Top 10 Essential Skills that Hospitality Graduates Need

Summary

Soft skills and hard skills are valuable to the hospitality industry in the service and advancement of career paths. If it is excellent customer service, communication abilities, teamwork, organization, emotional intelligence - hospitality professionals must have a combination of soft and hard skills. Problem-solving, time management, resilience, attention to detail and more are critical, especially under pressure. Many of these relate closely to conflict resolution, and with specialized knowledge of the industry, are skills valuable for career advancement.

Whether you are front-of-house staff or a manager, you want to develop a range of hard and soft skills so that you can be promoted at a faster rate.

An industry that is welcoming to the new beginner, hospitality has an entry-level where you can learn on the job, develop skills through employer training and get qualifications through completing a Hospitality course, and advance into a promotion in relatively quick succession.

This is not to say that hospitality work is unskilled work. In fact, hospitality employees and managers are highly skilled professionals, especially in terms of emotional intelligence and soft skills-

1. Customer service

One of the primary skills, for hospitality employees, is customer service. The way that staff interact with customers can have a lasting impact on the overall success of a business, particularly in an industry where customers leave comments and reviews online so frequently.

Consumer research tells us that 93% of customers would make repeat purchases with brands that offer excellent customer service and that 86% of customers say they would become long-term brand champions because of positive customer service experience. 

Customer service and communication skills are mutually dependent. Good customer service means being a friendly, compassionate communicator, however it also requires responding quickly, listening to feedback and having the foresight to proactively respond to their needs. 

2. Teamwork

All hospitality businesses, whether it is a large hotel or a small family restaurant, depend on teams of people working well together. An effective and functioning team means: 

• There is trust and respect among team members
• Everyone is aware of their own roles
• There is clear communication
• There is collaboration rather than hierarchy
• There is commitment to a common mission

To be a good team member, you must respect, listen, empathize with and communicate with the members of your team.

3. Organization and time Management

The ability to manage time efficiently is vital in any hospitality role. You must be able to plan, assign tasks and prioritize work, and manage your available time effectively. Fortunately, if you're not a naturally organized person, this is a set of skills that we can learn and practice. Being organized, scheduling, task management and managing time can also be improved by using useful time management resources such as apps, calendars and diaries.

4. Communication

Hospitality requires professionals that are skilled across a wider range of soft skills than most other industries. Communication is at the top of the hierarchy of soft skills, in terms of being an effective worker in a sector defined by working together to provide service, communication is what leads the way.

Hospitality professionals need both verbal communication skills and non-verbal communication skills. An effective verbal communication skills means you; 

• Offer and ask for help
• Communicate clearly and articulately with staff and customers
• Provide well-timed and appropriate information to your manager
• Actively listen 

Be able to accept feedback

• Being a good non-verbal communicator in hospitality means being able to:
• See non-verbal communication and changing your behavior or communication style accordingly
• Recognize negative non-verbal communication, particularly from yourself, such as eye-rolls, and cease it immediately
• Control your body language and facial expression to exhibit warmth and friendliness toward the customer
• Control the volume and inflection of your voice, for the purpose of having an even tone

5. Problem-solving and initiative

Whether you are looking for a specific local wine for a hotel guest or finding a way to solve the double-booked restaurant table dilemma, the hospitality sector is filled with small problems that require resolution.

Using your initiative to solve problems such as these is unquestionably one of the more fulfilling aspects of working in hospitality. Once a customer realizes you went above and beyond to help them, they truly appreciate it. That not only feels good for you, but it is also good for the business. 

6. Resilience

While it looks a lot like a personality trait, most personal resilience is some combination of good mental and physical health, reflection, emotional maturity, and the ability to self-regulate emotional responses.

Hospitality is a pressure-packed industry, where employees often work long hours or late into the night. At times, you may even be required to navigate conflicts among staff or service professionals, all while reacting quickly to problems and getting food to tables or guests into rooms.

Resilience not only helps you become a calmer and happier person, but research states also that hotel employees that improve their resilience are less likely to experience burnout.

7. Attention to Detail

It doesn't matter whether you are leading the rooms division of a luxury hotel or serving tables in a small restaurant, all hospitality professionals must possess the ability to pay attention to detail.

8. Conflict Resolution

How proficient personnel are at managing conflict is very important to hospitality businesses. One increasing traditional face-to-face aspect of hospitality is assisted exchanges in terms of managing a customer conflict can affect how they feel, and in turn how likely their next return visit will be. 

Secondly, hospitality businesses generally are comprised of teams working together well for the overall wellness of the hospitality business. Conflict creates stressful environments for staff and customers disrupting service and in turn operations. It is important to manage conflict in hospitality, especially if you desire to lead a team. 

By practicing and working with conflict resolution techniques and self-development exercises, you can learn how to manage conflict with maturity, the ability to remain calm, and by communicating clear boundaries. 

9. Emotional intelligence

This skill of emotional intelligence is the underpinning skill of all other soft skills, including skills like communication, teamwork and listening.

Emotional intelligence entails, at its core, being able to read and respond to the social and emotional universe around you with self-reflection and maturity. 

Like other soft skills, emotional intelligence is also a skill that can be developed with practice. To strengthen your emotional maturing practices, you can engage in reflective practices, learn about communication styles, learn and practice ideas from behavioral psychology, work through your emotional issues with others, and engage in regular talk therapy.

10. Industry knowledge

On a separate note, we need to mention that being aware of the industry beyond what you do is significantly important for growth and perfection towards work. Maybe it's not a skill per se, but certainly important if you want to be in hospitality.

Knowing the landscape of the industry will help you figure out where your career will go, whether you are an employee, restaurant owner or hotel division manager.

FAQ’s

Q1. What soft skills are most important for a career in hospitality?
A: Key soft skills that will support hospitality professionals include customer service, communication, teamwork, emotional intelligence and problem solving. 

Q2. Can I gain these skills while I am studying or working part-time?
A: Yes! You develop lots of hospitality skills through hands-on experience, internships and entry-level jobs. You develop lots of skills with practice and training over time.

Q3. Why is emotional intelligence important in hospitality?
A: Because it assists hospitality professionals develop a greater understanding of, and response to, the feelings of guests and colleagues - thus maintaining service standards and team function.

Q4. Do I need technical or academic qualifications to be successful?
A: While qualifications are useful, most positions welcome real-world skills such as customer service, time management, and initiative more than academic or qualification-based credentials.

Q5. How does conflict resolution play into this field?
A: Effective conflict resolution increases guest satisfaction and can keep a workplace healthy in a team-based environment that is often competitive, especially in hospitality situations.

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