Personal Development Profile
I have studied in different environments and academic environments that have enabled me to develop both interpersonal and professional skills. I chose hospitality as my major, and I have managed to establish a greater personal profile. In the learning process, I have gained industrial experience and problem solving skills in various hospitality processes and systems. Hospitality is unique and essential because it is employed in everyday experiences, most importantly in the business industry.
Currently, business partners meet people from all walks of lives, as well as mixed cultures. Therefore, acquiring the correct hospitality etiquette is an exceptional resource that can help a business remain ahead of its competition (Clarke & Chen, 2009, 223). Businesses ought to have employees who have decent hospitality etiquette if they have to marshal through competition. I’m looking forward to becoming a hospitality consultant and as such, studying this course is the first step towards the attainment of this goal.
A course in hospitality concentrates on tourism and hospitality education with the chief goal of broadening the student’s understanding of the larger hotel, tourism and hospitality industry (Jazay & Dunk, 2003, 220). This course equips students with the basic concepts, theories and knowledge of the industry, in addition to practical experiences (Jazay & Dunk, 2003, 220).
Hospitality management has become an exciting and attractive career path across the globe, perhaps due to the ever-growing hotel and tourism industry. Hospitality comes in different names such as travel business, food service, or hotel and tour business. Whichever the line of focus an individual chooses, they are guaranteed of a wide range of opportunities upon graduation (Walker & Miller, 2009, 450). Graduates of hospitality are needed all over the world owing to the ballooning hospitality industry.
However, in order to be competitive in the hospitality industry, a prospective hospitality management graduate ought to undertake the necessary courses, as well as acquire necessary experiences (Walker & Miller, 2009, 450). In line with this, I have studied auxiliary courses that add value to my major. I have studied accounting and management courses because the hospitality industry requires people with mastery managerial and accounting skills. In addition, I have participated in and attended public relations classes to equip myself with the required skills. Furthermore, I have gone for a host of internship programs that have equipped me with the necessary practical skills. Through these internships, I had the opportunity to turn my theoretical skills into practical skills, as well as, gain confidence.
I have managed to maintain a consistent performance above average in virtually all the courses pertaining to this field. Hospitality management is a practical oriented field. It involves dealing directly with people (clients). This course requires one to meet clients’ expectations. In order to become competitive, I have demonstrated an understanding and technical skills in the basic hotel management and administration concepts.
Moreover, in order to increase my potential in the hospitality field as well as my employability, I have set to acquire and implement a number of development strategies. I have talked to scores of hospitality professionals for advice on the most appropriate auxiliary courses to enhance my profession; so far, I’m happy to have studied most of the auxiliary courses that these professionals recommended. Given that I am still a student and pursuing a degree program, there are several technical processes that are mandatory for certification. My performance in these courses is the fundamental aspects of how successful my degree will be. Employability and performance in university are directly related (Smith, McKnight, & Naylor, p. 388). Therefore, the first step I plan to implement is to ensure my overall performance in the degree is considerable enough to award me a competitive advantage in the employment zone.
Employment opportunities are evaluated with respect to diverse aspects of learning and technical knowhow (Harvey, 2001, p. 97). So far, I have managed to maintain sufficient marks to put me in a position for the award of this favor. I have to work extra hard to ensure this configuration is not compromised. There are specific efforts that will either gear my achievements towards a better employment opportunity or a good degree, either way, the ultimate result is favorable. The government has a regulatory organization that awards hospitality graduates with professional certificates that either permits a graduate to practice or not to practice. Upon my graduation, I intend to secure the necessary certification in order to raise my prospects.
Watts (2006) explains that employability depends on the extent to which one can demonstrate greater performance in each of the aspects considered. As mentioned earlier, hospitality is largely reliant on the practical knowhow of scientific and production concepts (O'Connor, 2011, p. 126), therefore, I aiming at undertaking as many internships as possible in order to acquire a wealth of practical experience. As I said before, I intend to become a hospitality consult and this is the reason I’m striving to be an all-round hospitality graduate. The attainment of this goal calls for strong leadership, communication and problem solving skills. Every day, I challenge myself by undertaking small tasks that are geared towards boosting my hospitality profile. For instance, I occasionally volunteer during college and church functions. I offer hospitality services by serving as a customer care agent, attending to people, and planning of events. I’m always fascinated by successful projects that I engaged in; it is interesting to put a smile on the guests’ face. Voluntary workers are allowed to participate in numerous production processes. Given that they are not paid as any other worker, they have the opportunity in training and mastery of concepts (Forrier & Sels, 2003, pp. 641-666).
Additionally, narrowing down to a specialized field in the hospitality sector will enhance my likelihood of securing employment. This concept has been seconded by scholars such as Colvin (2007). Colvin (2007) supports the notion that students ought to specialize in a given field because this enhances their chances securing an employment.
On top of that, there are numerous seminars and industrial meetings that are aimed at sensitizing employees on best production practices in the industrial sector. This strategy will expose me to production processes and help me know the exact processes that require definite scientific concepts. Additionally, the industrial sector is vast and wide that is why it is better to specialize on one particular field. This approach will narrow the employment path and further simplify the employment process.
In conclusion, most companies require employees who demonstrate superb interpersonal skills (Hunt & Baruch, 2003, p. 733). In order to develop these skills, I am planning to engage in more academic, industrial, and integrative processes that will heighten my potential in cohesion. Furthermore, I have embarked on the development process that will help me come up with a project, sufficient enough to demonstrate all the potentials I have in engineering. My project will be a gadget or production plan, to be used for the first time that will not only be financially sensitive, but also effective and efficient. Coming up with something new will shape my profile and most probably display me as a qualified, innovative and academically upright student.
References
Clarke, A., & Chen, W. (2009). International Hospitality Management. London: Routledge.
Colvin, A. (2007). Empirical Research on Employment Arbitration: Clarity Amidst the Sound and Fury? Employee Rights and Employment Policy Journal, 11(2) .
Forrier, A., & Sels, L. (2003). Temporary employment and employability: training opportunities and efforts of temporary and permanent employees in Belgium. Work, Employment & Society, 17(4) .
Harvey, L. (2001). Defining and measuring employability. Quality in higher education, 7(2) .
Hunt, J. W., & Baruch, Y. (2003). Developing top managers: the impact of interpersonal skills training. Journal of Management Development, 22(8) , 733.
Jazay, C., & Dunk, P. (2003).Training Design for the Hospitality Industry. Massachusetts: Cengage Learning.
O'Connor, P. &. (2011). Practical reliability engineering. New York: John Wiley & Sons.
Smith, J., McKnight, A., & Naylor, R. (n.d.). Graduate employability: policy and performance in higher education in the UK. The Economic Journal, 110(464) .
Walker, J., & Miller, J. (2009). Supervision in the Hospitality Industry: Leading Human Resources. New York: John Wiley & Sons.
Watts, A. G. (2006). Career development learning and employability. New York: Higher Education Academy.
