Highlighting the Deliverable and Quantifiable Results: A Piece of Career Advice from a White Lodging Manager
Today, Jason Bretz, the
General Manager of Hilton Garden
Inn Saratoga Spring (White Lodging),
spoke in my Hospitality Human Resource Management class and conducted some job
interviews on campus. He received his bachelor’s degree in Marketing, but he started
his career in the lodging industry upon graduation. I was glad to hear his
career advice in class today.
According to Jason, relevant
work experience is definitely important, but he is also looking for candidates who
can deliver quantifiable results. For example, if a student tells him that s/he
worked at the Front Desk, Housekeeping, or any position in a hotel, he knows
what kind of work the position is involved. As a result, a resume that simply lists
a person’s job responsibilities does not help this candidate stand out from the
crowd. It becomes critical that a job candidate can describe how much impact
s/he has made at work. More specifically, it will be helpful to see a statement
like “increased sales/revenue by 10%,” “reduced costs by 20%,” “increased GSS
(Guest Satisfaction Surveys) Score from 90 percentile to 95 percentile,” and
etc. Employees may not have the access to the statistics, but they may can
their managers before putting the information on their resumes.
According to Jason, relevant
work experience is definitely important, but he is also looking for candidates who
can deliver quantifiable results. For example, if a student tells him that s/he
worked at the Front Desk, Housekeeping, or any position in a hotel, he knows
what kind of work the position is involved. As a result, a resume that simply lists
a person’s job responsibilities does not help this candidate stand out from the
crowd. It becomes critical that a job candidate can describe how much impact
s/he has made at work. More specifically, it will be helpful to see a statement
like “increased sales/revenue by 10%,” “reduced costs by 20%,” “increased GSS
(Guest Satisfaction Surveys) Score from 90 percentile to 95 percentile,” and
etc. Employees may not have the access to the statistics, but they may can
their managers before putting the information on their resumes.
When you write a cover letter and resume, do you pay attention to the deliverable and quantifiable
results? If you were in class today, what are your takeaways?
Relevant discussion:
Career Advice Suggested by a Restaurant Recruiter
Thoughts and Advices from Three Hospitality Professionals (Jason Bretz’ previous campus visit in the spring).
References:
The picture shows a White Lodging property --- the J.W. Marriott Hotel in Indianapolis, which was downloaded from the hotel's web page.
Thoughts and Advices from Three Hospitality Professionals (Jason Bretz’ previous campus visit in the spring).
References:
The picture shows a White Lodging property --- the J.W. Marriott Hotel in Indianapolis, which was downloaded from the hotel's web page.
I think his presentation was very informative. Although it was the second time I have had the privilege of heard Jason speak I feel had some very valuable information to offer. As a college student who will begin the post graduate job hunt this time next year I feel it is never to early to start planning. Learning his view point on the resumes was great advice. I always struggle with what type of information to provide, how descriptive should I be, what do I say that will catch a potential employers attention etc. He made a very good point when he mentioned "I know what a front desk agent does" it's very true but yet I never looked at job description on a resume in such a way. I will be tweaking my resume after hearing his presentation!
ReplyDeleteI thought that Jason's presentation was very well done. He gave the class useful information on how to apply to jobs and what specifically to put on your resume. After hearing what he had to say, I realized that I should go back and reword some things in my resume that tell exactly what I can do rather than just the job title. He talked about his journey through jobs until he became the General Manager of the Hilton Garden Inn and he made me more confident that If I work extremely hard I will get to the places I want to be. He started out as a ski bum in Colorado post graduation and worked his way all the way up to a respected General Manager and I think that is really impressive.
ReplyDeleteI, too, thought Jason from White Lodging gave a well-done and educational presentation. I enjoyed hearing about his career path. He graduated college as a Marketing major but decided to pursue a career in lodging because he realized it interested him more. I find it interesting when I learn that people major in an area and then end up going into a different field. It makes me realize that I can always keep my options open no matter what happens. I also liked hearing how he made his way up from the bottom, all the way to the GM. It is inspiring to hear stories like Jason’s.
ReplyDeleteAnother thing I took away from Jason is that one’s resume should include quantifiable information. It is the best way to stand out against the rest.
I found the advice by Jason Brete, a general manager a the Hilton Garden Inn in Saratog, NY very interesting. Just like applying for college, it is important for a job applicant to set himself or herself apart from others. Mr. Brete makes a good point that simply listing your job experience and responsiblities on your resume is not enough. You should highlight how much of impact your contribution has made on the "bottom line" for your employer. It is these "quantifiable results" that will measure your value to the business, and set you apart.
ReplyDeleteOne of the things I hope to bring back from my experience in Florence, Italy next semester is to come back with a new and different perspective on the hospitality business. I feel traveling to Europe will give me a fresh perspective on the industry, and help to set me apart from others.
- Alexandra Vest
I think the materail Jason covered in class was very pertinent. Specifically, his job description. Too many college seniors have the mentality that as a GM of a Hotel, you only manage the other managers. Jason made it clear that there are days he does everything. As the manager of a small, limited service hotel, the goal is to keep costs done, therefore not having managerial people in all positions. So who does the work fall on?? Everyone, including himself. That is why he has had success in his career. In hospitality, whatever needs to be done hopefully gets done. And frequently that is done to the manager on duty.
ReplyDelete