The hospitality industry encompasses a broad range of formal employment opportunities while at the same time leaving space for entrepreneurial undertaking and free enterprise. A person well versed in the hospitality industry can get a very lucrative job, but the window for self-employment with knowledge acquired from the industry remains ever open. Employment opportunities available in the hospitality industry are captivating and quite enjoyable and may even include travelling all over the globe to the most exotic of places and meeting all sorts of people, in short among the best experiences ever.
The food services segment of the hospitality industry is to say the least, just scrumptious. It mainly involves creating cuisine masterpieces, and developing unique never heard of before tastes. It also involves expertise on dieting and nutrition and knowing what type of food is necessary for a particular person and what type of foods can help a certain person achieve certain goals for example, weight loss or constipation.it involves a great deal of creativity and a limitless imagination of what can be created in the kitchen. This segment demands passion, and an urge to come up with a better more refined and exhilarating taste compared to those that already exist. With the growing number of people who tend to eat out the employment opportunities in this segment of the hospitality industry are potentially limitless but it all boils down to one’s prowess, imagination, level of creativity and ability to create a cuisine masterpiece (Brotherton, 2003). A good example of a job opportunity available in this segment is that of food service supervisor who is tasked with maintaining a very financially stable food service program, formulation of the menu, assessing the needs and ever growing specifications necessary for competitive bids and requisitions involving all foods (Brotherton, 2003).
Tourism is yet another flourishing segment of the hospitality industry. This segment is very vast and involves rampant knowledge in advertising and providing scenic locations for tourists as well as guaranteeing their safety. Sound knowledge of quite a large number of foreign languages is also pivotal for survival in this industry because some of the customers may not be conversant with the local dialect. This segment of the industry involves a great deal of planning for activities to be undertaken by visiting tourists as well as formulation of devices to ensure their safety and that they enjoy themselves without any hindrance whatsoever (Powers, Barrows, 2009). Planning expertise is of utmost importance in this segment as success lies in planning to the detail. In this segment, one can be employed as an advertising agent. This entails marketing the tourist destination in such a way that it stands out from other tourist attractions. The main goal is to give tourists a reason to visit a particular tourist attraction site and maintain a high level of professionalism and honesty while doing it (Powers, Barrows, 2009).
Event planning is another key segment of the hospitality industry. This segment involves accuracy in planning the chronology of each event to ensure that everything flows smoothly and is at par with the expectations as well as the specifications of the client (Schmidgall, 2004). It also entails high levels of creativity in formulating events that will prove to be captivating and memorable.in this segment one should be able to conceptualize scenarios that will entertain the attendants and ensure that they enjoy themselves. Specification of locations for given events and mobilization of the necessary machinery for use at the event is yet another prerequisite in this segment of the hospitality industry. In this segment, one can be employed as an event planner, a position that comes with tons of responsibilities. This position entails the acquisition of event personnel to offer assistance, negotiating terms of the event, coordinating activities during the event and performing any assignments as specified by the event owners (Schmidgall, 2004).
Lodging is yet another pivotal segment of the hospitality industry, and it involves providing safe and highly reputable accommodation services to guests (Walker, 2008). It entails providing facilities, which are tailor made to suit the general preferences of each potential client and creating the illusion of a home away from home. Lodging involves maintaining highly ethical and social standards while rendering services and ensuring comfort and laxity for all clients (Walker, 2008). It entails the acquisition of the best available lodging facilities furnishing them to make them better and more soothing. In this segment of the hospitality industry one can be employed as a lodging manager, a position that involves scheduling duties for workers, coordinating activities of the front office and taking part in financial activities such as formulation of the room rates (Walker, 2008).
The cruise line segment is perhaps the most captivating segment of the hospitality industry. This segment is chiefly involved in providing memorable cruises for clients, while ensuring their utmost comfort, and safety during the cruise (Walker, 2008). It involves the acquisition of the most exotic cruise liners and knowledge of the most scintillating cruise destinations that will leave the clients ever begging for more. In this segment, one might be employed as the cruise line manager, whose duties include ensuring that everything runs smoothly and according to plan during the cruise, overseeing the staff activities and assisting clients (Walker, 2008).
After graduation, the job opportunity I plan on pursuing is that of an event/wedding planner. Over the past few years, I have involved myself in organizing venue viewings, meeting with vendors, setting up menus, signing contracts on behalf of my clients, and decorating venues. I am not fully qualified in this sector since my smoothness in organizing of these events is not of professional standard. Therefore, I need more experience in this sector especially with the corporate world to better my services and expertise in this area.
References
Brotherton, B. (2003). The International hospitality industry structure, characteristics, and issues. Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann.
Powers, T. F., & Barrows, C. W. (2009). Introduction to management in the hospitality industry (6th ed.). New York: Wiley.
Schmidgall, R. S. (2004). Hospitality industry managerial accounting (2nd ed.). East Lansing, Mich.: Educational Institute of the American Hotel & Motel Association.
Walker, J. R. (2008). Exploring the hospitality industry. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall.
