What Can You Do in Advance to Prepare for the Changes During the First Year of Employment?
Primary Body
Chapter 13. Careers and Work Experience
Micki McCartney and Lynda Robinson
- Identify and define the steps in career planning
- Identify aspects of labour market place information
- Compare and draw types of work learning experiences
- Describe tools and strategies to successfully consummate work experience
- Explore career management strategies for workplace success
- Review industry career profiles and professions for common themes
Overview
This affiliate is divided into 3 parts. First, we'll learn the essential steps of career planning. Then we'll take a look at the types of work feel you lot can appoint in while all the same at school. Finally, nosotros'll explore how you can integrate your planning with your education and experiences, and nosotros'll hear from graduates who take been successful in their career choices.
Permit's get-go with a review of the essential steps in the career planning process.
Career Planning
Shepard and Mani ascertain career planning "as an ongoing procedure through which an individual sets career goals and identifies the ways to achieve them" (2013, p. 14). It is through career planning that a person evaluates abilities and interests, assesses values and personality, considers alternative career opportunities, establishes career goals, and plans applied developmental activities.
Career planning requires individuals to sympathize themselves and their values, interests, and skills. It is also an ongoing procedure, one that must exist repeated with changes in employment and life circumstances. As y'all proceeds more experience and cognition, the process volition brainstorm anew.
This department reviews the five essential steps of career planning, which are based on our research and input from industry experts:
- Conduct a self-assessment
- Enquiry the labour market
- Create your career search toolkit
- Put your career entrada into action
- Engage in networking
Let's start at step ane.
Footstep Ane: Conduct a Cocky-Assessment
Cocky knowledge is the key to choosing a career. It can be overwhelming to begin the process of self-assessment. Still, if done well at the start, the likelihood of securing piece of work that has meaning, purpose, and fulfillment is far greater. Understanding your preferences, knowing your strengths, and honestly facing the areas you need to develop are the first steps for effective self-assessment.
Accept a Closer Look: Tourism Careers from the CTHRC
The Canadian Tourism HR Council (CTHRC) has a website that can assistance you explore career options. Start with its "tourism career quiz" to see where y'all might observe a fit, and browse the list of task boards and other resources. Check out these Tourism Career Resources: http://www.cthrc.ca/en/resources/tourism_careers
Rosenberg McKay (2014) identifies cocky-assessment equally "the process of gathering data about y'all in guild to make a knowledgeable career determination" and adds that "a self-assessment should examine values, interests, personality, and skills" (¶ 1). Your values should guide your decision making to ensure a proficient fit for both you lot and your employer.
Take a Closer Expect: Explore Careers past Skills and Knowledge
The Government of Canada Job Banking company website allows you to peruse occupations and explore the skills and knowledge required to work in these fields. Detect what jobs might exist a good match for yous at the Government of Canada Job Depository financial institution: http://world wide web.jobbank.gc.ca/es_all-eng.practise
Many people discover that over the course of their post-secondary program they naturally go more self-enlightened. It's recommended, yet, that you take time to do the following in gild to facilitate your understanding:
ane. Think back to when you were a child. What hopes and dreams did you have for yourself? How take these changed?
2. Develop a contour of your personality type. One helpful manner of classifying personalities was developed by Myers and Briggs. You can learn more than well-nigh their personality types by visiting their foundation at Myers and Briggs Personality Types: www.myersbriggs.org/my-mbti-personality-blazon/mbti-basics/.
3. Practise an internet search for terms like personal value statement and find examples that inspire you. These may include key words such equally loyalty, accountability, conclusion, and passion. Now create your own unique statement that reflects where you are today.
iv. Gain a amend agreement of yourself by learning how others come across you. Inquire a close friend, family unit member, or trusted academic contact to write down 10 central words that depict you lot. Notice where these are different or similar to the words y'all chose for your value statement.
five. Go back to the introductory chapter of this textbook and make note of the 5 key sectors of the tourism industry. With a highlighter or like tool, choose the two sectors that are the most highly-seasoned to you lot. Why are these of interest? What life experiences or piece of work experience practise you have that apply to these sectors? How exercise they marshal with your personality type and values?
With this foundation in place, y'all're ready to face employment reality past gaining a greater understanding of the labour market.
Step Two: Inquiry the Labour Market
Whether you are career planning for the very outset time or you are trying to alter careers, gathering labour marketplace information is necessary to ensure your instruction and training are relevant. Go on in mind that a career is distinct from a job. A job tin can exist a role-fourth dimension or short-term position, whereas a career is work you lot plan to explore for the length of your professional person life, with each employment opportunity building on the last.
Learning as much as you tin about careers within the tourism and hospitality industry will allow you to make good decisions about your future. Some of the activities you can do to complete your inquiry include visiting job boards to identify demand and following companies and sectors in the media. Let'south look at these concepts in more than particular.
Visit Tourism and Hospitality Job Boards to Identify Demand
Information technology's not enough for you lot to desire to work in a sure field — you have to know what types of jobs are currently beingness offered. By visiting chore boards you can get a sense of which geographic areas have more than opportunities, how much different jobs pay, and what kind of experience is required.
Websites you lot can use for this search include:
- The go2HR job lath for tourism and hospitality jobs in BC: www.go2hr.ca/jobboard
- Hospitality Works (H Careers): www.hcareers.ca
- HotellerieJobs: www.hotelleriejobs.com/en
- Your local Craigslist classified listings: www.craigslist.org/about/sites
- Listings specific to resort communities (e.g., Whistler: Whistler Job Board: http://whistlerchamber.chambermaster.com/jobs)
- Career pages for companies similar Fairmont Hotels Careers (www.fairmontcareers.com), and JOEY Restaurants Careers (http://joeyrestaurants.com/careers/)
Make notation of any interesting positions, and pay attending to gaps. Compare this to your self-cess. Where are the opportunities lining up? What changes might you take to make to advance your career? For example, if you'd like to stay in the same urban center, but see no jobs posted that lucifer your needs, it might exist fourth dimension to look elsewhere.
Follow Companies and Sectors in the Media
Make it a point to follow companies and sectors of interest to y'all in the media. Y'all can do this by using a search engine to gear up notifications (due east.g., Google Alerts) about sectors (e.m., restaurants, ski resorts), and post-obit companies on social media (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram). You can likewise monitor news from manufacture associations to read their commentary on issues and trends affecting specific sectors of the industry and/or geographic regions. This will help y'all place growth patterns, understand job market place trends, and proceeds an border should you have the opportunity to interview.
With this information in hand, you'll be fix to create a plan.
Spotlight On: The go2HR Job Lath
The job lath hosted by go2HR is your i-stop shop for tourism and hospitality jobs and careers in BC. Search by geographic region, keyword, and more. For more than information, visit the go2HR Job Board: https://world wide web.go2hr.ca/jobboard
Step Three: Create Your Career Search Toolkit
You have completed your initial inquiry, and now you need to get downward to concern! This step involves getting ready to approach employers well-nigh specific opportunities.
Place, and exist prepared to provide show of, the attributes and skills you possess that would be attractive to an employer. It can be helpful to review these in three categories:
- Personal attributes: describe what yous are similar equally a person/employee (e.chiliad., your values, personality type, personal qualities, and characteristics)
- Technical skills: skills and knowledge required to perform specific piece of work (e.g., how to utilize eating house Point-of-Sale systems, hotel reservations systems, or other reckoner software)
- Transferable skills: skills required to perform a variety of tasks that can be transferred from 1 type of job to another (e.g., the power to read a rest canvas and gear up a budget)
Utilize the list of your skills and attributes when you describe yourself in your documents.
A standard gear up of job search documents includes:
- Cover alphabetic character: a long-class document of one page that tells a story, illustrating how your skills and feel make you an ideal candidate for the job.
- Resume (sometimes called a curriculum vitae or CV): a point-form document, typically two pages, that includes your career objective, relevant experience, instruction, skills, and interests.
- Reference list: identifies 3 or 4 professional contacts who have worked with you, and tin can vouch for the quality of your work.
Be sure to update these documents each fourth dimension you lot apply for a position and customize them to the opportunity at mitt.
You may also desire to consider using social media tools and resources to promote yourself. This may include creating a LinkedIn contour, making a professional (rather than personal) Facebook page, and using Twitter and Instagram to communicate with companies. Some chore seekers also utilize a professional person eastward-portfolio to demonstrate their skills, knowledge, and abilities. Showcasing your experiences with an e-portfolio is one fashion to stand out from other applicants (Lorenzo & Ittleson, 2005).
Take a Closer Look: East-portfolio Tools
This list, updated regularly, was created past EPAC, the Electronic Portfolio Activity & Advice listserv. It provides access to a range of tools for creating e-portfolios with links to key websites. Before using a specific tool, exist sure to bank check with an teacher to see whether your plan has recommended east-portfolio platforms at its disposal. To view the listing, visit E-portfolio Tools: http://epac.pbworks.com/w/page/12559686/Evolving%20List%25C2%25A0of%25C2%25A0ePortfolio-related%25C2%25A0Tools
Step Iv: Put Your Career Campaign into Action
Now it's time to make a list of companies to target, and to arroyo them.
We've already addressed how you tin detect opportunities past scanning postings on websites like the go2HR task board. This is a great kickoff, but most work opportunities are found in the hidden chore market, which consists of jobs that are not advertised or fabricated public in traditional ways. Many individuals notice work in BC's tourism and hospitality manufacture by being referred, getting hired by someone they already know, or starting at an entry-level position and waiting for future growth opportunities.
If you lot don't have any connections in tourism and hospitality, make them! List all the organizations you lot're interested in working for. At present notice some central contacts to meet with. These might be:
- The person responsible for hiring within the organization (equally noted on its website or in its directory)
- An alumni from your programme already working for the visitor (enquire a faculty member to connect you)
- The person who currently works in your ideal role inside the company
- A personal contact (family unit member, friend, or acquaintance) working at the visitor
Approach your potential contact to set upward an informational interview. This is a session where y'all make contact with individuals who can utilise their starting time-manus experience to brainwash you almost a particular role or company.
Write a short script that will assistance you lot remain focused and announced professional as you lot commence on your commencement telephone call or send an initial electronic mail. Hither's a sample:
I accept five years' feel working in the tourism and/or hospitality field, mainly holding front-end positions. I have increased return visitor numbers and received continuous feedback almost my outstanding customer service focus. I am wondering if you accept 10 minutes to speak with me.
Your script volition change depending on who you are targeting. Prepare a list of questions you want to ask. Remember, at this stage, y'all are non asking for a job; you're asking for communication and gathering information. Don't ask obvious questions about information already available on the company's website or in its print textile. Some questions might include:
- What are iii words you would employ to depict the culture of this company?
- In the time that you've worked hither, would you lot say the company has grown? What has inverse? What has stayed the aforementioned?
- What is a day-in-the-life of someone in (proper name a role) at this visitor?
- What salary range is bachelor for entry-level employees?
- What types of grooming and career path support is offered to employees?
- Are there any other people I should exist talking to nigh this? If possible, could yous requite me their contact information or innovate me to them?
The chat should exist professional person but breezy in nature, and many of your questions will be answered in the natural flow of the conversation. Take notes as yous move through the interview, and take a minute afterward the interview to make full in details you may accept missed while you were there.
Subsequently the session, ever send a thank-you notation. Thank the person for his or her time, and add together something specific y'all learned in the interview that you believe volition exist helpful as you lot navigate your career. Sending an email give thanks-you is fine, but sending a written card volition help you stand out.
If you lot're given the name of someone else to contact, or y'all are asked to provide further data, be sure to follow through. This is your opportunity to make a good impression on your contact, and the organization.
Step Five: Appoint in Networking
Developing your professional network as an emerging professional person in tourism and hospitality is essential. Simply as you need to continue to acquire and develop your skill sets, you lot need to develop and nurture your network; it's an investment in your future. Some means to exercise this include:
- Conducting multiple informational interviews (covered in the previous step)
- Maintaining contact with bookish classmates/faculty
- Attending and presenting at conferences
- Participating in case study competitions and other bookish contests
- Using social media networks and groups
- Maintaining good relationships with coworkers at your current job, and staying in touch with people when they go out
- Asking family and friends to introduce you to tourism and hospitality professionals in their network
Remember that networking is every bit virtually who yous know and who knows you; it works both ways. Be generous with your contacts, information, and resources. Every bit a new professional, you may not accept a developed network, only you can offer your great attitude and valuable ideas, and you will soon gain a reputation every bit someone who contributes to the field.
At present that yous have a sense of the steps needed to plan your tourism or hospitality career, let'due south accept a look at an important tool: work experience, which y'all can proceeds while still at school to propel you to your ideal career much faster.
Work Feel
Experiential learning is "based on students beingness directly involved in a learning experience rather than beingness recipients of gear up-made content in the class of lectures" (ContactPoint, 2014a). Experiential learning is:
- Action-oriented
- Learner-centred
- Geared toward procedure, rather than outcomes
In this way, knowledge is created every bit the learner moves through the experience.
Through your educational program, you may be able to participate in a diverseness of different learning experiences in tourism and hospitality. Students who participate in a learning experience outside of the classroom are more likely to enter the field with both academic and practical workplace skills and knowledge, and have more than opportunities for career advocacy.
Allow'due south have a look at some of the common types of work learning experiences:
- Co-op education
- Internship
- Practicum
- Service learning
- Volunteering
Each of these is defined below.
Co-op Instruction
Branch, or co-op education refers to "a structured program that integrates work feel in a student'due south field along with academic studies past alternate in-class learning with periods of actual work" (ContactPoint, 2014b, ¶ one). The term reflects the co-operative human relationship between students, schools, and employers.
Internship
An internship is a temporary on-the-chore feel that is "typically offered to students or inexperienced workers" (ContactPoint, 2014c, ¶ one). It is generally project-oriented, and supervised.
The intern should have specific learning goals against which he or she can apply experience about a particular manufacture or field of work. The term may exist paid or unpaid, and may lead to permanent career opportunities with the organization (ContactPoint, 2014b).
Practicum
A practicum is "applied learning that provides students with practical experience and interaction with professionals from manufacture and the community exterior of school" (Connected, 2011, p.three). The goal is to support career readiness and aid enhance:
- Higher-order thinking
- Academic skills
- Technical skills
- Applied workplace skills
The experience may be paid or unpaid.
Service Learning
Service learning is defined every bit a course-based, credit-bearing educational feel in which students:
- Participate in an organized service action that meets identified customs needs
- Reflect on the service activity to gain farther understanding of course content, a broader appreciation of the discipline, and an enhanced sense of civic responsibility (Bringle & Hatcher, 1995)
Volunteering
Volunteering involves performing a service without pay in order to obtain work experience, learn new skills, run across people, contribute to community, and contribute to a crusade that'south important to the volunteer (for example, helping animals, supporting elderly people, working for an environmental cause) (Pickerell, 2014).
Benefits of Piece of work Experience Programs
Students who take completed a formal piece of work experience component benefit from a supportive partnership between the educational institution, the employer, and themselves. This partnership encourages community stakeholder investment, educatee learning opportunities, professional networks, as well as opportunities for employers to participate every bit co-educators.
Some institutions may work with an experiential didactics coordinator to ensure a detail position meets the school's criteria. Depending on your program, remuneration for work can be by the hr, by salary, past a stipend, as in-kind contributions (experiences or services from the business organisation), or as a volunteer assignment. The educational institution may monitor your placement and enquire yous to complete an assignment where you reflect on the piece of work experience. Some programs may take an evaluation component and a supervisor who supports the educatee's learning. Students are also evaluated past the employer, and they will have a supervisor whom they written report to directly.
Most often, for students to participate in a work experience program, they are required to maintain a certain grade point average (GPA) set up by the school. Often students are also asked to establish learning goals prior to starting their work experience.
If your programme doesn't offer a formal work feel program such as a co-op, internship, or practicum, you tin nevertheless proceeds valuable hands-on learning through part-fourth dimension piece of work and volunteer opportunities. Because tourism is the number-1 employer of youth in BC, you lot can find a role-time task to develop your skills and gain an entry-level opportunity to join the industry.
Whatever feel yous engage in, be it formal, or breezy, it'due south important to:
- Explore your employer's organizational culture and social norms
- Exercise your all-time on the job
- Gain conflict management and resolution skills
These three keys come directly from BC tourism and hospitality employers (LinkBC, 2014), and are explored in the next section.
Integrating Planning with Pedagogy and Feel
The last career planning chemical element we'll explore in this affiliate involves integrating your pedagogy and piece of work feel. By applying classroom learning to the field, and then bringing lessons from your workplace back to the classroom, you can encounter key concepts in action.
Enquiry Organizational Civilization and Social Norms
Each organisation has its own culture and social norms. Organizational civilization refers to "the customs, rituals, and values shared by the members of an organization that have to exist accustomed by new members" (Collins English Lexicon, 2012), and is expressed through its mission statement, vision, beliefs, linguistic communication systems, and processes. Social norms refer to the way individuals in the organisation collaborate, communicate, and generally behave with each other.
You lot will want to empathise the civilisation of an system earlier applying for a job in that location to ensure your values are congruent. Discover out what's important to the organization by researching the business. How does it present its public face?
Request questions of a potential employer about the organization'southward civilisation will assist y'all assess whether information technology is a good fit for you lot. You lot can do this by request employees in the organization during the informational interview; or alternatively, in a formal job interview.
Performance on the Task
This is your time to polish — no matter what role you've been assigned. In add-on to respecting and working within a company's culture, once yous start your position, it'southward time for you to show initiative (Iannarino, n.d.). Demonstrate an interest in learning and contributing to the organization'southward goals and objectives and you will stand out from other employees.
Human action without waiting to exist told what to do and persistently follow through on work responsibilities, regardless of the obstacles. Think about ways to meliorate operations, and come up up with new ideas, while presenting these in a way that shows you respect management's expertise. It's up to you to signal to your employer that y'all're someone who can be counted on and you have leadership potential. Some ways of showing initiative include:
- Asking to detect a meeting
- Asking to shadow a manager in another department
- Reading through company policies and plans, and request questions about them
- Offer to bring your skills to the table to make a departure, such every bit setting up a social media account for the company or creating a training manual for future students in your position
Often, you lot'll be able to take advantage of projection work at schoolhouse to accomplish some of the above.
Exercise Disharmonize Direction and Resolution
The majority of tourism and hospitality employers stress that conflict management is an essential skill in this customer-service driven industry (LinkBC, 2014). Information technology's up to you to exercise these skills at your workplace.
In most conflicts, the ultimate goal must exist to notice a resolution. Avoiding or ignoring conflict is not an constructive strategy. While resolving conflict can be uncomfortable, unresolved conflict actually makes the situation worse. Generally, conflicts have more than one cause. How y'all choose to resolve conflicts will ultimately demonstrate your ability to exist professional person and motion upwardly in your career.
Consider the post-obit three steps to resolving conflicts both at work and in the classroom.
Mind
If at all possible, try not to take the situation or comments personally. Exercise not make assumptions about people's motivations. Jumping to conclusions adds to the conflict and creates more tension and problems to piece of work though.
Consider that if in that location is a conflict, you might not have fully understood the issue or your part in it. While yous may non like the style or arroyo of the person you're interacting with, set the goal of listening with credence with the intent to resolve the disharmonize. Convey that yous are listening respectfully through your body language and tone of voice, and don't interrupt. If there are several people involved, let anybody take a adventure to speak.
Reverberate and Summarize
If y'all need to, silently count to x in your head to give yourself the time to reply appropriately. Acknowledge your commitment to resolving the conflict, and clarify how the other person is feeling about it. When people feel listened to, they are frequently willing to take the first step toward trust, which and then creates willingness to work through the consequence. Summarizing what the other person has said allows you lot to ensure that yous've fully captured his or her position.
Focus on appreciating what the other person is saying and thinking to sympathize the source of conflict. Ask what the other person believes would resolve the disharmonize. Focus the chat on mutually resolving the issue.
Respond
Permit each person the opportunity to explore solutions equally. Have a break from the process if yous demand to, and come back to the conflict when you lot feel refreshed. Oft the solution is through compromise, because no 1 is all wrong or all right in any given state of affairs. Each time y'all're given the gamble to answer, do your all-time to go along language neutral.
By maturely moving through the process of listening, reflecting, summarizing, and responding (and sometimes going back to the start once again), you lot'll not simply demonstrate your workplace potential, but gain valuable skills for your personal life.
While adapting to organizational civilisation, demonstrating strong on-the-job functioning, and practising conflict resolution are important, there are many skills to exist learned in the workplace. Others include the power to use critical thinking, acting as a global citizen, and working as part of a team. With this in mind, permit'south have a look at success stories in our industry — graduates who possess these skills and attributes, and accept used them to propel their careers forwards.
Tourism and Hospitality Success Stories
Merely a few years ago the professionals highlighted in this department were students in the classroom. Here, they tell united states of america beginning-mitt what you need to know in gild to grow in BC's tourism and hospitality manufacture. These success stories span the post-obit sectors:
- Adaptation (account manager, rooms division coordinator)
- Recreation and entertainment (project coordinator, conference services manager, entrepreneur and small business concern owner)
- Travel services (long-range planner, travel designer, industry and communications services manager)
As you read their stories, y'all'll see that many of the themes explored in this chapter are echoed in their communication. Delight note that these profiles were current equally of leap 2015 – some of these grads may already be on to the adjacent large thing in their careers!
Accommodation
Brock Martin, Business relationship Manager
Brock manages accounts for Canada Booking.com Online Reservations Inc. He graduated with a bachelor of hospitality management at Vancouver Community Higher in 2010. Brock says:
I oversee more than 300 accommodations on Vancouver Island and am their betoken of contact for day-to-day support and for profitable them in maximizing their listing's potential with Booking.com. When I moved to Vancouver in 2004, I started my first hotel job at the Westin Bayshore every bit a banquet server. I still remember my commencement day; we had to serve a dinner for over 1,200 people, and I think that despite how crazy it was I knew this was the industry for me!
From at that place, I moved to the Pacific Palisades Hotel in banquets, and then I was given an opportunity to move to the front end desk. I remember thinking at first that I didn't belong at the front desk-bound equally I had always just done nutrient and drink. I did not think I would fit the position. Well, I was wrong! I immediately knew I loved the interactions with the guests.
I progressed with my career, moving from a front desk agent to an assistant front office manager, where I stayed until the hotel unfortunately closed its doors in 2010. Following the Palisades, I held various forepart part management positions with Coast Hotels and Delta Hotels in Vancouver, Nanaimo, and Whistler. In 2013, I was presented with an opportunity to join Booking.com equally an account managing director, where I am presently working.
Taking courses related to hospitality direction and tourism volition really help in developing your career. In one case in a workplace setting, continued education is primal. Look for opportunities for cross preparation and job shadowing, and enquire Human Resource about internal training programs to farther your understanding.
Students inbound this industry need to have a passion for guest services and for helping people. They demand to exist able to think quickly and be a expert trouble solver. This is a fast-paced, ever-evolving manufacture and doesn't fit someone who likes routine. No two days are ever the same, and that is what I love! Remain flexible and do not be afraid to try new things. Have an open listen and claiming yourself to think outside of the box.
Specific things students can do to get alee include networking, further grooming, and volunteering. Recollect, the manufacture is very large, however small at the same fourth dimension. Take opportunities to volunteer as these are great networking opportunities too. I couldn't picture myself in whatever other industry. It is challenging, yet rewarding, and best of all, it is a lot of fun!
Katie Clarke, Marketing Coordinator
Katie works at the Parkside Hotel & Spa in Victoria, BC. She graduated with a diploma in hospitality management from Vancouver Island University in 2011. Katie says:
My initial hotel job was with the Fairmont Empress housekeeping department during my first co-op work term, a temporary two-month position after which I returned for my second yr of schooling. After graduating from Vancouver Island University, I completed my last co-op semester by working at the Queen Victoria Hotel and Suites as a guest services agent. My employment continued there after my co-op term was complete, and lasted until the hotel was sold in October 2012. I left with a wealth of knowledge in guest services.
I began working at the Parkside Hotel & Spa at the time it was purchased by a group of Vancouver Island local investors. I started in reservations, which was a new department in the early stages of development, and my skills and qualifications played a large role in assisting with the section's foundations. I worked equally a reservations agent for seven months before I was promoted to the position of rooms sectionalisation coordinator. In this position, I assisted in supervising the department, too equally taking on some marketing responsibilities such as keeping the hotel website upward-to-date, social media, impress materials, and much, much more. The office became a jack-of-all-trades position and was a great feel! In fact, I used what I learned in that role to obtain my electric current position of marketing coordinator.
My communication for students is that any related didactics will always help go your foot in the door of a hotel. All applicable piece of work experience, skills, and cognition can also be an advantage. If yous are a hard worker, a team thespian, and willing to help out when other departments need it, you will be successful in any job you practice.
Students should understand that the hospitality field tin can be a career. Some people view a task in the hospitality industry as temporary or seasonal employment, but it can be a career with many exciting opportunities if you stick with it. The great thing near working in a hotel is that there are and so many unlike departments to explore. The options are countless.
Networking tin provide an reward in this industry. If y'all contact your tourism bureau, information technology tin connect yous to organizations to help yous farther your industry network. Creating great workplace relationships also fosters getting ahead in whatsoever industry. Be sure to keep upwardly with new training and volunteering, as that can be a keen advantage, and most workplaces encourage it!
Though every job will come with its tough days, push by them as in that location are so many ameliorate days ahead! Work hard and it will pay off!
Recreation and Amusement
Ana Rowinska, Projection Coordinator
Ana works for MCI Grouping Canada. She has multiple credentials including a hospitality restaurant direction diploma from Douglas College (2005), an Consequence Marketing Association document from BCIT (2008), and a bachelor of tourism direction from Capilano Academy (2013). Ana says:
My love for travel and hospitality were key reasons I took the hospitality eatery direction diploma programme at Douglas Higher. Later receiving my diploma, I decided to focus on outcome marketing and enrolled at BCIT for farther training.
Students interested in getting into events and or consequence marketing need to exist able to multi-task, exist organized, and have a hard work ethic. Both education and experience are of import to work as an result coordinator. You need to know the ins and outs of the industry by working in events, and you also need to understand the dorsum-terminate strategies of how to implement, organize, and plan events.
The events manufacture is non your typical nine-to-5 task. Long workdays are common, and you can look to sometimes work 16 or more hours in one twenty-four hours to get the task done. Events can happen any solar day of the week, at any fourth dimension. Commitment and the ability to be flexible is key every bit you are always the first one on scene and the last one to leave. Y'all need to have patience, exist organized, and be able to deal with stress.
Many students wait to be hired at at a high level right after graduation, just in truth, nearly will be entering the workforce in their corresponding fields in an entry-level position. You'll need to be prepared to piece of work toward gaining experience with your company earlier yous tin can move into a supervisor or manager position. My communication is to work difficult, learn, and ask questions, and you volition succeed.
Volunteering or working role time with events is key equally y'all will non only proceeds valuable manufacture feel, you will also be networking with your hereafter peers. Experience is invaluable in our sector, so the more events you work or volunteer in, the more opportunities you will have to aggrandize your network and meet key stakeholders in the event industry.
To be successful, you need to be organized, accept fantabulous communication skills, and be able to handle stress and pressure. Don't go discouraged if things don't happen exactly like you planned; life throws y'all bend balls, and it's how you deal with those bend assurance that allows you to succeed in our manufacture.
Throughout my career, I accept needed to make decisions on what was next for me. You never know which task may lead you to where, so treat each job equally a stepping stone to move ahead in your career.
Christine McCann, Senior Conference Services Managing director
Christine is in senior direction at the Fairmont Chateau Whistler. She graduated from the Douglas College program in hotel and eating house management in 2006. Christine says:
I started at the Fairmont Chateau Whistler as a SWEP (student work experience) student in the banquet section. From there, I became very interested in the system and execution of events, weddings, and conferences. During my time equally a banquet server, I was able to cantankerous train with conference services, allowing me to proceeds insights into the skills and noesis required to be a successful fellow member of the that team. When a position opened upward for a conference services coordinator, I was overjoyed to receive a role as part of this fantastic squad! Seven years have passed, and I am now in the position of senior conference services director, taking care of many large groups throughout the yr.
Event and conference planning is a very interesting blend of roles: beingness on the floor with clients and groups but also completing many authoritative tasks and paperwork to ensure plans are effectively communicated. A positive attitude, passion for creating outstanding events, and an center for detail are three primal qualities needed. Members of my team have moved here from many other departments, including banquets, front role, sales, and food and potable; withal, having a base of operations of operations experience is the normal pathway to a position in conference services.
Being successful in a conference services role takes passion and an understanding and appreciation for the guest experience. We are ambassadors for our make to our guests — 100 to 1,000 guests at a time — and it is important that nosotros ensure each one feels a special connexion to our venue and location.
A positive attitude, willingness to learn and passion for whatever office you choose volition ever help you on the road to success.
Volunteering is a fantastic manner to try out new roles and meet great contacts. Hands-on experience can be invaluable in the future. Continuing to seek noesis, through training, education, industry events — whatsoever method is interesting for y'all — will as well be beneficial.
Beloved what yous practise, piece of work hard, and listen!
David Woolridge, Entrepreneur and Pocket-sized Business Owner
David is the possessor and founder of Ridge Wilderness Adventures Ltd. He graduated from the outdoor recreation management program at Capilano University in 2002. David says:
I love people and I love beingness outside, so I searched for positions that would make full that demand. I have worked at canoe rental companies, guiding outfits, first-assistance schools, retail shops, structure, and anything else that I could get my hands on.
I recommend students get into the field by ane of 2 means: enter a specific plan like the ane at Capilano University, or contact a visitor that does the piece of work they would like to do and apply. If applying directly doesn't work, ask the company what information technology is looking for in a person to be employable.
This work is for those who don't like to have a fixed routine and who thrive on problem solving and like to do unlike things all the time. If you prefer a prepare schedule and set up pay, it is probably not for you.
It's an amazing job where we get to work at what we dear. To succeed in this line of work, attitude and availability trump aptitude. If you would like to have a lucrative career in the outdoors, you need to possess an outgoing, friendly, hardworking attitude. This mode of work is not nine-to-five; in fact, it'due south the opposite of that. Your ability to work when the work is at that place is key to success. Obviously, you need to have the ability to do the work, only 9 times out of x, if that's all you have you will not succeed.
This industry is all about the people that you lot know. Go to every consequence and grade y'all can to meet people and get known. Most places will requite y'all the training; y'all need to practice the work if your mental attitude is right, and so sort out what you need before y'all kickoff.
If you dearest the outdoors, love people, and want to have fun for work, this is what you should do.
Travel Services
Cleopatra Corbett, Long-Range Planner
Cleopatra works equally a planner for the City of Vernon. She holds a bachelor of tourism management from Vancouver Island University (2004) and completed the urban design certificate at Simon Fraser University in 2012. Cleopatra says:
My first experience in customs planning came during my third-year co-op work term as a planning assistant with the Commune of Ucluelet. I instantly fell in love with the profession: working with local residents, businesses, non-profits, and elected officials to realize a desired future for the customs. Upon graduation, I continued to work in Ucluelet, followed by Tofino, Golden, and now Vernon, all in British Columbia.
In my field the desired skill set includes planning, communication, collaboration, facilitation, public speaking, and report writing. For knowledge, you need planning history and theory, community development, environmental stewardship, marketing, and statistical and research methods. As for education, you want to study planning, geography, urban blueprint, tourism, recreation, history, and law.
Customs planning is incredibly challenging and rewarding piece of work. Put merely, your work can have a tremendous impact on the environment and the quality of life for residents in your customs. Y'all help the customs dream most a desired future and and so develop policy to brand it happen.
My advice would be to accept mentors you lot respect and admire, and to meet with them regularly to inquire questions and look for advice. Always practice your all-time, work hard with integrity, exist kind, tell the truth, and practise what you love.
Go experience earlier graduating through volunteer work, internships, and/or co-op work terms. Also, try to employ class projects in university to real-world projects for businesses, non-profits, or governments in club to proceeds meaningful applied experience. Interview people who are in positions that interest you; ask questions and don't be afraid to ask for help.
If you are willing to move, yous can get any type of task you lot want. Being mobile enhances your opportunities. Practise life-long learning and strive for a salubrious work-life rest. Follow your bliss and make the world a better place.
Marie-Catherine Lapointe, Travel Designer Squad Lead
Marie-Catherine is a travel designer with Observe Holidays Inc. She graduated from Capilano University with a diploma of tourism management in 2012. Marie-Catherine says:
When I graduated, I knew that I wanted to piece of work in travel services every bit a cardinal office of the manufacture with bear upon points in every other sector, so when a posting to be a travel designer for a receptive tour operator came up, I jumped at the adventure. I was excited to be working to bring clients from all over the world to Canada, and I took in every opportunity to learn about the many aspects of the visitor, including product, marketing, and sales.
Students wanting to get into the bout operator sector need to have a tourism education to really understand the intricacies of the sectors in the industry, also as skills in client service, sales, cultural practices (particularly dealing with international clients), marketing, and a existent passion for the products they are selling. Teamwork is crucial on our pocket-sized team, as is beingness intrinsically motivated to provide the best experience for clients.
Commencement, receptive tour operators are non travel agents, nor do they operate the tours. We piece of work with travel agents, wholesale agents, and occasionally with clients straight. However, information technology is mainly a B2B model. Receptive tour operators are in a dynamic workplace, with opportunities to learn and gain experience in other sectors and fields, as well as hone customer service and sales skills.
My communication is to really take hold of every opportunity that is presented, and to never terminate learning about the industry. This is a very social industry and edifice a large solid network tin can aid with time to come opportunities. Build up your customer service experience, whether information technology'southward through forepart-line jobs or volunteering, and nourish networking events. Schools often host or sponsor these, and students should be attending them all.
This is a really fun manufacture, and with so many sectors and positions available, I really believe that in that location is something for anybody in tourism.
Jody Young, Industry and Customs Services Manager
Jody works for Tourism Vancouver Island. She holds a bachelor of tourism management from Vancouver Island University (2008). Jody says:
Later graduation, it took a year and a half earlier I got my large interruption into the manufacture. I'm thankful for the fourth dimension information technology took for my career to really starting time every bit it provided me the opportunity to travel around Southeast Asia. I started at Tourism Vancouver Island in an entry-level position equally the distribution coordinator. Later on just ane year in the role I was promoted to industry services coordinator where I was analogous the association'south almanac briefing and AGM and conducting adaptation inspections. Later another year and a half, I was promoted again to management level inside the organization to the role I am currently in. As industry and community services managing director, I oversee many portfolios for the organization such equally community tourism evolution, event management, research, and promotion of the value of tourism.
The tourism direction degree programme at Vancouver Island University definitely set me up for success in this role. I highly recommend completing the iv-twelvemonth degree and getting as much hands-on, existent-world experience that you can while completing your education. Employers will be looking for proven successes and workplace skills, not just completion of courses.
Although the tourism industry is vast with many desirable, well-paying career opportunities, it is still fairly new. The industry has room to abound on communicating that it is a fundamental economic and social correspondent to our province and country.
I would suggest students to jump at an entry-level opportunity every bit information technology will be your door to advancing in your career in a particular organization. Once you've got your human foot in the door, demonstrate your power and you will before long find bigger opportunities presented to you. If I didn't take the entry-level opportunity that was presented to me, I wouldn't be in the role I am in today.
Students can go alee by taking advantage of student rates at industry events. By attending these industry events you lot will rub shoulders with the folks who are at the top of the game in this manufacture and meeting potential hereafter employers. Look for opportunities for mentorship programs or internships to gain that workplace feel as well.
Conclusion
Every bit you can see, successful tourism and hospitality careers depend on reaching out and meeting people (networking), gaining practical feel, having a great attitude and work ethic, and committing to ongoing learning about the world, the industry, and yourself.
With diligence and a sense of exploration, you tin can launch your dream career in tourism and hospitality, today. Remember that career planning is an ongoing process — the more yous practice the steps in this chapter, the more likely your success.
Now that you've explored the five sectors of tourism, special considerations, and your own identify in the industry, it's time to deepen your understanding. Chapter 14, on globalization and trends, volition help you appreciate the big picture of tourism and hospitality.
- Career planning: a series of deliberate steps with outcomes to help individuals attain their short- and long-term career goals
- Conflict direction: the practice of beingness able to place and handle conflicts sensibly, adequately, and efficiently
- Co-op education: a special programme offered past a higher/academy in which students alternate work and written report, usually spending a number of weeks in full-time study and a number in full-fourth dimension employment away from the campus
- Experiential learning: learning that takes place when a student directly participates in experiences designed for a learning purpose; takes place both inside and outside of the classroom, and involves reflection as well as action
- Hidden job market: employment opportunities that aren't posted through traditional channels, merely rather arise because of a person's connections and relationships
- Informational interview: a short appointment where yous learn about an employer, or a specific role, from someone already established in the field
- Internship: brusk-term, supervised piece of work experience in a pupil'southward field of interest for which the student may earn academic credit
- Networking: creating relationships within a sector for the purpose of enhancing and developing one's professional identity
- Organizational culture: ways of acting, values, and beliefs shared inside an organisation
- Personal attributes:describe what you are like as a person/employee, such as your attitude, personality type, and and so on
- Practicum:applied experiences outside the classroom supported by professionals in a workplace environs
- Self-assessment: breezy and formal methods of gathering data about yourself to make career decisions
- Service learning: form-based, credit-bearing educational experience in which students participate in organized service that meets community needs and reflect on the service
- Technical skills:skills and knowledge required to perform specific work
- Transferable skills: skills required to perform a variety of tasks that can be transferred from i type of job to another
- Values: an individual'south ways of living and making decisions that are congruent with his or her beliefs and principles
- Volunteering:performing a service without pay in order to obtain work feel, larn new skills, meet people, contribute to community, and contribute to a cause
- Describe the steps of career planning.
- Place your technical and transferable skills, and personal attributes.
- Share your draft resume and encompass letter with a trusted classmate, friend, or family unit member. What feedback practise they have for you? What did you do well, and what needs improving?
- The act of creating professional relationships is referred to as_________________.
- List the ways job seekers connect to potential employment opportunities.
- Based on your career plan, identify additional training, development, and continued learning you will need for professional person success.
- Ascertain experiential learning. What are the common types of experiential learning options?
- Why is it important to empathise an arrangement's culture and social norms?
- What are the steps in disharmonize management resolution? Remember back to a recent dispute y'all take had. How might these steps take changed the outcome?
- Choice ane success story that resonates with you. What are three key things you learned from the feel you have read well-nigh?
References
Bringle, R.One thousand., & Hatcher, J.A. (1995). A service-learning curriculum for faculty. Michigan Periodical of Community Service Learning, 2, 112-122.
Collins English Lexicon – Complete & Entire 10th Edition. (2012). Organizational civilization. Retrieved from http://lexicon.reference.com/browse/organizational civilization
ConnectEd. (2011). Career practicum: A piece of work-based learning strategy. [PDF] The California Center for College and Career. Retrieved from http://www.connectedcalifornia.org/direct/files/LLAWBLCareerPracticum_FINAL_10-5-11_noLLA%20logo.pdf
ContactPoint. (2014a). Experiential learning. Retrieved from http://contactpoint.ca/wikis/experiential-learning/
ContactPoint. (2014b). Co-operative education. Retrieved from http://contactpoint.ca/wikis/co-op-educational activity/
ContactPoint. (2014c). Internship. Retrieved from http://contactpoint.ca/wikis/internship/
Iannarino, Anthony S. (due north.d.). Initiative: The ability to accept action proactively. Retrieved from
http://thesalesblog.com/web log/2010/01/30/initiative-the-ability-to-accept-activity-proactively/
LinkBC. (2014). LinkBC roundtable 2014: Dialogue cafe. [PDF] Retrieved from http://linkbc.ca/siteFiles/85/files/2014RoundtableDialogueCafeReport.pdf
Lorenzo, G., & Ittelson, J. (2005). An overview of e-portfolios. [PDF] Educause learning initiative, 1, 1-27. Retrieved from world wide web.case.edu/artsci/cosi/cspl/documents/eportfolio-Educausedocument.pdf
Pickerell, D.A. (2014). Work search strategies. In Blythe C. Shepard and Priya S. Mani (Eds.). Career development do in Canada: Perspectives, principles and professionalism. Toronto, ON: Canadian Education and Research Found for Counselling (CERIC), p. 215. Retrieved from http://contactpoint.ca/wikis/volunteering/
Rosenberg McKay, D. (2014). Well-nigh careers: Cocky assessment. Retrieved from http://careerplanning.nearly.com/od/selfassessment/g/def_selfassess.htm
Shepard, B. & Mani, P. (2013).Career evolution practice in Canada: Perspectives, principles and professionalism. Toronto, ON: Canadian Education and Research Institute for Counselling (CERIC).
Attributions
Effigy 13.one VIU diploma winners by LinkBC is used under a CC-By 2.0 license.
Figure 13.2Light-green Resume CV & Business Card by buyalex is used under a CC-BY 2.0 license.
Figure 13.3 006 LinkBC Student-Industry Rendezvous 2013 by LinkBC is used under a CC BY 2.0 license.
Figure 13.4 West Coast Sightseeing's booth past LinkBC is used under a CC-Past-NC-SA 2.0 license.
Figure thirteen.5 Brock Martin by Melissa Phung for LinkBC is used under a CC-Past-NC-ND 2.0 license.
Effigy 13.6 Katelyn Clarke by Vivian Kereki for LinkBC is used nether a CC-By-NC-ND 2.0 license.
Figure 13.7Anna Rowinska past Karl Rowinski for LinkBC is used under a CC-BY-NC-ND 2.0 license.
Figure 13.8 Christine McCann by Beth Pink for LinkBC is used under a CC-By-NC-ND 2.0 license.
Figure thirteen.9 Cleo Corbett by Digital Dean Photography for LinkBC is used under a CC-By-NC-ND 2.0 license.
Figure 13.10Marie-Catherine Lapointe by Marie-Catherine Lapointe for LinkBC is used under a CC-Past-NC-ND 2.0 license.
Effigy 13.11 Jody Young by Landon Sveinson Photography for LinkBC is used nether a CC-By-NC-ND 2.0 license.
Source: https://opentextbc.ca/introtourism/chapter/chapter-13-careers-and-work-experience/
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