Nobody seems to want to employ me

Question

I am a 25-year-old Austrian with a degree in hospitality management with hotel management and will be completing my Master of Business Administration (MBA) shortly.

I have about seven years' experience in hospitality. I did a four-year apprenticeship in Austria as a chef and waiter and then I moved to the UK and worked at a Holiday Inn as F&B supervisor for two-and-a-half years during my degree. After, I joined a large international catering company as an assistant catering manager. Due to the pressure of studying for my MBA, I unfortunately had to leave that company after five months.

The most recent position I held was customer service and sales specialist at a large blue-chip company in London. I resigned after 18 months in an attempt to return to the hospitality industry.

I have been trying to find a suitable position in hospitality, but have not had a single interview. I have been told that my 18 months of customer service and sales experience count against me, but I think I have gained some valuable international business experience. Also, my MBA studies do not appear to find favour with employers either.

I have registered with some hospitality recruitment agencies but to no avail. I have also approached some international companies directly, but was told there were no jobs available. I am aware of the current difficult trading environment, but I believe that I would be a valuable asset. I am not looking for a large salary package, but would require at least £21,000. I have been invited to interviews for jobs with salaries of £14,000 to £17,000 but have declined.

My goal is to obtain a head-office position in marketing, but I am aware that I will probably need to start at an operational level, perhaps as a F&B manager.

Could you give me any advice? I would be very sad to leave the industry due to poor salaries and lack of opportunities.

What the expert says

Lesley Reynolds, managing director, Portfolio International

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I found this a very disappointing letter to read and all credit to you for trying to find yet another angle to find a solution. There are so many pluses in what you say: you are 25 years old, multilingual, possess an excellent apprenticeship and have experience in F&B at supervisory level in the UK in a good four-star establishment, and you have gone on to do an MBA. What you don't say, but which I have also ascertained, is that you are a highly presentable and articulate indiviudal with an engaging personality. This industry supposedly suffers a shortage of skills at precisely the level you are trying to get in at. I don't know what's wrong with everyone you've spoken to. May I suggest that rather than banging your head against a brick wall at head-office level, you target individual hotels or contract catererers. You say you are prepared to start at operational level and this is likely to yield better results. People in the company will get to know you and you can make your longer-term requirements known at your appraisal.