The hospitality industry is full of opportunities for employees to truly cultivate their ideal careers to grow and evolve.
Many in the industry will progress upwards multiple times over the duration of their career, given that there are so many clearly defined pathways to take in hospitality businesses, with the majority of candidates starting in entry-level positions.
With such a high number of vacancies in the industry, there will only be more opportunities to advance due to the higher availability of jobs.
But how can you get promoted in your hospitality role?
What not to do
It can be common to hear advice that tells you to go above and beyond, or the extra mile when you’re trying to be promoted in a role.
For example, trying to arrive at your workplace before anyone else and being the last person to leave.
Not only does this mean you’re running the risk of burning out, but it is also unlikely to result in a promotion – you’re simply doing something that hasn’t been asked of you that isn’t relevant to the position you want.
Another temptation when seeking a hospitality promotion can be to mention that you are considering searching for a more senior role elsewhere (or you have already been offered a role elsewhere).
We’ve spoken in a previous blog post about whether you should accept counter offers, and this is a similar principle in terms of how it can negatively impact the dynamic you have with your employer.
Trying to leverage an offer from another organisation to be promoted in your current role is unlikely to result in your promotion and could have a negative impact on your relationship with your employer in the long term.
Now we’ve covered what not to do, how should you go about being promoted?
Make your intentions clear
As we’ve mentioned already, suddenly switching up your behaviour overnight is only going to raise a few eyebrows.
Instead, you should be clear with your boss, manager, or a senior member of staff that you are seeking a promotion.
This could be positioned by specifying that you:
- Are looking for a greater challenge.
- Have seen a vacancy for the role and think you’ve proven that you have the qualities and experience to fulfil it.
- Have been consistently performing to a high standard in your current role (particularly if you’ve held this role for some time).
- Have expanded your knowledge, if you have taken any additional courses/attended a management programme/gained an industry certificate or certification of some kind.
Now would be the time to put forth the idea that you might, if no promotion is available, move elsewhere to seek this instead. Remember that this should be put forth as showing a commitment to advancing in your career, rather than an ultimatum for your manager.
Get a plan of action
Once you’ve made your intentions clear to your manager/boss, it’s time to get a plan of action in place to best know which steps you need to take to get promoted.
The best way to determine this is to have a discussion with your boss about the roles available so that you can work from there.
If there is already a job listing for the role you want to be promoted to, this means that you can assess:
- The daily expectations of the role.
- The previous experience required.
- Which skills are prioritised.
- Whether relocation is necessary (if the role is only available in another location).
- The process for the promotion (e.g. will there be an application and interview process, or will this be less formal?)
With this information in mind, you can best set yourself a plan of action to get your CV in order and start displaying the type of work and skills necessary for the promotion.
Take note of industry trends
Whether you’ve been in the hospitality industry for some time or are relatively new, you’ve likely seen some of the trends that have changed the landscape of the industry over time.
For example, those with marketing and sales experiences may be more coveted in branches of hospitality that are experiencing talent shortages and low profitability.
In this case, an individual that can help businesses to better incentivise customers through targeted strategies (e.g. reducing rates on sustainable/ethical dishes in a restaurant) will be viewed favourably.
Each area of hospitality will experience different trends and therefore different demands for certain skills - for example, travel companies are likely to need user experience designers to enhance customer journeys on digital platforms.
Similarly, digitalisation in the industry means that big data and AI are more commonplace to get better insights into profitability trends or even occupancy rates – digital skills may therefore be a highly beneficial asset when you’re trying to be promoted.
Stay accountable
Having regular meetings with your employer or manager where possible to review your progress is important, as it might take time for you to demonstrate what they’re looking for before you can be promoted.
This way, you’ll be able to stay accountable to the plan you set out earlier in terms of whether you’re displaying the right skills and attitude, and you can also receive feedback along the way.
Another benefit of this is that you can keep your employer or manager accountable to their word once you have met all of the requirements for a promotion – after all, they might struggle to stay up to date with your progress otherwise.
Make sure that any skills or experience you’ve developed along the way is added to your CV in the meantime to make your life easier later down the line, should you need to submit it again for another role or to another company.
Let us help you find your dream hospitality role
The team members at Talent Hive all have experience in hospitality, and we know the challenges and benefits of the industry.
Get in touch today to find out more about how we can help you find your dream hospitality role.