Hospitality Industry Career Project - Personal Statement Example

Hospitality Industry Career Project Educational Goals Long-term Educational Goals My first long-term educational goal is to complete and graduate from Santa Barbara City College, California with excellent grades. Then, I aspire to advance by studies and pursue a Bachelor of Science degree in Hospitality Management at California State University, Long Beach. It is my plan to complete my bachelor’s degree in 2016, and then seek employment in the hospitality and leisure industry. Similarly, I am planning to become an active member in the volunteer programs available in the university. Notably, I intend to involve myself in programs such as AmeriCorps volunteer program and Food Finders, and utilize my skills to assist the communities who desire the essential services. I would like to use by short-term goals to enable me to achieve my long-term educational plans. Short-term Educational Goals My first short-term educational goal is to improve my grade, and score above average. To attain this goal, it is my plan to devote a lot of time in my studies. It is my commitment to stay with the teachers for at least one hour daily to comprehend the subject matter. I believe that teachers’ help will enable me to have concrete knowledge to boost my grades. Similarly, I will arrange to join a vibrant and focused study group. I will devote at least two hours daily in group discussion. I have a strong conviction that the study group will make it possible for me to improve and maintain high grades in my disciplines. Likewise, I will spend approximately thirty minutes daily to go over the notes. The second goal is to take an active participation in the clubs available in the school. Notably, I will enlist in the AmeriCorps volunteer program and Food Finders to assist in volunteering services. Offering volunteering services is one of the best ways to serve humanity. Career Goals Long-term Career Goals I aspire to become a hotel or restaurant manager. It is my plan to grow quickly in my career and secure of position of leadership responsibility. To achieve this long-term career target, I will seek employment as a waitress in one of the state-of-the-heart restaurants to perfect my skills. While in this position, I will execute additional duties, as well as develop a strong relationship with other departments in the hospitality industry. Then, I will engage in the leadership training programs in order to equip me with the necessary and current skills required in a management position. After the training, I will seek promotion from a waitress to a waiter/waitress leader. It is not my wish to remain in this job position for long, and thus I will seek promotion to assistant restaurant manager. The position of the assistant restaurant manager will expose me to the skills needed to manage people. I plan to offer my dedicated services in the position of restaurant manager for less than three years; then I seek a promotion to a restaurant manager. Short-term Career Goals After graduating from the university with a Bachelor of Science degree in Hospitality Management, I will seek employment in the hospitality and leisure industry. I will apply for all the job openings that suit the skills gained in my studies. Specifically, I will submit approximate thirty applications on a weekly basis to increase my chances of securing a position in the hospitality and leisure industry. It is my plan to find a position in the in the industry that will put me in a restaurant that embraces growth and solid performance with vibrant future projections. In effect, I aspire to secure a position of a waitress in one of the world-class restaurants. I have perfected the skills of serving customer and timely delivery ordered items. As part of a team, I intend to add value in order to grow the restaurant and improve the performance of the hospitality and leisure industry in general. Jiaoyi Hong Resume Education Background 2014- To date Associate of Arts Santa Barbara City College, Santa Barbara, California Skills and Qualifications Computer/ Software Systems Microsoft Office, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Powerpoint Foreign Languages Fluent in Chinese and Taiwanese Work Experience August 23th 2014-To date Waitress Company KariyaShabuShabu& BBQ. Location Artesia, California Responsibilities Delivering beverages and food in a timely manner Played a key role in the team of servers August 30th 2011-June 30th 2012 Pet Groomer Company Million Baby Bubble Dog Pet Grooming Location West Covina, California Responsibilities Delivered high quality work that met the expectations of the clients Remarkably trained in grooming small and large breeds of dogs and cat January 10th 2011-August 1st 2011 Cashier Company Sweet Sport Dessert Responsibilities Attending to customers and directing them to the merchandise they need Assisting customers to make buying decisions when required Volunteer Experiences I volunteer at the Santa Barbara Animal Resume. My responsibilities include feeding dogs, cleaning cats, and dog sanctuary, pet grooming, and dog training. Sometimes, I help with adoption events and participate in community outreach Activities and Awards August 25th 2012–July 25th 2014 Santa Barbara City College President Honor List February 10th 2013-July 25th 2014 Phi Theta Kappa Honor Student and Scholarship November 7th 2014-To date Kappa Omicron Nu National Honor Society in Family and Consumer Sciences Student Organization Chinese Student Association Leadership Experiences February 2012-December 2013 Vice President and Event Chair   Organization SBCC – CSSA Future Resume When Graduate Education Background May 2016 Bachelor of Science (Hospitality Management) Institution California State University, Long Beach Professional Skills and Qualifications Computers/Software Systems Photoshop, C++ Foreign Languages French and Spanish Work Experience Position Front Desk Receptionist Industry Sector Hospitality, Tourism, and Recreation Responsibilities Welcoming and greeting visitors Answering incoming calls Overseeing distribution of incoming and outgoing mails Drafting correspondence and financial spreadsheets Position Restaurant Manager Assistant Industry Hospitality and Leisure Responsibilities Directing the workforce through the daily activities Interacting with customers to ensure they have a satisfactory experience Training employees Assisting the restaurant manager Volunteer Experiences I would like to take an active role in volunteering in the AmeriCorps volunteer program and Food Finders. The programs offer retail sales, managing, and operating after-school programs, as well as helping communities. Professional Organizations Hospitality Management Association Human Resources Management Association Leadership Experiences I would like to gain leadership skills and experience from my workplace and Hospitality Management Association. The leadership experience will earn me a promotion to waiter/waitress leader and ultimately a restaurant manager. Career Outlook The hospitality and leisure industry has been growing tremendously in the last ten years. The industry contributes a huge revenue on a national and global basis (Hobbs & Toscano, 2013). The career opportunities in the sector are innumerable in lodgings, resorts, food service, travel agencies, and casinos businesses. The growth of the industry comes with many positions to ensure that the consumers receive quality and timely services. Specifically, the restaurant managers are in a high demand. The industry is extremely flexible and has the prospects of career growth. For instance, it is easy for an employee to grow from the waitress position to waitress/waiter leader and ultimately to a restaurant manager after a short period of leadership training. The US Bureau of Labor and Statistics (2012) projects that the employment careers in the hospitality and leisure industry will grow hugely before 2022. Similarly, statistics indicates that the industry will realize eight percent growth rate in the employment opportunities for lodging and restaurant managers before 2020 (US Bureau of Labor and Statistics, 2012). In effect, the chances of securing the position of the restaurant manager are high due to the unprecedented growth in the hospitality and leisure industry. The food service and restaurant chains prefer to hire people with degrees in hospitality management although they sometimes recruit graduates from other fields who have demonstrated aptitude and interest. Some restaurant and food service manager positions, especially the self-service and fast-food, are filled by promoting experienced food and beverage preparation and service workers. Notably, waiters, waitresses, chefs, and fast-food workers demonstrating the potential for handling increased responsibility advance to assistant manager or manager after training (Brotherton, 2012). In this respect, it is easy to rise along the career ladder in the hospitality and leisure industry. Fundamentally, the general managers need experience as assistant managers. A Bachelor of Science degree in Hospitality Management provides a strong preparation for the position of restaurant or hotel manager. The employers in the hospitality and leisure industry are looking for the candidates with advanced skills and understanding of the fundamentals needed to operate restaurants (Brotherton, 2012). Similarly, the possession of analytical skills is key to securing employment as a restaurant or hotel manager. Thus, the candidates with education in the hospitality management secure the wide variety of job opportunities in luxury and international restaurants. The salary of the restaurant manager varies by type, location, and size of the restaurant. Similarly, the pay is based on the responsibilities coupled with the experience of the manager. For instance, a seasoned manager of a large-scale restaurant receives a minimum of $50,000 in a year. However, the small-scale fast-food restaurant chains tend to offer managers an annual salary of about $35,000 (US Bureau of Labor and Statistics, 2012). Resort hotels and restaurants that are in tourist areas reward the managers with a higher pay and benefit package as compared to other restaurants. Likewise, the franchise restaurants pay the managers well. The National Restaurant Association provides the members with investment ideas, as well as benefits. The association protects the economic interests of the restaurant owners through providing independent decisions to improve the industry. Similarly, the National Restaurant Association offers training and networking for the restaurant managers to learn and meet other professional in the hospitality and leisure industry. Moreover, the hoteliers benefit from the market research, which the association conducts. Through the annual industry forecasts, the association enables the restaurant and hotel managers to plan and implement viable strategies to realize economic prosperity. Current Trends in Hospitality and Leisure Industry The hospitality and leisure industry have been growing tremendously. It is projected that the hospitality industry will realize unprecedented growth before 2022. Many world-class hotels and restaurant continue to receive local and international clients (PricewaterhouseCoopers, 2014). The various platforms of social media have played a huge role in attracting clients across the globe. Consequently, the growth in clientele has enabled the restaurants to offer many job opportunities in order to recruit a diversified workforce that can cater for the needs of the customers. Notably, the hospitality industry enhances diversity through the equal employment strategy that promotes recruitment of workforce from different nationalities (Chon, 2012). In effect, the industry appreciates the global socio-cultural and economic disparities. Therefore, high chances of candidates securing employment in the hospitality industry exist. Many managers in the industry are salaried although the self-employed managers exist. The job opportunities for managers are expected to increase in the future. In addition to the projected employment growth in the hospitality and leisure industry, the need to replace managers who transfer to other occupation will create several job openings. The opportunities to fill the vacant positions after the managers retire will demand the candidate to have a bachelor’s degree in the hospitality management. Hence, the prospects for securing a position of responsibility in the industry are high. It is projected that the salaries will be higher for salaried managers than the self-employed managers. The new restaurants are affiliated to the national chains as opposed to the independently operated hotels (Henderson, 2012). If the trend continues, few managers will manage the operations in their restaurants. In this respect, many prospective restaurant and hotel managers will secure employment in the larger companies to oversee the operations of the establishments. Therefore, there is growth and career prospects in the hospitality and leisure industry. References Brotherton, B. (2012). International Hospitality Industry. London: Routledge. Chon, K. (2012). The Growth Strategies of Hotel Chains: Best Business Practices by Leading Companies. London: Routledge. Henderson, R. (2012). Employment Outlook: 2010-2020. Monthly Labor Review. Retrieved 14th Nov 2014, from http://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/2012/01/art4full.pdf Hobbs, S., & Toscano, P. (2013). Four-Year Boom Expected for US Hotel Industry. CNBC. Retrieved 14th Nov 2014, from http://www.cnbc.com/id/100398330#. PricewaterhouseCoopers (2014). Hospitality Directions US. Retrieved 14th Nov 2014, from http://www.pwc.com/en_US/us/asset-management/hospitality-leisure/publications/assets/pwc-hospitality-directions-lodging-outlook-may-2014.pdf US Bureau of Labor and Statistics (2012). Occupational Outlook Handbook. Retrieved 14th Nov 2014, from http://www.bls.gov/ooh/management/lodging-managers.htm Read More