You are in the process of finishing high school ? Possibly you have already graduated and never though much about what comes afterwards ? An astounding 70% of all High-School graduates share this dilemma and I remember well, that back in the 1970ties I myself was no exception to this. What was different for me: I did not feel the pressure to write my CV or resume because I had been working since age 16 in the hotel business and was able to support myself. I had an idea about my hotel career and knew the steps I had to take in ordert to get me there.
A year before I graduated from Highschool my very first mentor advised me, that I had to make a hard decision between studying in a hotel school or to make a serious effort in a real life hotel apprenticeship. He then offered me an apprenticeship in his hotel and that is exactly, what I did. My first year was a hard time. Often did I wonder if I had made the right choice. Since it was a small , only 40 room hotel with one restaurant I had to fill many shoes and had to perform many different tasks throughout the day. I would have one day off Every other week I had one day off and the average working day laste 12-14 hours, nothing unusual in the 1970ties. A regular working day was rather the exception and happened usually during November when the hotel occupancy was very low and the family would leave for South Africa. After my first year I knew all about the day to day operations and with a housekeeper and a waiter I would be running the hotel operations by myself. The restaurant offered a reduced menu during this slow season and I was really responsible for all aspects of the hotel except for accounting.
Three years later I had finished my first apprenticeship and decided to invest 2 more years in a second apprenticeship; this time in a large and famous resort . I had only one shot at getting accepted, so my CV had to shine. Equipped with a typewriter, the appropriate stationary I began to “create” my application and CV. Back in those days there were few resources on how to create an impressive resume. Of course there was literature but these were boring “How to…” manuals. I was convinced, that I would pull it of, write the CV myself and get a position in one of the 5 hotels, I had selected.
My approach was simple and street-smart: From the many applications in the hotel´s personal office I did pick a few and later asked my mentor which would be the best one. He recommended one specifically and gave me the reasons for his opinion. I adopted this format, which is today called: “traditional CV format”.
Looking at it today, this format has hardly changed. (I will share the source where you can download it later). The single important reason why you should use this format is, that the person, reading the CV is able to scan it quickly and capture the most important information instantly. For a hotelier at the beginning of his or her career with little work experience, it is advisable to begin with the education and then compose a work history. This can – if available- include vacation jobs or work practicums. I do recommend to download a very good- and timeless template (for graduates and beginners) at: https://www.reed.co.uk/career-advice/graduate-cv-template/.
It is a no-nonsense, traditional and ATS friendly format. There is no heavy designing involved and the content creation is almost self-explanatory. I know from former colleagues and recruiters, that 80% of them prefer this particular format because of its simplicity. Keep in mind, the recruiter will spent no more than 15-20 seconds scanning your document and if he or she finds the necessary information at the expected location in the shortest format possible, your document has a good chance to pass this initial test. The same is valid for ATS compatibility of your CV or resume where overdesign and exotic structures can be counter-productive.
There are many sites where you can download free templates. Some of them really good, some of them really bad. There are many criteria when it comes to choosing the right format. If you are a young hotelier and you are just starting out your career, go for the template I am recommending. If you cannot resist checking on other template formats visit the link of the company I had recommended earlier. The website also provides good and valuable advise for a large variety of industries and positions. However, I am talking here about the hotel industry, so no need to check out other industries and positions and getting yourself confused. Time is Money and the online world is full of companies and service providers which you can “google or YouTube-watch”. However you know, that this will not create your own resume or CV. Even if you hire a resume writer, not only will you have to pay handsomely, you also have to be prepared to provide a lot of information for the content. I do recommend REED not only because of the long history of this company but also because I have studied their material. It is of top quality.
Once you have done the job,and created your own self made resume you will feel good about it and you should. Creating and updating your CV will no longer be a challenge for you and you will built up your resume over time without ever having to change the actual format. Eventually you will put your work history ahead of education and make adjustments to your personal statement , objective , achievements, awards and contact details.
There is one additional and important reason why I am recommending REED. Simply because they are not limited to “national formatting requirements” and offer a global variety of templates. In a time, where LinkedIn provides an international accepted format, most recruiters and hotel companies are adjusting to this more and more global standard. However many HR officers and recruiters in European hotel companies are still insisting on traditional template structures and are applying very ridged rules. Many are still asking personal information, which is no longer relevant for the job.
You need to be aware, that today´s HR professionals are no longer just looking for quality talent, experience and individuality in their employees and managers but they are almost obsessed with the perfect cultural fit, adaptability, conformity, gender equality and company-political correctness. This is not so evident at the line level and junior management but clearly visible from department head level upwards. The days, when functional managers and general management would be the sole decision makers on who would be hired are over. The processes then were simple and quite transparent and decisions were much less team based.
Over the past 35 years, the recruitment processes have been finetuned and improved. Not necessarily for employees but for the companies in search for new talent. Certain minimum educational requirements have been heightened and are partially responsible for the “skilled labor shortage” in our industry. Only the top hotel companies are managing this process quite well and have finetuned their recruitment process successfully. But even here labor shortage exists, especially after the Corona years. While unfortunate for the companies, it is fortunate for young hoteliers due to the oversupply of entry positions on a global scale but especially in Europe and North America and if you follow my recommendations below you could find yourself soon in a good starter position with a good company.
This brings me to three critical aspects in your jobsearch:
No. 1: You do not want to just sent out applications to where ever you see an opportunity. You want to narrow down the list of companies and positions you want to apply for. You have to identify the people in those companies who will most likely receive your application. Once you have identified the receiver continue your detective work and learn about the receiver´s work history and more via online research. Just today I had a client who was a perfect fit for a job. By not taking advantage of todays research options and not knowing enough about the person who interviewed her, my client, even though she had been shortlisted, did not get the job which could have been Her’s would she have done some basic research.
No. 2: Once you have completed your online research – identified the property, the position and the person most likely to receive your resume, you will address your application accordingly. If you live in the same city where you applying, I have only one tip: deliver it personally to the receiver or make sure, the receiver knows that you were on location to deliver it personally. One day later, you sent your application via email with a short text note. It sounds strange but there are two good reasons for this unique strategy. First of all the receiver will be surprised of even impressed that you personally tried to meet him or her. Second: he or she, once received your hand delivered application in hard copy will 90% of the time read the application instead of putting it thru the ATS system and remember your name. Third: if your application is with a quality company and a true professional, you will receive a call. Being shortlisted or invited for an interview depends on more factors, but you have opened a door: personal access to someone who can make decisions and direct your application to the right person and decision maker. In my book “The Perfect Hotel Career” I am describing this process which worked for me 100% and got me a management position at the Waldorf=Astoria within 2 hours despite a very basic resume.
No. 3: The “Icing on the cake” will be, if you are able to get your application to the person, you would be working with directly. This can be the department head like the F&B Director, the DOSM, the Exec. Housekeeper or the Director of Rooms. If you are applying for a department head position you should get your application not only to the General Manager of the property but also to the Human Resources Manager and address them both in your application by name. This will serve the dual purpose of appreciating both managers as key “decisionmakers” and balanced flow of information.
I have already pointed out previously, that you should first decide for yourself, what kind of company you want to work for and what position you want to apply for. Since you are now in the early stage of executing your career plan, geography is not that important but it will come into play sooner or later. If you have an international mindset and want to work outside of your country of residence, here is your chance to position yourself accordingly. If you do want to remain in the safe and familiar region you should choose from the positions and companies available within . The more flexible you are in terms of location, the more opportunities will come your way.
Once you have identified and selected the position you like to apply for, you must tweak and align your resume wording with key words from the job advertising. It is not the format, but the key words the recruiter or personal manager will be looking for. This means, that all you have to do is simply review the job description and requirements of the job and weave the keywords intelligently into your resume. It will take some time, but your effort will pay off.
It is my strong recommendation, that you make the attempt do craft your first resume yourself. With the templates I have pointed out, the job will be much easier than you think. I can tell you that most recruiters and personal managers have a keen eye for resumes and will be able to identify a resume, written by a so called “resume-expert” almost instantly. These are usually the resumes which are just to good to be true. Put yourself once again in the shoes of the personal manager: all she or he want is an easy readable format which they can scan in 15-20 seconds. They will be searching for the keywords from the job posting in your resume. The beauty is, that you can use the keywords repeatedly, not only once but several times. This will simplify the recruiter´s work and increase your chance to be shortlisted.
Another advise I have for you is this one: Limit your job search to not more than 4 or 5 jobs, you want to apply for. I am seeing so many times, that people apply for many jobs with the same CV or resume and frequently not even receiving a reply or some form of feedback. In the old days you would get a response simply due to the fact, that not more than 20-30 people would apply for a position. In today´s word with so many jobs being posted on job boards, it is just too tempting to apply to as many as you can. Yes, there is some logic to this action but keep in mind, that also your own focus becomes less sharp in the process and eventually your frustration growth when not being shortlisted.
Your resume is your “teaser” to create curiosity, portrait you as an authentic candidate and excellent fit for the position you are seeking. Your main focus has to be to get a job in the organization or property you want to work with. Even, if the job in that organization is not exactly the one you want in the first place, get into the organization first. Once you are in, you have accomplished a great deal. Sooner or later the position you are seeking will become available; if not in the particular hotel you are working in, but another hotel belonging to the company. (what is one of the many reasons, why I am recommending to a young hotelier to focus on getting employment in one of the global top companies.
If you find yourself still struggling and not exactly sure how to choose and begin your hotel career contact me anytime. My purpose is simply to help and assist You in beginning a most rewarding career on the right food and with the right positioning. I know you will make the best out of your opportunities and know, I am just a message away !
Have a great journey !
Helmut H Meckelburg