July 24th, 2023 at 02:49 am
Skills Required For Hospitality Jobs In Canada: Tips For Immigrants
As a newcomer to Canada, one of the most important things to do is to find a job in your field. Many newcomers, even those who have worked in their field for several years, find that they need to fill in some skill gaps before they can find a role at their job level. But you might be able to use some of the skills you learned or gained while studying or working abroad in the Canadian job market.
If you work in the hospitality industry, this article will give you an idea of the most important skills needed for jobs in the hospitality industry in Canada. In the hospitality industry, the education requirements and skills that are in demand may not be the same across departments and job levels. We also give you tips on how to research the key skills you should put on your resume to get a job in Canada.
Educational background and experience required for jobs in the hospitality industry
Hospitality roles have different educational requirements. Hotel and restaurant managers may need an MBA or hotel management degree. Hospitality back-office jobs may require a finance, accounting, human resources, marketing, or other degree.
Hotel front desk clerks, food servers, housekeepers, and valets may only need a high school diploma and job-specific training. Cooks may need a college degree, trade school certificate, or apprenticeship.
Most middle- and upper-level jobs in this field require hospitality or customer service experience. You may be able to use your hospitality skills in Canada as a newcomer. You may need to improve your skills or knowledge before landing your dream hospitality job.
Hard skills required for hospitality jobs in Canada
Hard skills are job-specific technical skills that you learn in school, on the job, or in training. Hospitality is a broad field with jobs in many different areas, from running a hotel to serving food. Here are some of the most common technical skills required for hospitality jobs in Canada:
1. Client service
Customer service is essential in the hospitality industry since many jobs involve customer interaction. Customer satisfaction, making customers feel important, and handling difficult situations professionally are typical of client service. To make operational and planning decisions, hotel and restaurant back-office workers must understand customers’ behavior and motivations.
If you worked with customers in your home country, put that on your resume. It’s a versatile skill.
2. Language skills:
Being able to speak more than one language is a technical skill for jobs in hospitality that deal directly with customers. Since hotels, restaurants, and other businesses in the hospitality sector serve people from all over the world, they usually require that their employees know English. It can be helpful to know French and other languages that customers speak. If you need to improve your English skills, you can sign up for English as a Second Language programs. These programs are available to newcomers in many provinces.
3. Strategic planning
Most departments in the hospitality industry need to plan strategically. Senior-level jobs in marketing, finance, customer service, and operations will need people who know how to set long-term goals and plan short-term strategies to help the organization reach its goals. For example, the marketing team may need to come up with a plan to improve the organization’s brand positioning, while the customer service team may need to find ways to improve customer satisfaction metrics.
4. Management and supervision
Management and supervision are great skills to have on your resume if you want to work in the hospitality industry at a middle or upper level. There are supervisory roles in most departments, such as food and beverage (F&B), inventory, personnel, housekeeping, finance, events, and more.
5. Computer skills
Different jobs in the hospitality sector will need different kinds of computer skills. As a newcomer to Canada, you may need to learn how to use some new software or technologies that are common there. Servers may need to know how to use Point of Sale (POS) software, and people who work at the front desk may need to know how to use Computer Reservation Systems (CRS). Also, Accounting and budgeting software, as well as Microsoft Office tools like Excel, Word, and Powerpoint, are usually needed for jobs in finance.
6. Accounting and revenue management
Accounting and revenue management are important skills for people who want to work in finance or management in the hospitality field. Most of the time, you need a degree in finance or accounting and work experience in the field to get these jobs. Accounting and financial skills are also needed to work at the front desk or as a cashier.
7. Compliance knowledge
Employees in the hospitality industry need to know a fair amount about the rules and requirements of their industry. This includes knowing the local rules and laws about food safety, licenses to serve alcohol, protecting the environment, keeping data private, and making sure the workplace is safe and healthy. You’ll also need to know a lot about provincial labor laws if you want to work in human resources for a hotel or restaurant.
Soft skills required for hospitality jobs in Canada
Soft skills are personality traits that help you get along with other people and work well with them. When applying for jobs in hospitality, it’s important to include relevant soft skills on your resume and show them off during job interviews. Here are some soft skills that employers in the hospitality industry are looking for:
1. Communication skills
In hospitality, you must listen, understand, and meet customer needs. Your job may require you to speak to customers with different accents and language skills. You may even have to speak to customers in another language. Managers in the hospitality industry must also communicate well with their teams and other departments. Communication goes beyond listening and talking. They include empathy, presentation, and nonverbal cue reading.
2. Negotiation skills
Strong negotiation skills are important whether you’re hiring a contractor, planning an event, or dealing with a mad customer. In the hospitality industry, you may find yourself in similar situations every day. You’ll need to find the best solution for your business while keeping customers happy.
3. Planning and time management skills
The hospitality business moves quickly, so you’ll need to be able to do more than one thing at once to do your job well. Proper planning and time management are needed not only to meet customers’ expectations about how long they will have to wait but also to serve more customers in a given amount of time and meet the organization’s financial goals.
4. Attention to detail
Even a small mistake can ruin the experience for a customer. In hospitality, paying close attention to details is a key skill that is needed at all job levels. In a restaurant, this could mean paying close attention to how clean the place is, how professional the staff is, how good the food tastes and how it looks, and how well orders are taken and bills are made.
5. Relationship management skills
Relationship management is a key skill for jobs in the hospitality industry. To build relationships with customers and earn their trust, you’ll need strong people skills. The business relies on repeat customers and corporate events and bookings, so account management experience may also be helpful.
6. Teamwork
Teamwork is needed at every level and in every part of the hospitality industry. If you work in the kitchen or do housekeeping, you will do a lot of tasks with other people. How well one person does their job could affect how well the whole team does. In a management position, you’ll need to delegate tasks, lead teams, and work across departments to make sure the organization runs smoothly.
7. Cultural sensitivity
Canada’s hospitality industry serves people from all over the world, so it’s important to be aware of other cultures. As a newcomer, you may need to learn more about how people from different cultures act at work and in everyday situations. This usually means being aware of and respecting cultural differences, avoiding intentional or unintentional bias, and treating everyone with respect, no matter their culture or background.
What skills are needed in my resume for hospitality jobs?
Each job application in Canada requires a one or two-page Canadian resume. Even though you learned a lot in school and on the job, only list skills that match the job description.
As a newcomer, you should also network with hospitality professionals to learn about the skills needed for your desired position. Connect with Canadian professionals on LinkedIn, meet them in person, or have a “virtual coffee chat” to learn what skills you need to be more marketable. Seek a mentor. This person can help you adjust to the Canadian job market, improve your skills, or find open jobs.
Hospitality employers in Canada require specific skills. As a newcomer to Canada, your hospitality skills may be useful. However, you must respect client-facing roles’ cultural differences. This resource provides an overview of hospitality industry employers’ skills requirements.
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