How to increase your chances of getting Hospitality Jobs in the UK!

Hospitality jobs are in abundance in the UK but there are limited vacancies in lucrative positions. The hospitality sector is one of the most competitive in the UK. Moreover, it doesn’t help when there is cheaper labour available owing to immigrants willing to work in the hospitality sector at minimum wages. Rewarding positions in the hospitality sector are quite satiating and hence there is little attrition at the top, certainly less than some other major industries. This makes your chances of getting a job in this sector quite difficult.

But, you can increase your chances of getting hospitality jobs in the UK provided you have certain desirable attributes. Here are the kind of attributes that the hospitality industry treasures.

• Try to get a degree. There is no rule that says you need to have a degree in hotel management or a degree in business administration to work in a hotel, restaurant or in the service sector of the hospitality industry. But when you apply for a position that has other applicants possessing a degree of relevance, then your application has almost no chance of getting considered even, let aside being interviewed or having any prospect of being hired. The biggest names in the hospitality industry will always give importance to degrees. You can get entry level hospitality jobs in the UK, in almost all departments, but if you wish to earn handsomely and if you want career progression, then get a degree. There are many schools, colleges and universities offering such degrees. Be aware of the ones that are recognised or of repute. There are quite a few that wouldn’t get you a nice placement. Vocational training is useful but a degree is of much more help.
• Regardless of your degree, there are certain attributes that will increase your chances of getting hospitality jobs in the UK. One such attribute is specialization. If you want to work in the kitchen, of a restaurant or a hotel, you need special skills. You may be very good with preparations, cutting and slicing, curing meat or working with spices. You may be excellent at marinating or garnishing, hand tossing or using a certain kind of equipment. Specialization is the key here. If you are a decent cook and you know two cuisines but you aren’t very good in either then you are unlikely to be considered. Know one cuisine but know it better than others. That would always give you the boost.
• There is a flipside to such specializations as well. You can know a little about everything that matters in a domain and you would do well. For instance, you may know a bit about Italian, Spanish, French, Mexican and American cuisines. You may not be an expert in all but you would be considered in some capacity because of your knowledge in all. This doesn’t just apply to the kitchen or food and beverage departments in the hospitality industry. This applies to all kinds of jobs, from front office to housekeeping, administration to vendor management. The trick is to be the best in any one niche or to be aware of the entire ambit of a particular department.
• There are certain soft skills which can increase your chances of getting hospitality jobs in the UK. If you are bilingual or multilingual, you would immediately stand a better chance of getting hired. More so if you are applying for a front end job, whether it is to wait tables or front desk executive, concierge or room service. UK receives tourists from all across the world. It is a melting pot of sorts and all European, some Latin American and many Asian languages are spoken in tandem. Knowing English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Mandarin and Hindi among others can exponentially increase your chances of getting hired.
• The hospitality industry is a service sector. The quality of service and how happy the end customer is would be the two most important goals. In many cases, it doesn’t matter what one had to deal with to get it done but that it got done and in a desired manner. Hence, people who have the ability to deliver, to get things done, to work against time and who are excellent at their interpersonal skills will always have a better chance of getting hired. From being organized to being decisive, having administrative skills to being an articulate communicator, such soft skills are in great demand at all times in the hospitality industry.

For those who fit the bill or meet the requirements, hospitality jobs in the UK can be truly rewarding. While there are seasonal variations, the UK hospitality industry is pretty much a perennially busy one, so most jobs in the industry are highly promising.

 

 

A video of Hyatt employees speaking about their work experience at Hyatt.