Feeling Stuck in My HR Career Path in the Hotel Industry – Any Advice on Moving Forward?

Seeking Guidance for Career Growth in Human Resource Management

My name is Shraddha. Currently, I am working in the hotel industry as an HR assistant and have been in this role for the last 6 months. I completed my BSc in Hospitality Management in 2013 and have also undertaken courses in Administration Management. I have a strong interest in Human Resource Management and aspire to build my career in HR. However, the challenge I am facing is the lack of proper guidance in this field, especially in my current role in the hotel industry where there is insufficient exposure to Human Resource practices.

I would greatly appreciate any guidance you can provide.

Thank you.

You mentioned working as an HR Assistant. What responsibilities are you handling in this current role? Having a degree in Hospitality, the hotel industry seems like a better option for you. Why do you want to switch to another industry?

Your skills in Administration Management could be effectively utilized in your current company to transition into an administrative role in the hotel industry. What other areas are you considering based on your interests? Please indicate your preferences considering your experience and education, so that appropriate guidance can be provided.

For further details, you can contact me via the email provided or share them here in the post.

Regards.

Before commenting further, please provide additional information:

1. Hotel location, star category, location, and target market category (e.g., luxury, business, transit, mixture of any, airline crew, etc.).
2. Is it a stand-alone hotel or part of a big chain?
3. How many rooms, employee strength, and HR department strength?
4. What functions are you handling? In hotels, due to high employee turnover, many activities occur in the HR department, such as recruitment, employee engagement, and employee relations. Are you not involved in any of these?
5. You mentioned your interest in HR and that you have been working in HR for 6 months, which is half the battle won. Now, keep your eyes open, seek guidance, show proactiveness, and learn on the job.
6. Is there no one in the HR department you can talk to and learn from? If you want to switch over, there are many allied industries you can consider: restaurants, airlines, retail, real estate, etc. There is no point in quitting before having a new job in hand.

Regards.

Since you are in Mumbai, you can pursue a part-time Executive MBA program in HR offered by Mumbai University through various colleges, allowing you to study without sacrificing your job. Additionally, Wellingkar Institute offers Diploma programs in HR as well as distance education. Please inquire.

Regards,
B. Saikumar

Thank you so much for your replies. I would like to inform you that my current job position is HR Assistant at Best Western Hotel Sahil in Mumbai Central. Hotel Sahil is a Fariyas Group Property, which falls under the 4-star category. The property consists of 88 rooms, 4 banquet halls, and 2 specialized restaurants. However, the issue is the lack of a proper HR department, and I am keen on working in a corporate environment. I have already completed my internship at Nirmal Lifestyle (Mulund), which has a well-established HR department at its head office.

My Job Profile at Best Western Hotel Sahil

1. Implementing new policies for staff welfare, including the Provident Fund.
2. Handling recruitment by conducting initial interviews, providing information about the hotel, and sourcing CVs from job portals like Naukri.com.
3. Preparing salaries by managing attendance, leave records, new employee entries, and payroll using software like IDS.
4. Maintaining total attendance, analyzing new joiner forms, and ensuring proper clearance for departing employees using time tracking software.

Software I Am Proficient In

1. MS Office
2. Oracle
3. IDS
4. Times Track

I am planning to pursue MMS, and as it is nearing the year-end, I prefer not to undertake any distance education. Kindly suggest any HR-related courses I can complete before starting MMS that would benefit my career.

Regards,

My honest advice would be to stick to your job right now and start preparing for an MBA. I wouldn't advise leaving your job and preparing for an MBA. As I can see, you are handling quite a lot of activities—a huge chunk of the HR spectrum; right from recruitment, induction, T&D, payroll, etc. This is a chance that many people don't ever get. Make the most of it and learn. My guess is that although you don't have a structured HR department, you will, in time, have a more stable HRD. I think it's just a matter of time.

You want to work for a corporate, fine. Then start looking for jobs simultaneously.

Agree with Aditya, you are very much in the HR profile, handling 3-4 major terms. It's just a start, and in this phase, people mostly get 1-2 basic roles to play in their first job, and you are handling all these in a very broad form. If I am not wrong, you are only preparing your mind as you don't have any senior management to follow and learn from in a better way. But you should be confident in your capabilities as management gave you all these responsibilities because they found some spark in you. Don't let them down, and you are doing quite well in your starting phase.

From here, you can concentrate on your areas of interest and gain in-depth knowledge and practical experience in those areas.

On the other side, as you mentioned that you want to go into corporate, I would like to suggest you collect some experience first and preferably pursue an MBA while working. That will be a milestone for you after a year and a half. But don't make a change right now.

Besides all this, what other areas do you want to cover in your first profile? Or please let me know what HR terms you want to perform, as you are not satisfied with your current profile.

Thank you for your comment. Atul, you asked me about my interest area, which is HR Operations. However, I can see that the HR operations processes in the hotel industry and in corporates are very different. I want to work professionally, but my current position is divided between the HR and finance departments. Apart from my job, please suggest any short-term courses that I can do before pursuing an MBA.

Aditya, you mentioned that pursuing an MBA is a better option, but nowadays, many people opt for an MBA. I agree with you on that point, but I truly want to do something extra that will give me a bright career in HR. I have already visited Welinkar College, but they only offer HRD and an MBA in HR.

Regards,

1. From what I understand, you don't want to continue where you are currently working. You want to pursue some courses that will help you grow. You can check out SHRM, where they offer some short courses in HR. One needs a minimum of 1 year of work experience in HR for that. Moreover, there are part-time MBA programs offered by many institutes. Apart from these, I am not aware of any other courses, nor of their credibility. My honest advice would be not to do 'some' course and hope things will work. You will need to thoroughly check the credibility of this.

2. Now, do you want to do some course AND MBA, or a course OR MBA? Your reply was quite unclear on that.

3. Also, I want to point out that when you say "I really want to do more extra which will give me a bright career in HR," doing some course (even an MBA) is not the ultimate mantra. If one wants to succeed and have a BRIGHT career, one can do that with basic graduation as well. Just doing a course will never guarantee that.

4. Please explain how your role is dual - in HR and finance.

5. HR departments anywhere (industry) are quite similar. They have the same mandate. Of course, the hospitality industry is growing, and by its very nature, it's a different type of work. Hence, the HR operations in corporate and in hospitality might seem different. From a microscopic view, they may be. But believe me, the processes and the ideologies remain the same - irrespective of the industry. I am being presumptuous, but your reasons for change may be more personal (such as better work-life balance in corporate), which is the reason most people leave the hospitality industry in general. If that is so, then don't look at education as an escape.

6. I have put forth my view. I would love to hear from seniors who have a more mature perspective. I am, admittedly, quite junior to most of the people here.