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Those with even the faintest experience of the hospitality and leisure industry will be familiar with the phrase ‘service with a smile’. Keeping the customer happy is rule number one when your bread-and-butter operations are so heavily entrenched in the tertiary sector.
But this saying extends beyond the customer-facing,
front-line staff to those involved behind the scenes. For accountants, there may be no rules about politeness and pleasantries beyond normal decorum, but some do find it hard to remove the smile from their faces at work, because it’s just so darn enjoyable.
Access to high-level company directors? Check. Gaining
in-depth knowledge of the industry first hand? Yup. Testing yourself across a wide range of disciplines? Tick. Working with some of the biggest brand names in the world? Oh yes. And did we mention the opportunity to visit some of the most glamorous locations across the globe? Well, we have now.
‘One of the things I love about the industry is that the clients are generally great people to deal with,’ says Jim Bowden, 29, a senior manager at Ernst & Young. ‘If you’re working at a hotel, everyone greets you with a smile and is very accommodating. This extends to the people at head office as well.’
The same could be said of many other areas of hospitality and leisure, such as restaurants, casinos, catering, pubs or even resorts. but if you really want to get ahead in this business you’re going to have to truly immerse yourself in it.
‘It should always start with a love of the sector,’ says Jim. ‘If you really want to enjoy it, you have to be inherently interested in what’s happening in the industry. You have to keep abreast of the things that are being reported about these companies in the papers.’
Hospitality and leisure companies, according to Jim, represent ‘some of the biggest names in the world – some big US players’. As such, there are opportunities to work in many countries across the globe, often in some very glamorous locations.
It also provides you with a wide range of career options – whether specialising in practice or working for one of the companies itself. But there are other opportunities that can present themselves, such as moving into regulation or into a political role, as well as setting up your own business.
‘This industry provides an opportunity to gain in-depth experience, which makes you more marketable and able to go out and sell yourself to big business,’ says Robin Rossman, a 27-year-old audit manager at Deloitte. ‘You get to understand how everything ticks.’
Like Jim, Robin also cites a keen interest in the market as vital for success, but also believes the right people must have excellent communications skills and be able to adapt quickly to change. ‘The industry revolves around attention to detail, so you need to possess that as well,’ he adds.
The hospitality and leisure sector is a huge and sprawling industry, covering many areas that can provide a huge range of opportunities and avenues to explore. But this doesn’t mean you will be able to just stroll into a job.
‘Given that you are working with big brands, you will find that it’s a reasonably competitive market,’ says Jim. ‘You’ve got to bring something to the party, and getting relevant experience where you can would be a help. Offer to work voluntarily if necessary.’
Leisure may be no walk in the park, but with the right skills and a lot of enthusiasm you could have a nice day every day.
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