Summer is coming up and it’s going to be a busy season in our industry which means there will be hospitality jobs up for grabs.
To meet demand, the industry is constantly recruiting staff so this is the perfect time to get your first taste of the hospitality world.
A temporary summer position will give you important hands-on experience to get your feet wet as a professional. It could even be the first step in a long hospitality career.
How do you get a summer hospitality job?
Global demand is high for hospitality staff right now so finding a job shouldn’t be impossible.
However, we’ve identified some important things you can or should do to make the process of finding and securing a hospitality job much easier.
1 - Polish your CV
You only get one chance to make a first impression so you better make it good.
When looking for a job in the professional world, that first impression comes in the form of your CV. It must sell yourself, your skills, and your relevant experience–in a single page, if possible.
Recruiters look through hundreds of candidate’s applications as a part of their job and they don’t have much time to read each of them. This means you need to make yourself stand out from the crowd by creating a CV that catches the eye.
Building a strong CV will paint a picture of yourself that makes the recruiter want to find out more about you.
2 - Practice Your Interview Skills
After you’ve impressed hospitality recruiters with your eye-catching CV, they will be knocking on your door (via e-email, of course) and asking to set up an interview.
Interviewing for a job can be scary. But, there are things you can do to prepare yourself in order to avoid common mistakes that many candidates make during the interview process.
Going through a list of commonly asked interview questions for the job you're applying for is a great place to start. This will give you an idea of what to expect so you aren’t caught off guard by something simple.
You should also do some research about the company you're interviewing with. This will help you understand their values and make it easier for you to bring questions to ask them.
3 - Refresh your language skills
With international travel returning to pre-pandemic levels, the air will be full of languages again this summer.
English is the most important foreign language you can have as a hospitality worker. If your English skills need improving or they’re a bit rusty, it’s a good idea to take a free online English course as a refresher.
If you feel like you’ve already mastered English, then you should consider adding another language to your list. Depending on where you work, it might be a popular destination for tourists from a specific country. Learning a little bit of the language they speak will help you get the job and succeed once you’re serving the guests.
4 - Put your customer service hat on
More than any other industry, working in hospitality is all about delivering a special and unique experience that guests will never forget.
If you’ve worked in customer service in the past and loved interacting with customers then hospitality may be the right world for you.
In other industries, customer service jobs usually mean dealing with complaints and nothing else but working in a hotel or restaurant is different.
Guests come to your establishment to relax and enjoy themselves, not complain. They’re looking for a good time and you get to help them find it.
5 - Get your paperwork in order
This one is simple but worth discussing: you must make sure you have the proper documents or ability to work at the job you're applying for before you can accept it.
If you’re in the European Union, then moving to other countries and finding work is relatively easy. However, jobs outside of Europe will likely require you to apply for working papers for whichever country you want to work in.
For example, Britain leaving the EU and its mobility agreements means it is now more difficult for Europeans to work there. Certain hospitality jobs are eligible for the UK skilled worker visa, but it requires a company to sponsor you.
Wherever you plan on moving, it’s useful to have as much information as you can before moving so you can make sure you have all the necessary documents in order.
Where can you find open hospitality jobs?
You can always take the old school route and go from restaurant to restaurant and hotel to hotel asking if they are hiring. However, this can often be a big waste of time and isn't helpful if you want to work in another city or country.
At Hosco, we are obsessed with hospitality so much that we can’t focus on anything else. This means we only offer quality jobs and work with top brands in our industry.
If you think you’re prepared and ready to find your summer hospitality job, then check out the current job openings on Hosco today!