The hospitality industry offers a wide range of rewarding roles to candidates with the right experience, talents, and qualifications. No matter what your strengths, you can be sure there’s a hospitality role that is perfect for you. But where do you start if you are completely new to the sector? Let’s take a look at four key roles to get your hospitality career off to a good start:
1) Food / Restaurant Service (F&B)
Food & Beverage (F&B) roles in restaurants and pubs are a great entry-level position if you are getting started in the hospitality industry. This is a varied role that suits energetic and resourceful candidates, since F&B vacancies cover anything from waiting tables to front and back of house positions.
To be successful in an F&B role, you will need to have skills like multi-tasking, teamwork, and a respectful but confident demeanour. It’s also important that you can work in a fast-paced environment without letting stress affect your performance or relationships.
2) Receptionist
Reception roles are mainly available at hotels, although some high-end restaurants also employ receptionists. If you are taking your first steps in your hospitality career in the UK and have a passion for customer service, a receptionist role could be another good starting point.
Receptionists are expected to have excellent written and verbal communication skills, high standards of personal appearance, and the ability to think quickly to solve problems. Language skills may come in handy in some busy establishments, especially in London.
Because receptionists are in direct contact with guests, customers, and suppliers, this role can help you gain experience in customer service, which is essential in most hospitality careers – even if you intend to spend most of your career in the kitchen or a manager’s office. In many cases, receptionist jobs come with opportunities for progression in managerial or supervisory roles.
3) Apprenticeships And Graduate Schemes
Apprenticeships are widely available in the UK’s hospitality industry. Being an apprentice allows you to train on the job and gain qualifications that can help you advance in your career. Hospitality apprentices can train as chefs, receptionists, front of house staff, or assist in event management, among many other options.
If you already have hospitality qualifications or are older than 25, a graduate scheme could be of greater interest than an apprenticeship, which are normally tailored towards younger and less experienced workers. These are run by leading hospitality employers in conjunction with accredited training providers and allow you to use the skills you learn right from the start while you acquire increasing levels of responsibility.
4) Event Planner
Hospitality venues like hotels and restaurants get a large part of their income from events. Weddings, business meetings, and family gatherings must be expertly organised, which is why many leading hospitality venues hire professional event planners or coordinators on a full-time basis.
As you can imagine, this role requires superb organisational and time-management skills, as well as the ability to work as part of a team. As you gain more experience, you could be involved in budget planning and logistics management. If you are successful in this role, you could go on to become an event manager.
Next Steps
One last tip: keep track of the best hospitality recruitment agencies and their websites, as they usually offer insights into new roles and opportunities in this industry. For expert advice about taking the next steps in your hospitality career, please speak to Spayse Recruitment today.
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