Dozens of roles exist in the hospitality industry, from waiter to hotel manager to tourist rep, each with its own responsibilities and demands. However, specific skills apply to all, and if you have them in your personal makeup, be it through taking hospitality courses online or experience, you go wherever you want to in the industry.
Is The Hospitality Industry Growing In Australia?
Absolutely. Despite the disruption caused by the pandemic in 2019 and 2020, it's a sector that has grown steadily. In fact, in 2021 alone, employment in the sector increased by a whopping 38%. With the world very much clear of lockdowns and such, it's a trend set to continue.
What Are The Skills Needed For Hospitality Management?
So, if you're currently in or looking to join the hospitality industry, what kind of skills should you be focusing on as part of your personal development plan ? What are the skills that will also look great on your resume and allow you to land any job you see fit to apply for in the sector?
Let's dive in and see…
1. Customer Service
Whatever role you occupy in hospitality, customer service is perhaps the BIGGEST aspect that needs to be focused on. It's all about creating a welcoming environment for your guests and being positive in your outlook - no matter what you're presented with.
For example, if a guest comes to you with an issue, it's important to empathise and calmly suggest a way to resolve the problem. Or it could be listening patiently to a complaint, even when you're rushed off your feet. The key to success in this industry is putting customers first - always.
With strong customer service skills in your locker, hiring managers will know that you'll be able to use your own initiative in any given situation so that matters can be dealt with swiftly and in such a way that the guest feels heard and looked after.
2. Problem Solving
As hospitality and tourism online courses show, working as a hotel staff member or tour rep means facing your fair share of challenges. Often, the problem faced will have no precedent, so you need to think of a solution on the hoof, as it were. That means being able to think on your feet.
This is an ability that develops with experience, too, as you may have encountered a similar situation that you overcame and can apply the same solution. So, whether you've got to work out what's a suitable menu choice for someone with a peanut allergy or decide how best to accommodate someone with mobility issues - problem-solving acumen will come in very handy indeed.
3. Knowledge Of Food Safety
Refreshments go hand in hand with hospitality, so knowledge of food safety is going to stand you in very good stead. From free nibbles at a conference to breakfast service at a hotel, there are countless occasions when food is eaten - even spas offer champagne and chocolates!
The immutable truth here is that wherever food exists, the risk of food poisoning and allergic reactions go up significantly, so an understanding of how to prevent contamination is a vital skill. Not only are we talking about keeping customers safe from salmonella and campylobacter viruses and the like, but also ensuring that your establishment keeps the health inspector happy.
This is one of the easiest gaps in your knowledge to fill, too, as there are countless Food Safety short courses that can help you learn what you need to know.
4. Being A Team Player
Teamwork in any industry is essential, but especially so in hospitality. Shift work is very common in the sector, meaning you rely on your colleagues to help keep standards up through the day and night. Understanding that you're a cog in a machine that is no more or less important than the other components will take you most of the way to being a team player.
On the flip side, if you're unable to work as a team, friction builds - leading to disagreements and a toxic environment. Hardly the foundation to offer an exceptional customer experience, we think you'll agree.
Land The Job You Want With Hospitality Courses Online
If you can master these four skills, the world is your oyster in terms of how far you want to go in the hospitality industry. Furthermore, it's never been easier to develop the skills you need for a successful career in the sector thanks to CPD Endorsed, video-based online studying with OCA.
Our Hospitality & Management Basics course, like all of our courses (that cover 20 industries), comes with 1-to-1 mentoring support and can be paid for in manageable instalments. To find out more about what our next-level, immersive learning experience is like, take a look at our student study demo or visit our website www.onlinecoursesaustralia.edu.au today.
Alternatively, we're more than happy to oblige if you have any questions you'd like answers to prior to enrolment. Just give us us call on 1300 611 404 or email us at [email protected], and we'll respond as quickly as we can.
