Aspiring Training Coordinator Seeks Advice: Why Are HR Pros in Hospitality So Unresponsive?

Dear Ma'am/Sir,

I am a learning and development aspirant. Today, I am writing to express my situation and thoughts. I have planned to apply for a trainee profile as a training coordinator in the hospitality industry. My vision is to excel in the learning and development department. However, before applying, I am facing the problem of where to apply.

The reason is sometimes you don't know about the culture and the leadership team where you are applying, like how they will treat you. Will you get a good working culture there? Will you learn something out of the box or just theory? Are they going to support you and share their learning? Today, I am sharing what I felt.

I have asked some HR professionals of hotel groups which property is good to apply for learning on LinkedIn, but they just saw the message and ignored it. I can understand HR can't answer this question unless they know them personally. But I felt bad. I can understand they can't mention other hotel group names, but they can mention their hotel name or reply with something.

If the same question is asked by a marketing aspirant to a marketing manager, or a food and beverage aspirant to an IT officer, they will get answers from someone in their department, not HR.

But if an HR aspirant asks the same question to HR, why do they hesitate? They should not be reserved. They have also started their journey as a trainee. So they should also share their journey and suggest a good place where a fresher can apply and excel. Just because of their designated profile and reputation, they can't answer a simple question. A genuine HR is not just restricted to the organization.

I am sorry if I mentioned something wrong.

Thank you

Just because one organization has ignored your request for information, it does not necessarily follow that all organizations will do the same. So please do not rush to judgment based on a sample of one.

Understanding the Challenges in the Hospitality Industry

Hotels are busy places, and many organizations are short-staffed. HR personnel may have their hands full with managing day-to-day operations, so your request might fall through the cracks, so to speak. However, many organizations are not interested in providing information or have no idea what to tell you anyway.

Approaching Training Managers for Career Information

You may need to call various hotels and ask to speak to the training manager. Tell the manager you are seeking career information and try to ask for a short appointment to discuss the requirements you need to build a career in hospitality training. They will be busy people, so do not ask for too much time. Make sure you prepare well with a list of questions and know exactly what you want to say.

Exploring Opportunities Beyond Hotels

You might also look beyond hotels and seek information from other types of hospitality providers. The key here is that you have to start somewhere. Good hotels will most likely only recruit people who have some training experience already, so you need to get some sort of training knowledge first. It may not necessarily have to be in the hospitality industry. Training is training, and the same basic principles apply everywhere; only the subject matter and mode of training change.

Importance of Formal Training Qualifications

You do not mention if you have any formal training qualifications. If you do not have a qualification, then that is your first task to deal with. Employers will look on you more favorably if you have at least made an effort to kick-start your chosen career and show a willingness and commitment to do what it takes.

Dear member,

Career aspirations in the hospitality industry

I am a learning and development aspirant. Today, I am writing this to express my situation and thoughts. I have planned to apply for a Trainee profile as a training coordinator in the hospitality industry. My aspiration is to excel in the learning and development department. However, before applying, I am facing the problem of where to apply.

Comments: It's good to note that you wish to pursue your career in the hospitality industry. However, please note that it is not a "vision" but an "aspiration" to pursue a career in this field. As a training or learning professional, the first lesson is to check the meaning of terms or phrases before using them. Never forget this first lesson. Secondly, your challenge is to gain knowledge of where to apply. However, you have decided to work in the hospitality industry, so the broad parameters of your job search are clear. Start applying whenever the openings are declared. As far as possible, target the 5-star hotels only.

The reason is sometimes you don't know about the culture and the leadership team where you are applying, like how they will treat you. Will you get a good working culture there? Will you learn something out of the box or just theory? Are they going to support you and share their learning? Today, I am sharing what I felt.

Comments: I understand your apprehensiveness. However, a job aspirant cannot have options. Your success will depend on whether or not you devote your heart and soul to your profession in general and your job in particular. Therefore, remove doubt in your mind on whether or not you will be able to learn something new.

I have asked some HRs of a hotel group which property is good to apply for learning on LinkedIn, but they just saw the message and ignored it. I can understand HR can't answer this question unless you know them personally. But I felt bad. I can understand they can't take another hotel group's name, but they can also mention their hotel's name or reply with something.

Comments: You may target any chain of 5-star hotels. There are many chains in India. Just because a few HR professionals were unresponsive to your query, don't let it discourage you. Keep trying to gather market information. Acquiring market information is always a tough job. Even seasoned market research companies find it a big challenge to extract the correct information. You are facing a similar challenge.

But if the same question is asked by a marketing aspirant to a marketing manager, food and beverage aspirant to an IT officer, they will get answers from their department person, not from HR.

Comments: This is your perception. The grass always looks greener on the other side. Have you researched the job aspirants to check whether or not their seniors were responsive? They could also be facing similar problems. Secondly, most working professionals are quite busy, and they might ignore a query from a greenhorn like you. However, as I said earlier, do not get disappointed because of their unresponsiveness.

But if an HR aspirant asks the same question to HR, why are they hesitant? They should not be reserved. They have also started their journey as a trainee. So they should also share their journey and suggest the best place where a fresher can apply and excel. Just because of their designated profile and reputation, they can't answer a simple question. A genuine HR is not just restricted to the organization.

Comments: Just because a few unresponsive HRs from the hospitality industry, you cannot paint all HRs in the same color. Show patience. If the HRs are not responsive, then why not ask the same question to the faculties of your college/institute? College faculties are also better career guides.

Final comments and tips for success

The hotel industry is a dynamic industry. However, to succeed in this industry, a lot of hard work is required. My few tips are as below:

a) Be thorough in your subject knowledge. Never forget what you have learned in your college years. You should memorize everything you have learned in your degree or diploma course. When you appear for a job interview, the interviewer must be overwhelmed by your knowledge. He/she should be compelled to select you.

b) Getting a job opportunity is difficult. However, many times the opportunities are lost because the job aspirants are not prepared well, and they blame their luck, destiny, or even unfairness by God! You must be prepared to seize the job opportunity.

c) A career in the hospitality industry demands a good command of English. Your post is laden with many grammatical mistakes. Therefore, improve your English as well. Otherwise, notwithstanding good subject knowledge, you may lose because of poor English. Do not take this risk.

d) A career in the hospitality industry requires good oral communication as well. Improve your oral communication. Read a newspaper loudly. Later, prepare yourself for small presentations. Tell your friend or someone to do a video shooting of your presentation. Find out whether there is a break in the flow of your speech, hesitation, etc.

e) Working in the hospitality industry requires one to be thorough in grooming and deportment. Therefore, prepare yourself on that count as well.

f) Success does not fall in one's lap. One has to work hard. By looking at others' success, there is a tendency to envy them. We think that it was a cakewalk for them. However, this is not the case. Never forget the following Sanskrit shloka:

Have you ever heard of a deer coming and entering the mouth of a lion while he sleeps? In that case, why are we led to believe that we can achieve success by merely thinking about it or coveting it? One can achieve success only by working hard and through dedication.

Right now, you are exploring jobs. Along with the external exploration, you have to explore within yourself as well. Ask yourself, what are my capacities? Have I explored my capacities? Do I use my capacities fully? Answers to these questions will take you to a sky-high level.

All the best!

Dinesh Divekar

Social Media Platforms and Professional Queries

1. Social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram are not meant for raising personal queries about the working culture of an organization, as you have done in your case.

Confidentiality of HR Policies

2. HR heads or any employee are not allowed to disclose the company’s proprietary HR policies to any outsider, especially in writing. At most, this information can be shared during a personal conversation with the HR head, if requested and scheduled in advance.

Impact of COVID-19 on the Hospitality Sector

3. The hospitality sector has emerged from the challenges posed by COVID-19, resulting in a mass exodus of employees. This may be due to non-payment of salaries during the lockdown, changes in employment, shifts in trade, or employee relocation. Consequently, the entire sector is experiencing a shortage of employees. Therefore, in some cases, Heads of Department (HODs) are required to work in place of employees to keep the organization afloat until normalcy returns. As a result, they may not have the time to respond to queries they would otherwise be eager to address.

Training Requirements

4. Training can only be imparted to those who have basic knowledge of the particular field, which can only be gained by pursuing a basic course in that field. Therefore, one should provide their complete background to the person before raising any query.

Regards, Jawaharlal Moondra

[Phone Number Removed For Privacy-Reasons]

I have read your post with interest. But tell me, why would any of them really bother to reply?

You are sending a message to someone asking how good or bad the managers are in their organization. But which manager in a company will answer such a question and say their managers are bad and do not help new employees? Will they risk getting into the bad books of their organization or their co-workers?

I do not know what you have actually written. But in any case, people on LinkedIn in India are generally non-responsive except to blow their own trumpet, so I doubt it is to you in particular.

If you want to know more about the company's culture, probably places like Indeed and Glassdoor are better options. You will find current and former employees commenting on their experience in the company.