Hospitality in the most unusual places!
Hospitality is a diverse industry and the skills earned in this profession can equip you for hospitality jobs across the sector, including in unusual places! Building up your CV is essential to landing those highly sought after hospitality jobs and we’ve all got to start somewhere…
Cinemas
With cinema ticket prices on the rise, customers are looking for an experience which is about more than just the film they’ve paid to see (even if the air conditioning drives most people mad!). A neat, clean and modern cinema building, as well as a variety of food, drink, sweets and film merchandise on offer, hospitality is at the forefront of this experience. A polite, efficient service also goes a long way. Events, premieres and all night screenings provide you with the opportunity to meet a variety of customers and excel in a variety of situations.
Bowling alleys
Bowling alleys, like cinemas, are a diverse arena. Visitors come to take part in the game itself, but the experience is much more than that. There are typically other games to play, like arcade games, food and drink to consume and even children’s parties to cater for. The organised planning, execution and delivery of all of these services is crucial to a positive experience. Plus, you can lend a hand in a variety of hospitality tasks, broadening your knowledge and skills.
Events
This is a really fun one! There are all kinds of hospitality jobs (paid and unpaid) available at festivals and events. Don’t necessarily think just beer tent either, you could be checking wristbands, selling merchandise, stewarding, security or serving food. You could end up at Glastonbury or at Henley Regatta, the possibilities are endless and provides you with a rich and varied experience. Understanding the commitment, discipline and standards of formal and informal events, as well as the flexibility and demands of shift work, will put you in good stead for future employment opportunities.
Supermarkets
Now, stay with us on this one. Supermarkets are where we all spend a significant period of time, particularly now that supermarkets offer a wide range of services and not just groceries, including clothing, coffee shops/cafes, pharmacies, dry cleaning and more. This is another sector where you can hone your hospitality skills as you may be required to work shifts in different areas of the business. This is a surprising place to excel; one day you might be prepping food, helping customers find the right size clothing, booking appointments or serving free samples of food. It is important to make the best of every opportunity.
Hospitality experience at these businesses is not to be sniffed at! Skills earned here are transferable, multi-disciplinary and look great on your CV. Want to upskill and gain a Tourism & Hospitality qualification? Consider courses at CU Coventry, CU London and CU Scarborough.