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11 Sep, 2018

Achieving Success in Hospitality Internship

Internship is one of the most effective models of experiential learning in hospitality education. It provides the students not only better understanding about hospitality industry but also real world experience. Knowing the benefits, don’t let your hospitality internship be wasteful but make the most of it. Read on to gain some tips on achieving success in hospitality internship!

Image source: bussinessfirstfamily.com

Find a mentor

First thing first, you need to reap the knowledge of the industry’s veterans in order to success in hospitality internship. Try to get along with coworkers, set up a coffee date with an influential manager, and ask about both their successes and failures. Tell them your desire to grow professionally. Your initiative and your sincere desire to learn may be enough to spark the interest of someone who can offer full time employment in the future.

Practice interpersonal Skills

To be success in hospitality internship, you must have interpersonal skills, as it will help you provide great customer service and interact with customers on a regular basis. This ability involves being able to communicate effectively both orally and in writing, allowing you to make positive connections with clients, guests, vendors, and even other employees.

Be flexible

Hospitality employees often have unusual hours or longer hours than average desk job. Not only do the majority of hospitality staff work long and difficult shifts, they are also required to work during the holidays. You must remain flexible with your personal plans to ensure that you can work when needed during the busy period. Be ready to switch gears at a moment’s notice if unexpected situations arise!

Pay attention to Detail

In hospitality, everything is judged by your customers, therefore, everything needs to be of the highest standard in order to build company rapport. Attention to detail will be drilled into your work from day one of the job. What's more, as a skill, attention to detail is highly transferrable across job sectors due to its importance in providing excellent customer service.

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Have a good teamwork

When hospitality workers can't (or won't) work as a team, they risk creating a toxic work environment and increased disagreements. In the same way that hospitality workers have to be professional with customers, they also have to be professional with each other.

Key abilities required include being able to work effectively as a team member through taking instructions form others and understanding your own role in servicing the needs of the hospitality customer. Supporting other team members to coordinate activities to achieve quality service delivery of the business’s product and respecting cultural diversity of team members and seeking their assistance to service the culturally diverse needs of customers.

Practice problem solving skills

The hospitality industry is based on the concept that the customer is always right. When problems arise, you have to come up with solutions that will appease the customer while helping the company. In fact, this is a crucial skill! Having problem solving skills can help you to think on your feet and keep customers happy. Practice this skill and you'll be success in hospitality internship.

Yes, the customer is always right

Customer is king, indeed. The cliché applies to every aspect of hospitality management because this is a profession built on customer service. Turn complaints into an opportunity to grow, learn, and change. A suggestion box is always a good idea, for both customers and employees.

 

So, have you seen some skills that you never knew you had?