Switching careers

Question:

"I've worked as a unit manager for a large contract catering company for five years but it's time to move on. I'm keen to move into the hotel industry but obviously have no direct experience. What's the best way to apply for a job in a hotel and what's the best way of showing off my skills and minimising my lack of direct knowledge?"

John, Bristol

What the expert says:

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Á¢Â€ÂœThere has never been a better time in the hospitality industry to consider transferring your skills from one sector to another. More and more companies are finding that there are indeed benefits and new ideas which can be gained from recruiting from a complementary sector. However, as you rightly point out, you need to Á¢Â€Â˜show offÁ¢Â€Â™ your skills and the best way to do this is to identify the core Á¢Â€Â˜behavioursÁ¢Â€Â™ and Á¢Â€Â˜competenciesÁ¢Â€Â™ which are identical from one sector to another. You may think that itÁ¢Â€Â™s a big leap from contract catering to hotels but ultimately many of the disciplines and skills are the same. You have five yearsÁ¢Â€Â™ worth of incredibly useful experience to offer but you need to realise for yourself what that is so you can sell that to a potential hotel. What I mean here is as a unit manager you probably have skills in the following: - managing and leading a small/medium sized team - responsibility for unitÁ‚ profit & loss account - marketing skills to the extent of in-house promotion - planning & organisational skills - well developed communication skills - handlingÁ‚ the client company as well as representing your parent organisation. You need to draw out these Á¢Â€Â˜competenciesÁ¢Â€Â™ and add any others which may be relevant. In addition to this, you can prepare for the switch by visiting some of the types of hotel (independent or group-owned) and recognising the product and what you feel you might need to learn. In the end, I suspect it will be your empathy with the product and your being able to prove that you can adapt your skills to the new environment Á¢Â€Â" thatÁ¢Â€Â™s the ultimate concern of any new employer. For example, before the interview anticipate howÁ‚ the hours are going to be differentÁ‚ and how your planning and organisational kills will be able to tackle the different resourcing challenge. In the end the differences are very few and I would be very surprised ifÁ‚ you were not a highly marketable commodity. Good luck.Á¢Â€Â Do you have a question for our experts? [E-mail us now, help is at hand.