was considering moving for a 15% higher gross pay (after taxes, only 10% more take-home money). Not only did he forget that the annual increment which was due soon. (approximately 7% after taxes). For this, he was willing to move from a well-recognized international brand hotel with 200+ rooms to a 100-room, local hotel group managed directly by the owner. We spoke for about one hour until I felt he would not self-sabotage his career path.
Do not (always) follow the money: Top companies often need to pay the highest salaries. They do not need to. They have enough applicants and candidates to choose from. Even though companies like Top Luxury brands pay well and offer great incentives, this is a small segment with high competition. So, if you are working in one of these companies, please look at it as a privilege and opportunity. Later, when you have climbed up to a General Manager position, you are free to pick and choose because you will get offers. I know from my own experience. But I recommend that you stay even then. It will pay off handsomely, and your life will be of a better quality. I know because I have made this mistake and know about the challenge of getting back into a top company.
- The Better Location Rule:
Well, this is a delicate subject. I can elaborate on this, but I want to keep it simple here. As an ambitious hotelier who wants to climb the ladder, you need to be flexible about where you work. Especially during the early days of your career as FO Asst. Manager, Duty Manager, Asst F&B Manager, or Asst. Exec. Housekeeper, you might be asked if you are willing to take on the same or a higher position in a new hotel the company is opening or to fill a positive role in another company-managed hotel. If your present company offers an opportunity like this: Take it and go. (Some rules apply, which I write about in my blog). If it is provided to you by another company with the same brand image, you might consider it, but first, cover the earlier points. If it is offered to you by a company of lesser image value, forget it. Now, there is your criterium of what makes a good or better location compared to where you presently are. It will be a decision that will have not only a long-term impact on the path of your career but also on your overall well-being and even happiness. When considering location, remember if you are Single or with family. The hiring company will always prefer a single professional because it is usually cheaper. However, there are also cases when a company chooses to have someone with a family, as individuals with a family could be more stable looking down the timeline. This depends on profile and company and varies from position to position.
- Performance Issues:
They happen, and they happen 95% of the time to every hotelier during their career. Usually, the first person to know if there are performance problems is yourself. Deep inside, you will feel challenged and know that you might perform better than you should or could. There is a straightforward – not used solution- for this. Take preventive action and discuss your feelings with your superior. Tell him about your concerns and ask for assistance. In today’s environment, this is a good strategy. If your feelings about performance issues are correct, your superior will, in most cases, help you to solve the performance issue, if any. It will also reflect on him if there are such issues. So it is in his best self-interest to help you overcome the performance weakness. A strategic benefit is that you will not be subjected to any write-up letter, at least not in the short term. Also, you will get concrete evidence that your performance is not up to standard, and you will be getting help and assistance to improve. It is likely that if you have performance issues, you will have those too in another company. So it is better to address the shortcomings now and on familiar ground.
- The Good Boss-Bad Boss Scenario:
“People leave their bosses, not their companies.” This is not universally true, but it does happen frequently. Most of the time, immature- and poorly-trained managers drive out people. It happens more frequently in Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. In Europe and the Americas, companies are doing a far better job. What to do if you are caught in this scenario? Moving from company A to company B is not the solution 99% of the time.
There is no guarantee that your new Boss in company B will be better. Then there is the chemistry between people. I will give you an example from my career. I was holding the position of COO, and my CEO found me competent and a significant part of the team. It comes the day when this CEO left the company, and a new CEO was appointed. This person was not hospitality trained, and it was clear he would never be my “Best Friend.” Even though my performance was just as good as it had been for three years with the former CEO, I left the company eventually. This can happen and does happen not because of performance but of personality conflicts. In today’s globalised world, these conflicts often have a cultural background. So, if you are one day in a situation where your boss comes from a different cultural background, please do yourself a favor and research the cultural expectations of your new superior.
There will be situations when a job change will accelerate your career, and then there are situations when it is advisable to stay in your current job. I reiterate that a higher salary should not be a reason for a change, at least not during your formative years. There are many real-life examples to prove my point. I invite you to visit my website and get more professional advice based on many years of experience in the 5-star hotel industry on four continents. I wish you an incredible career journey, and if I can be of service, please register for a free career call.