info@ahaworldcampus.com, Copyright © 1986-2017 American Hospitality Academy. Hospitality careers require transferable skills. The biggest concern with a skills shortage is the flow-on effect. You have to have the skills of being level headed, fast thinker, and have excellent communication skills. What hospitality skills need to be developed to give your career new wings? Hospitality Industry Skills . Each day, you will be dealing with people from a variety of backgrounds, ages, nationalities and temperaments, so it is important that you can communicate in a way that is both clear and understandable, as well as representative of your employer’s brand. RELATED ARTICLEWhy & When should I change Employers? 4.0 Leadership Skill s in Hospitality Se ctor Journ al of Reviews on G lobal Economics, 2 019, Vol. To start, let’s define the ‘opposite’ of soft skills; the ‘hard’ ones. Showcase transferable skills. However, there is hard evidence from recent studies to show that ‘small is beautiful’ in terms of employee motivation in hospitality companies (Aksu, 2005). Hard-Skills, Soft-Skills: Undervaluing Hospitality's "Service with a Smile." $195 annual subscription A classroom can teach you hard skills that will help you land your first hospitality job. For example, the more you handle customer service complaints, the better equipped you will be when it comes to handling difficult customer situations. They refer to communication and hospitality skills that involve the way in which employees communicate with other workers, management, clients and customers. 3, 1997, pp. These cookies are used to collect information about how you interact with our website and allow us to remember you. You can use this list to identify which relevant hard and soft skills you already have and which you should feature in your application materials and job interview. To stay on top of all these, you have to stay organised. Interpersonal skills are those gained by interacting with people around you. A lot of jobs you still need some basic certification while still being able to communicate clearly. How to Increase Customer Satisfaction in the Hospitality Industry. Communication This is one of the most valuable skills for hospitality employees. A classroom can teach you hard skills that will help you land your first hospitality job. This is because many small and medium sized and private owned hospitality firms, especially those in the hotel and accommodation segment have been working with large companies before they start their own business. How do I get soft skills? Employers: Communication, Trust & Coronavirus, Individual hotel feedback culture in the Covid-19 era, 6 Books for Self-Improvement & Development, Stress Management & Coronavirus: Self – Care Chapter. This article was brought to you by American Hospitality Academy World Campus. Having these types of soft skills are very important since they can also give you confidence in what you are doing. But with that said, in the hospitality sector, a lot of times, employers will look for these soft skills more. What's much harder to teach — and ultimately necessary to rise through the ranks to your dream job — are soft skills. Unlike a job in an office or on a building site, where it is easier for an underperforming worker to hide, the fast pace and team-orientated nature of hospitality makes it obvious when one staff member is underperforming. But there isn’t much of an explanation of what soft skills even are. Hospitality vs Tourism: What's the Difference? With that said, having a mix of both technical skills and soft skills are best no matter your profession. Among the skills that are most lacking as the hospitality industry is getting ready for the 2030's: working in heterogeneous teams understanding cultures and designing memorable guest experiences working in a flexible and agile manner Communication skills. The new section of “soft skills” seems to be the new part that all employers are looking for. Creative Hard Skills; These are skills employed by animators, sculptors, chefs, copywriters, graphic designers, photographers and musicians to create their respective forms of art as per their job or client specifications. It’s not hard to see that someone who works as a kitchen porter needs to possess different skills than the kids club team or the hotel manager. 3. Knowledge of health and safety. Keeping a sense of humor . To work within the hospitality sector, a great level of communication will be required. These are the type of skills that you can learn and be taught. If you have been applying to jobs recently, you may have noticed that there are some new requirements for certain jobs. 6 Mistakes to Avoid When Choosing a Career, Career Development: 4 Steps to Choosing the Right Career. job-specific and teachable abilities that are required in a candidate In addition to the sectors within hospitality, travel, tourism and events, and their various departments, hospitality graduates can branch out in their careers to other sectors and businesses where their skills are in high demand. Or, the more outgoing your personality, the more you will be able to make sales. However, knowing exactly what you need to improve will lay the groundwork and motivate you to apply it daily. John Wiley, 1 Oldlands Way, Bognor Regis, West Sussex PO22 9SA, United Kingdom. 20 Ridgewood Lane The main difference between hard skills and soft skills is that hard skills can usually be taught in a series of concrete steps. Business acumen is one of the many vital hard skills of a hospitality manager. For example, as a hotel manager, you need to be able to communicate clearly with both other employees and other guests. While this is still the case in a lot of workplaces, there has been a recent shift in focus. Sometimes called people skills, soft skills address how you communicate, work with others, and handle the day to day aspects of your job. Poor team morale. Strong communication skills are highly valued in every industry, but especially so in hospitality and tourism. In fact, understanding these different skills gives a learner a more holistic understanding of the running of a hotel and therefore always them to adapt to a … They are social skills such as empathy, negotiation, listening, creative thinking, patience, and tolerance. New entry in the Greek market: Meet Pacha Group! Progress in Tourism and Hospitality Research, vol. Better talents, better opportunities with one click. … Moreover, it requires a thorough understanding of food safety. Interpersonal Skills: Again, these skills are essential in customer service, and will therefore be practiced everyday whilst working in the hospitality industry. Studies show that now, 77% of employers think soft skills are just as important as hard skills. Developing your hospitality skills is an ongoing process that requires regular practice – don’t expect change to happen overnight. But it’s also critical in back-of-house – after all, the secret to success is great teamwork, of which communication is the foundation. 239-48. Smiling 2. They are typically bestowed through training and education, and can be measured. What school you’ve been to, or the highest level of certification you’ve gotten has always been the most important. Organisational skills. These are the type of skills that you develop over time through practice, personality and exposure. Providing assistance 6. Maintaining a positive attitude 10. The technical skills you can always get later, but the soft skills are the people skills that can’t always be taught. What’s the difference between hard and soft? This course provides an introduction and overview of the hospitality and tourism industry. These questions plus various other questions tend to come up. The purpose of this study was to determine the essential competencies and to determine whether differences exist between competencies needed by managers in lodging, food and beverage, … Organisation has a knock-on effect, so it really is fundamental to your role. 866-511-0908 Hard skills are the specific technical competencies required to perform a job. So either way, look into working for both! Excellent customer service skills is all about understanding the customer’s needs and being able to deliver a positive customer service experience. Unlike many other sectors of business, networking in this field is not about job-hopping, but is rather a way to stimulate repeat business from customers. Giving attention 7. These skills are tangible and can be proven easily. Soft skills entail emotional intelligence, teamwork attitude, openness to feedback, active learning, job ethnic, Mindset, flexibility, and adaptability, whereas hard skills include overall management such as food management, competency in all areas of work (Weber et al., 2013) SOFT AND HARD SKILLS IN HOSPITALITY 3 References Kantrowitz, T. 2005. 3, no. Interpersonal skills are those gained by interacting with people around you. 8. You will be expected to communicate effectively both orally and in writing to other businesses and customers, for example via emails or letters. For example, the more … 3. These are the personality traits and skills that you’ll need regardless of your job description. Hospitality gains profitable value‐added from the highly developed social skills of its so‐called ‘unskilled’ labour force. Greeting 3. Sometimes called people skills, soft skills address how you communicate, work with others, and handle the day-to-day aspects of your job. This is especially true if you want to move up in positions within the hospitality sector. Working in the hospitality industry means taking on multiple tasks every day. Hard Skills. These qualities of a great hotelier include: Qualities of a Great Hospitality Employee . Making positive decisions 11. Networking skills. Employee vs Supervisor: What's the Difference? We have compiled 6 essential hospitality skills and qualities that give a clear competitive edge to hoteliers. Let’s begin! hbspt.cta.load(5056555,'e30c3340-05f0-4b2a-92b6-ef1ec79132ea',{}); The award winning hospitality recruiting software. A lot of jobs now focus on the communication aspect, especially in the hospitality sector. … Hard skills are the technical skills that are certifiable. Soft skills are essentially people skills that cannot be easily measured or learned. 2. Hard skills on the other hand are more so about tangible skills; we're talking about being able to use different software, calculate finances and develop strategies. These are the type of skills that you develop over time through practice, personality and exposure. To meet the needs of the rapidly changing hospitality industry educators must continually investigate which competencies are essential for graduates to possess and revise the curriculum to meet these needs. Leadership Skills and Challenges in Hospitality Management Education by Valentini Kalargyrou Dr. Robert H. Woods, Examination Committee Chair Professor of Hotel Management University of Nevada, Las Vegas Leaders in hospitality management education face diverse challenges in today's competitive and changing environment. Providing positive endings 8. For more news, updates, and information on our online business courses or online hospitality courses, please visit our website. Again, these skills are essential in customer service, and will therefore be practised everyday whilst working in the hospitality industry. According to the Department of Tourism, Leisure, Hotel and Sport Management in 2015, “The hospitality workplace demands skills such as problem solving, critical thinking, emotional intelligence, maintaining professional and ethical standards, and leadership”. While the shift in focus to soft skills is common, it is not the only focus for all jobs. To find out more about the cookies we use, see our Privacy Policy. If you want to take your role to the next level, you might want to look at studying a course in the hospitality industry. This is especially true in the hospitality sector because hospitality is actually more about the customer experience and being able to handle than it is the hard technical skills. The technical skills you can always get later, but the soft skills are the people skills that can’t always be taught. In other words, it’s the people skills that can’t really be taught. It’s a hard gig but working in hospitality makes you a multitasking gun. What does a hospitality skills shortage mean? Training someone to be able to handle hard situations is not easy. In the past, hard skills are what all employers have been looking for. In this way, having these soft skills are more important than being able to work a piece of equipment. Developing these skills are important when trying to advance your role. Dedication . This list is not exclusive, but includes skills such as knowledge in food service, hotel operations, food and beverage prep, maintenance, management, … While on the other hand, soft skills are a mix of social, emotional and communication skills that cannot be measured using a tangible basis. They include the technical and operational actions needed for any one job role or task. Using proper telephone etiquette 5. However, all hospitality jobs have certain competencies in common. Hilton Head Island, SC 29928, 866-511-0908 They are social skills such as empathy, negotiation, listening, creative thinking, patience, and tolerance. Whether you like cooking, waiting, planning or hosting – in order to be employable within the hospitality industry, here are some of the essential skills you must have for a career in hospitality: 1. This makes sense since in order to get certain jobs you needed to get the proper certification. But if you want to move up to the more managerial positions, your ability to communicate clearly is mandatory. Getting experience in this industry is a great way to start any career as it’ll set you up with the foundational skills you need for just about every industry. Communication skills. Both hard skills and soft skills are important in the workplace, and the top skills employers look for will depend on what the employer is seeking for a particular position. This is especially true in the hospitality sector because hospitality is actually more about the customer experience and being able to handle than it is the hard technical skills. High Level of Customer Service. Professional hard skills include legal work, healthcare, dentistry, accounting, computer programming and engineering. Here is a list of skills that employers seek in candidates for employment in the hospitality industry. As already … Conversing 4. One of the key skills needed in the hospitality industry is to be able to network effectively. For example, computer programming or being able to type. Smiling –Smiling when dealing with guests helps to create a friendly atmosphere. It’s vital if you’re working front-of-house, as you’ll be engaging with customers on a daily basis. Food and beverage management encompasses in-depth product knowledge around food, wine and other beverages sold on-premise. In order to succeed in this industry, it is up to you to ensure that your guests are constantly entertained … Hard skills contrast from soft skills by being quantifiable and easy to measure. Welcoming the initiative by Pubs of Ulster, the Minister said: The Hospitality Action Group has worked hard over the past couple of years to find ways to develop the staff in this sector. It all comes from your personality or your experiences. A lot of jobs still need to have these hard skills in order to get the job done correctly. This website stores cookies on your computer. 3. |, American Hospitality Academy World Campus, 5 Benefits of Working in the Hospitality Industry. This is what we discuss in some details in this post. In service and even in hospitality curricula, hard skills are often the focus for training and education to deliver effective job performance. Hard service skills include efficiency, responsiveness and accuracy as examples. To work in the hospitality sector, you must have a great deal of knowledge on health and safety. What's much harder to teach — and ultimately necessary to rise through the ranks to your dream job — are soft skills. Following through 9. All Rights Reserved. There are many entry-level positions in the hotel industry that don’t require candidates to have years of prior work experience. A career in hospitality means working in a customer-facing environment. 11 Basic Skills of Hospitality 1. For example, you may need more technical skills or know-how in order to use certain equipment if you are in housekeeping.