A career in the hospitality industry can be an incredibly rewarding experience. Not only will a hospitality job provide outgoing people with an excellent chance to broaden their horizons through the people that they meet, but there are also always opportunities for growth and advancement within every niche of the industry, whether you choose a hotel job, a restaurant job, or any one of the other dozens of possibilities available. The key to a long and satisfying career within the industry is a careful selection of the company that you choose to work for. Businesses that cater to providing services to people out to get away from the grind can have a wide range of employee satisfaction. It is very possible to find the right fit for your career conditions through a simple research process.

Pinpoint Your Perfect Employer: The Research Process

There are several areas in which a job seeker can look for information that determines whether or not a specific company is right for them. Dave Fischer, who has worked in management positions in several restaurants and now runs a consulting firm that caters to resort jobs, suggests the following list of criteria when looking for the right hospitality job:

• Are there possibilities for advancement within the company?
• Determine how the company advances its employees. Are seniority or work ethic and skill the deciding factor?
• Does the company have a good record when it comes to employee retention?
• What kind of benefits does the company offer to long-term, full time employees?
• Does the pay scale reflect industry standards?

Conducting Research: Where to Look

There are several places that prospective employees can look when seeking the answers to their questions. Each option offers varying degrees of reliability and quality of information, but taken as a whole they will provide a job seeker with a good idea of the big picture as far as company/employee relations.

Word of Mouth

The first step in any process, including searching for that perfect food service job or another hospitality job, is to work your contacts. Most people within the hospitality industry will have contacts in various places of employment; make sure to check with your friends and acquaintances to see how they and their coworkers are treated at the company you are interested in.

Public Records

Another great place to find information on companies is public records. This includes resources such as the Internet and other forms of media as well as local records from Better Business Bureaus and Compensation Boards. These sources will let job seekers know what type of customer service the company provides, and how busy the company is. Most hospitality job holders will tell you that the busier the company, the better the job.

Interviews

Many job seekers forget that their interview is just as valuable for the candidate as it is for the employer. It’s the most important place you can find out everything you need to know about the company and demonstrate the knowledge you already have of the history and goals of the organization. Make sure that you are prepared not only with the answers to questions during your foodservice interview or your hotel interview, but also with some good questions of your own!

Good Research Will Lead to a Great Job

The old adage “the more you put in, the more you will get out” seems to hold just as true for finding a job within the hospitality industry as it does everywhere else. Job seekers who take the time to do a good background check on their potential places of work are not only likely to be happy at their positions, they are also more likely to be hired. From the start of the search right through to the interview questions, gathering information is vital to a long and happy career.