Cracking the Management Training Program: A journey from a student to a hospitality professional

Just like every student of a hospitality school aspires to be a successful candidate for the management training programmes of the different brands of five-star properties, belonging preferably to international hotel chains, the college that they belong to, as well as the faculty members wish that their students get to make a career in reputed brand names in the world of hospitality. A well-achieved, coveted position in a hotel of repute is indeed a matter of pride for the University as well as for the student.

However, students of the modern era, despite receiving continuous and well-structured guidance from the faculty members, somehow, during the pursuit of their career, tend to lose their tracks and, in the bargain, begin to neglect their long term career goals. There is therefore, a need for these young aspirants to draw out an extremely vigorous and rewarding career plan.

Goal 1: No matter how advanced and research-oriented may the student’s plans be; they must never ever lose the stronghold on the basics of the subject. A tough, robust and vigorous foundation of basics thus built would surely see him through the trickiest, most complicated and delicate questions that the interviewers may put forward.

Goal 2: The peculiarity of a professionally laid out hotel is evident in its close integration with the other allied departments. A management trainee aspirant has to, at all times, visualise the prospective hotel in its totality and be aware of how the different departments work in close integration only towards the common goal of complete guest satisfaction.

For instance, a student while applying for a hotel’s Kitchen Management Programme, would have to, apart from demonstrating his expertise in culinary arts, also exhibit his knowledge of crockery, glassware and beverages, as he would ideally want his delicacies to be accompanied with matching wine, spirit brew or the kind of plate, bowl or the dish. 

Goal 3: Proficiency in communication – each student must come to terms with the fact that a stronghold over the language is not limited only to the staff which comes in direct contact with guests. A chef, who might not ever get to meet the guests for whom he is preparing food, has to nevertheless, give instructions to the people down the line, has to put up notices and has to conduct performance appraisal of his staff.

A majority of candidates lose their chance to make their impact during interviews for the want of good communication skills.

Furthermore, the absence of the right body language is another big pitfall. Students should be well versed with Indicators like- where the tips of the shoes should point while conversing with someone, the frequent usage of mobile phone, absence of a wristwatch and position of hands and posture while sitting. These factors decide whether a person is fit for the profile or not.

The candidate’s depth of the knowledge of soft skills gets majorly tested during group discussions and personal interviews. Now-a-days, the training managers ensure that the team going in for the first rounds to the institutes have a decent knowledge of the ‘Non-Verbal Communication’. Negativity found in the candidate’s body language might see him getting rejected even though they might fulfil the other requisite criteria.

Goal 4: Grooming & Dressing Techniques - The candidates must ensure that they have a ready set of uniform and formal dress for the interviews during their final year of the course. The uniform for a male student should be a dark coloured (preferably black or navy blue) two-piece suit along with a plain (sky blue or white) shirt, a matching tie, a black belt, black shoes (oxford style) & black socks.

For the lady candidates, the options can change as per the category of the hotel she is applying for. It might be a suit with trousers or maybe a formal skirt and in certain occasions, saree which again should be a formal/plain type. Along with this, the student must ensure that he/she is always carrying two pens, 2 hankies and a breath freshener (but not chewing gum).

Goal 5: A Positive Attitude- This is the most important goal that a student has to achieve before he appears for an interview. A positive attitude is one of the principle deciding factors and goes a long way in the success of the candidate. A student should always stay optimistic during an interview. Losing patience, getting tensed up or showing signs of being pressurised do not go unnoticed during an interview. The interviewers try and gauge how the candidate would react under pressure (while at work) so it is a similar atmosphere that they try to create during interviews. As long as a candidate stays calm and optimistic, he stands a good chance to clear the interview. Having said so, the candidate should not neglect the fine line between being optimistic & being over-confident.

As long as the candidate keeps striving towards the achievement of these goals, they would be constantly training themselves to succeed. All paths to victory can be attained through practice and failures; practice what has been taught to you and learn from the failures that you may have come across.

About the author:

Chef Sunil Kumar is the Program Director at Vatel Hotel & Tourism Business School| Ansal University. He is a BHMCT graduate from IP University and has a Masters degree in Hospitality and Tourism Management from Ambedkar University, Agra. He is a qualified chocolatier, baker and confectioner running a successful business in the field of Chocolate Making, Sugar Confectionery and Innovations.

 

 

Note: The views expressed in this article are solely author’s own and do not reflect/represent those of Shiksha