Why should you work in hospitality?

According to a survey by the British Hospitality Association, over 1.9 million people are said to work in the hospitality industry. Chances are though, that if you’re reading this article that you’re either one of two people; you’re already in the industry, or you’re considering it as a career option. Part of the beauty that working in hospitality gives is the joy you have from the role, but why else should you want to work in hospitality? Below we have compiled a list of eight reasons why hospitality is for you, and though shifts can be long and tiring at times, if you have a passion for the job then hospitality an incredibly rewarding career.

1. You can make someone’s day

Whether you’re a receptionist, a waiter, a bartender or a kitchen porter or any other hospitality job, your role doesn’t really matter in a sense of bringing joy to somebody’s day. Your presence makes their day a whole lot better; they come into your place of work for a host of reasons, whether its food, drink, service, relations or more, your job role is about people. Your job doesn’t revolve around the preparation of spreadsheets; it’s ultimately about the overall happiness of your customers.

2. It ‘opens doors’

Every single country in the world uses the hospitality industry, and it’s one of the world’s most common jobs as people worldwide are waiters and waitresses in their teenage years. The skills learnt in hospitality are easily transferable, with the personal skills that you learn i.e. customer service being needed in every single industry. You’ll constantly meet new people from new cultures, so you can always consider taking your skills abroad.

3. You can take on responsibilities

With the ever growing responsibilities in hospitality, this means you can make your way up the ladder very quickly in the industry. If you work hard and get on with customers and colleagues in a good manner, then very soon, you’ll find yourself in a senior position managing people and projects. You should always show initiative too, as this will always help your chances.

4. It’s a creative industry

Though hospitality is a people-oriented industry, hospitality is also an industry of creativity. You are creating a product and that doesn’t matter if it’s food, drink, a customer experience or more – there’s always a way to make your service more enjoyable for your customers.

Hospitality jobs — The hospitality industry is diverse

5. There’s no need to get stuck

There’s enough of a scope in the hospitality industry for you to gain a level of diversity in your career, therefore you’re not getting stuck in one sector. You don’t even have to move employer, you can simply move from a receptionist to a concierge or waiter. No other industry offers this level of diversity.

6. It’s not a 9-5 job

The mundane thing about most jobs is the 9-5 routine that people learn to hate. Waking up at the same time, with the same breakfast, with the same outfit, then catching the same train into the same office isn’t for everyone. The beauty about hospitality is the amount of variety that it brings to the role, not only in the varied hours of work but also the work you do in those hours as it can change at any second.

7. It’s a safe bet

People will always need their basic human needs; food, drink and somewhere to sleep. So, even in a shaky economic climate like the credit crunch that has hit the UK in the past few years, the hospitality industry is a secure bet for a career.

8. Work can be a lot of fun!

Working in an office will often limit the perks available to you, despite getting a Christmas party with a few drinks, dire music and everyone looking a bit awkward. In the hospitality industry things are much, much different. After all, the function of your job is to be there to help customers have fun, so make sure you share some of that fun with each other.

9. Learn applicable life skills

The industry heavily revolves around food & drink – from purchasing stock & ingredients, to preparing them for service, and cleaning up afterwards. For young people especially, learning to feed, and clean for, others is more than helpful experience as you become more independent.

10. Perks of the job

The vast majority of pubs, restaurants and hotels will offer discounts or freebies, you can use these benefits outside of work or have a much more enjoyable lunchtime compared to your typical meal deal!

For more on hospitality employment, please visit our website.

A rise in hospitality jobs pleased the industry

The hospitality industry underwent a healthy growth last year according to Caterer.com. The industry experienced a growth of 8^%in jobs throughout 2013, with an increase of a massive 16% coming in the final quarter compared to previous years. Applications are said to have fallen by around 5% per job throughout 2013, so whilst this could actually mean that fewer people are applying for the roles they come across in their job hunt, it could also mean that hospitality candidates are becoming more and more selective in their job hunt, expressing more interest in the options available to them.

The trend has seemed to continue into 2014, with 12,000 jobs being advertised for the hospitality industry in the few months. The sectors included range from food and pubs to restaurants and hotels, outlining the need for numerous employers to continue their attempts in attractive new talent in the hospitality industry.

Hospitality jobs enjoyed a hike last year

The hotel sector may be experiencing some of its best growth in years as Scotland is enjoying a huge growth, where some job levels increased by a fifth last year, driving a huge 20% increase compared to 2012. Applications for each job were also at a high, potentially highlighting a recruitment drive paying off in the Scottish hotel industry. Scotland is also experiencing a considerable growth in their food service, with adverts for the sector rising by 22% when compared with last year. The East and South East of England, along with Wales, are experiencing a hike in recruitment activity, whilst London suffered a decrease of 14%. This figure could be down to big businesses moving from London, wishing to avoid the expensive costs of office space.

The hotel sector as a whole seemingly experienced a huge increase in finance as the hotel budgets grow along with the sector. This has led to pressures on the industry being hiked by investors and owners alike, so companies have had to change their talent strategies. Hotels are responding to the increase by boosting the strength of their employer bran identities, which makes talent the centre of their customer offerings. There’s an increased demand for specialist skills, such as chefs, as they grew 2.6% on their own, a move away from the traditional cook.

For more on hospitality jobs and industry news, please visit our website.

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10 great reasons why you should work in Hospitality