Hospitality management can be rewarding, exciting, and challenging (sometimes in equal measure) and many of the top-quality employees I help with their careers tell me that the fast-paced nature of the job is what keeps them hooked.
But what happens when things start to go the other way?
When a job that once kept you on your toes right till the last minute of your shift starts to seem uninteresting, you begin to know your role and your establishment inside out, and you stop pushing yourself to go over and above to please the guests – is your comfort zone stopping you from progressing in your hospitality management career?
You might have settled into your comfort zone without even realising – so I have put together this article to help you spot the signs that could indicate that your career needs a shake-up.
You Said You’d Only Stay For 6 Months
This is one of the most common things I hear with candidates, and it never ceases to surprise me when I talk to an employee who has so much potential that they are misusing it in a role that doesn’t fulfil them!
If your initial plan was to take this management role for six months or a year, to gain experience and then keep progressing, then how come you’re still in position over two years later?
It can be hard to leave a job when you get on with your colleagues, you love the feel of the establishment, and you get great perks. But staying in a role when you’ve got all you can out of it in terms of progression can be a real negative for your management career.
You’re Bored With Your Establishment (But Haven’t Looked Into Leaving)
Another reason I often hear from hospitality managers who come to me looking for their next role is that they became bored with their job quite quickly, but they had settled in and staying felt like less ‘hassle’ than leaving.
If your company has provided you with excellent staff accommodation, and if the restaurant or hotel is a well-respected establishment in a great location, it can seem counterproductive to give these up.
But it’s essential to be honest with yourself.
No matter how long you’ve been with the company, becoming bored with your job is a sure-fire sign that you’ve become a little too comfortable. This can lead to disengagement, which leaves managers feeling uninspired, lacking in drive and failing to inspire the team below them.
Does this sound familiar?
Become bored and disengaged with your role does not have to be something that happens to everyone eventually. The hospitality managers who get the most fulfilment out of their careers are the ones who never stop looking for the excitement that first attracted them to this career path in the first place.
You’re Not Being Developed Anymore (And Not Doing Anything About It)
Was it the management scheme that initially attracted you to come to work for this hotel or restaurant?
Many of the companies I work with have excellent training and development programmes for their hospitality managers, as it has become apparent in recent years that great hospitality staff don’t leave their jobs – they leave their managers.
At what stage are you in your hospitality management career? Just because you’ve been in the industry for an extended period, this does not mean that you should settle for not being developed.
In this sector, there is always something new to learn, always more training to be completed, and new methods and procedures to share with your team.
If you’re a hotel manager, this could mean updating your financial and administrative training, revisiting online review training with your staff; a restaurant manager can always be working on customer service training, and be continually working with local produce suppliers to improve menus.
If training opportunities in your current role are lacking, but you don’t particularly think this is impacting negatively on your career, in time you will realise that to keep progressing in your career, you need to be with a company who are invested in your continuing professional development.
You Aren’t Sure of Your Next Move
I hear the same thing from a lot of the hospitality management candidates that I work with – they often tell me that they’d been thinking about looking for a new job for longer than they care to admit, but it was one of those things that kept slipping off the end of their ‘to-do’ list.
It can be an unsettling time when you want to find a new job but aren’t sure where to start. Staying within your comfort zone might feel safe, but if you’re in a role you know isn’t developing you in the way you want, or is holding you back from working in the kind of establishments you know you’re capable of – this will ultimately have a negative impact on your career and your earning potential.
What Next?
If this sounds all too familiar, and you have wanted to change jobs for a while, but haven’t got the time to look, apply and interview for a new role – get in touch with KSB recruitment. We have over 28 years of experience in finding hospitality talent roles in which they thrive.
We work closely with candidates to understand your overall career goals and aspirations so that we can find the perfect role for you not just for your next career move, but with your future in mind.
Thanks
Dawn
About KSB
We are expert recruiters in the catering and hospitality industry, with over 28 years in business, placing the best candidates in their perfect roles with obsessive attention to detail.
KSB is proud to be a Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) member, accredited investors in people, and both Data Protection and Home Office Compliance registered.
We specialise in roles in Birmingham, Staffordshire, the West Midlands, Warwickshire, Oxfordshire, Worcestershire and Northamptonshire.
Thanks
Dawn
