8 Crucial Soft Skills to Boost Your Hospitality Career

The hospitality industry spans everything from hotels and conference centers to bars and restaurants. This is an in-demand career field that has a number of roles within it. If you are looking for a field that has plenty of potential for growth, the hospitality industry fits that need well.

How can you achieve greatness in a hospitality career? The key may be not in your “hard skills,” but rather in the harder-to-attain “soft skills.” In fact, the National Soft Skills Association estimates that 85% of job success comes from soft skills, while only 15% comes from hard skills. With the right skill set, you can quickly climb up the ladder and experience greater success in this high-demand industry. If you’re looking for a way to boost your career and set yourself up for greater success, focus on developing these important skills.

1. Strong Communication Skills

Because the hospitality and tourism industry works directly with the public, strong communication skills are essential. You must be able to present information in a way that the general public can understand, while also being able to understand what your customers and clients need and want. Good communication will make people want to come back to your business time and time again, and those return clients will become the key to your success.

2. Positive Thinking

It may not feel like a career skill, but being a positive thinker will help you succeed in hospitality. A good mood spreads to your customers and clients, and this makes them feel more comfortable and safe in your business. Positive thinking and a good attitude will help you rise to the top, as you will get noticed by your employer as a helpful addition to the team. Start training your mind to see the bright side of your circumstances as you work to grow more positive.

3. Ability to Multitask

Multitasking is an ability needed in the hospitality industry because hospitality professionals wear a lot of different hats throughout the day. You may start your day in the office, then head out to greet customers, then spend some time engaging with vendors, all in the same day. You must be able to balance multiple projects at the same time and learn to use your time effectively. When you can multitask, you become a greater asset to your company.

4. Language Skills

Another skill that can help you advance within the hospitality industry is language. If you can learn another language, especially one commonly spoken in your region, you will be able to communicate with more people who walk through your company’s doors. This, in turn, makes you in high demand. Multilingual professionals are particularly helpful in the tourism industry because tourism reaches across cultural barriers. Thus, you are very likely to interact with people who do not speak English as their first language.

5. Ability to Problem Solve

Hospitality professionals are the people that guests turn to when they have problems. Being able to offer a solution to those problems quickly is the key to saving the customer relationship, and this requires excellent problem-solving capabilities.

For example, if a restaurant guest complains about food that is cold, offering them a new, warm entree and a free dessert quickly, without having to go to the manager for permission, may keep the customer happy. Problem-solving “on your feet” becomes invaluable when you work in hospitality.

6. Be a Team Player

Hospitality is an industry that forces you to work with others, and you need to be a team player to keep things running well. If you can’t work well with others, your business will struggle when hit with a busy period, and the customer experience will suffer as a result. You may find teamwork is a bit of a struggle in this industry because of high turnover, but learning how to work well with others, no matter who they may be, will serve you well in your career.

7. Take Criticism Well

If you can take criticism well and learn from the feedback you receive, you will go far in the hospitality industry. Every time a customer comes to you with a complaint, you have the opportunity to practice this skill. Even if the complaint feels unwarranted or unfair, you can take the feedback and learn from it. This gives you an opportunity to improve the customer experience in your business and grow as a professional at the same time.

8. Build Cultural Awareness

The people you meet in the hospitality industry will come from a wide range of backgrounds, and their cultural experiences and expectations will differ from yours. Learning about other cultures and being aware of cultural differences can help you respond appropriately. When you understand the values and belief systems of the people who come into your business, you can craft a customer experience that builds trust and comfort.

The hospitality career is a growing career field with excellent career growth potential. If you are looking to pursue a degree, look no further than Bryant & Stratton College. With professors who have years of real-world experience in the same field they are teaching, why look any further? Get more information about our program today!