Introduction:
After reading Scotian's "Working in The Oilsands" thread back in 2013 little did I know I would take a hard right in life in almost every aspect. I made fast money being a roughneck that I never seen before which allowed me to travel the world for extensive periods of time and got used to having "nice" things.
All of this took a sharp turn when I decided that I would make "Faster" money in a business venture that was hopeless from the start but I was on a money high and seriously stubborn and very inexperienced in the business world. Fast forward 5 months I was out of business, savings wiped out, and on top of that I owed the bank about mid five figures in debt.
Still living in Edmonton with Oil tanking fast (I couldn't get rehired on the rigs) I decided any job was better than no job so I took any job I could find which were: working in a hotel as a bartender, strip-club doorman, and a cash job as a landscaper installing paver stones. The former of the two were all roads leading nowhere but the first one was pretty good fortune.
It was a hotel owned by one of the big 3 Hotel Chains. After 4 months of being a bartender and watching the utter useless, incompetent morons that run these hotels was a total shock. I then got a opportunity to be F&B Manager in a 2nd tier city in China with the same hotel company. With Alberta leaving a nasty taste in my mouth, I sold my shit, packed my bags and got the hell out of there as fast as I could.
Hotel Industry Overview:
The 5-Star Luxury hotel industry is a huge industry filled with totally below average workers. Total deadbeats and beatniks, makes you sick to your stomach of how lazy these people are from all departments. With new 5 star hotels going up on almost a daily basis there is a severe lack of competent managers and a strong sales force. This works to your advantage as it becomes one big poaching festival between the different hotel companies.
Working as a Restaurant Manager in the Hyatt? Marriott will offer you a F&B Manager or hell maybe even a Director position if you can bullshit yourself properly (more on that later). These hotel companies value experience over degrees and most importantly for manager positions they value your face value. Yes they are shallow. If you are not in shape, repel woman and stutter then getting into one of these managerial positions will be hard. You must look the part to get the part.
Note: This only applies to Hotels in exotic locations, and overseas cities. They basically just want some eye candy to make there place look more legit.
Now comes the point in the thread where I can hopefully steer some of you guys on why you should join. If you love travelling like me for long duration's and love sleeping in 5-star bedrooms with complete amenities while not working very hard then the Hotel Industry might be for you. You won't get rich but you will be able to explore the world, have time to work on yourself and your side business. They will take care of the visas and all the paperwork. They even pay for my Mandarin tutor for 4 hours a week.
Process:
You could get lucky and get hired right off the bat into an awesome location with an awesome work package hopefully after following this post this is what happens. But for the ones who are not so lucky here is the other most direct way.
-Get Hired by one of the Big Hotel Companies in your city, stay away from the smaller guys at first(more on this later) get a job in a department you can see yourself in. The big companies to work for are: Starwood, Marriott, Hyatt, Wyndham, IHG Make sure the hotel is a 5 star one, this is a must other lower stars hotels will not have budget or the care to pay for the same packages. Doesn't matter the position just get hired. Although Note FOH (Front of House) and F&B (Food & Beverage) and Sales positions are more likely to benefit you when you apply for a transfer as the other departments will always lean on low pay locals to do the technical stuff...like finance, maintenance etc.
-Should go without saying, totally kill the position your in. Be a Superstar which is pretty easy since these companies hire so many degenerates so standing out shouldn't be a problem.
-During this time figure out the hotel transfer policies and kiss your HR ass (most likely an overweight divorcee lady) My first hotel had a policy that after 6 months you can apply for a transfer to a different location. I however did the above steps and applied after 4 months and my bosses were cool with it because I was a hard worker and HR loved me because I gave them cake and pastries(no joke).
-Get on your hotels career website and start applying like mad man on meth. 687 positions opened for managers and above? Apply Apply Apply.
-Only apply for 5 star hotels
-Make sure your resume is on point(wouldn't hurt either to pay $80-100 and get a professional resume on upwork.com)
-Pass the interviews usually, first email then phone, then skype.
-Have all your documents ready and already scanned (Drivers license, passport, criminal record, 2 work references)
Resume:
Note: The following section might make some rubes and squares uneasy. All you gotta know is that you have to give them what they are looking for which is.
Good looking (As best you can be), well spoken, charming, organized, multi-lingual individual who knows how to bullshit. By bullshit I mean talking about different cities, cultures, food and food types, know your wines, whiskies, cocktails and beer. The more languages you can pass off that you know the better.
The most important thing to get your foot in the door. Your Resume has to be on point. No half ass resumes. I made my best attempt at my resume then paid a top writer on upwork.com $90 USD to make my resume and cover letter become amazing. Day and Night. Don't cheap out.
Have little to no hospitality experience? Make it up. or Exaggerate the hell out of your resume and just have to get your story straight. Better to use small stand alone companies, or places that went out of business. Go on LinkedIn find somebody in a position similar to what your applying and just pawn it off.
Note: When I was hired as a bartender in first hotel they actually called two of my references (which were real). On the second go around when I was already part of the company, the hotel I work for now didn't call anybody they didn't even call the hotel I was working at to check if I was a good worker... Then when I was getting my visa I had to provide two reference letters. Easy I wrote it myself and had it signed by Mr. Louie Fougazi and Sir Richard Snort Alot. Once your in the system your gold. They assume the other hotel did its homework so they don't have too.
Write a top resume, memorize it and have a copy handy when you are doing your interview.
Interview
So you applied to over 100 positions overseas (Focusing on China, UAE, Qatar), have a super cool resume. Expect to get a reply back in 3 weeks or less. Anything longer is considered dead in the water and you have to keep looking.
When you do get a reply, you must do everything in your power to get the interview appointment ASAP. HR people are lazy the first person that seems to fit profile will be the one they go with. This was explained to me as they ate there pastries.
Good things about skype interviews is that you have time to prepare. Use stickies and paste them all over your desk. Have a good 3-5 stories that show off your skills and expertise with the below examples.
A few questions they will probably ask
Tell me about yourself (TELL THEM ALL THE LANGUAGES YOU SPEAK! speak about your love for fine wines sprinkle in some food knowledge and your a smooth operator with customers etc.. Also mention you have 0 kids and are Single.
Tell me about a situation when you dealt with an upset customer, guest or
associate and were able to successfully resolve it.
Describe a stressful situation that tested your ability to stay calm and even‐tempered.
Tell me about how you have set a professional goal to grow as an associate and the steps you took to achieve that goal.
Describe a time when you suggested a better way of doing things
Describe a time when you anticipated that something would need to be done at work, even though you were not specifically asked to do it.
Keywords to sprinkle in on your interview on skype or phone. Try and have some stories that revolve around these.
- A time when you Empowered Associates
-Play as a Team***
-Go Extra Step
-Do The Right Thing
-Drive Innovation
-What Sets you Apart***
-Going Above and Beyond with Guests
Note: If your a repped member on the forum or I have met in person send me a PM and I will give you a more detailed version, I just don't want these questions ending up on some glassdoor type of website.
Say yes to whatever they ask you. Once you get an official offer then you can negotiate as they already invested time in you so you will have more bargaining power.
Negotiating an Offer
I wish I have known about the negotiating process before I took my current contract. I was desperate and in a hurry to GTFO out of Alberta so I quickly signed the papers and took what they gave me.
So you passed the interview and they have emailed you a formal LOA or offer. The big companies don't have much wiggle room especially for somebody who is off the street as they have guidelines to follow. That being said they will also not low ball you and will give you your country of origin market rate. Westerners, Europeans get top benefits. A standard package will include
-Airfare
-Accommodation
-Meals at there Restaurants
-Laundry and Dry Cleaning Service
-Taxi Vouchers
-Local Cellphone
Instead of getting one of there guest bedrooms ask instead for a long term Residence Suite. Ask for a Allowance on Suits, additional meals.
Most importantly ask after the 90 probationary period how will your offer be revised aka increased. This was where I screwed up big time and now regret it.
My offer was pretty standard. For my next jump I plan on taking them for all they got as I got experience in the company now for some leverage.
Pros&Cons
Lets Start with some Cons first
-You can't be shuffling in 5-6's through the doors every night. Your now an manager in the hotel, everyone at the front will know who you are and will judge you and gossip will spread.
-Living in the hotel means, they know where you are and where they can find you
-Can't be getting smashed and making the bellboy wheelchair you to your room
-The work although easy is very repetitive and boring. Everyday im told a VIP is coming blah blah blah you must pretend to show interest.
-This isn't a job to make filthy money, that being said you get to travel and live in another country in pretty comfortable luxury.
Pros:
Travel, Meet CEOs and other big shots of there respective companies if you can get a job offer from there all the power to you, no need to worry about rent and utilities, Easy to tell ONS a bullshit story since your living in a hotel room ( no need to say you work there), Pick up the hotties that come in your hotel bar and drink $27 martinis, time to focus on improving yourself, you get awesome hotel rates across the world. For example I can stay in almost any hotels my company runs for $49 a night.
I will be honest and say this is not an industry or career I see myself in for the long haul. I made a disaster of my finances with my previous business and this was a way to get my life and thoughts back in order. I will use this time to build on my weak spots and really work on one of my side hustles. My next hotel Im looking at is in an area I want to launch my next business.
Companies to Work for and what to look for in a Hotel
Make sure the Hotel is less than 5 years old. You want new employees, and a hotel that still has money in the bank so they don't really care about inventory, and headcounts so much.
Marriott #1 (they are expanding the fastest and need the most people)
Starwood (they have been bought by Marriott and have the coolest hotel brands)
IHG (the biggest but not even close to being the best)
Hyatt (loves hiring young dudes)
Wyndham
Accor
Writing this post, I have been on tantan and drinking beer so if anything is unclear or needs more information just ask for a clarification.
Hope this Helps some of you guys looking for an adventure!
After reading Scotian's "Working in The Oilsands" thread back in 2013 little did I know I would take a hard right in life in almost every aspect. I made fast money being a roughneck that I never seen before which allowed me to travel the world for extensive periods of time and got used to having "nice" things.
All of this took a sharp turn when I decided that I would make "Faster" money in a business venture that was hopeless from the start but I was on a money high and seriously stubborn and very inexperienced in the business world. Fast forward 5 months I was out of business, savings wiped out, and on top of that I owed the bank about mid five figures in debt.
Still living in Edmonton with Oil tanking fast (I couldn't get rehired on the rigs) I decided any job was better than no job so I took any job I could find which were: working in a hotel as a bartender, strip-club doorman, and a cash job as a landscaper installing paver stones. The former of the two were all roads leading nowhere but the first one was pretty good fortune.
It was a hotel owned by one of the big 3 Hotel Chains. After 4 months of being a bartender and watching the utter useless, incompetent morons that run these hotels was a total shock. I then got a opportunity to be F&B Manager in a 2nd tier city in China with the same hotel company. With Alberta leaving a nasty taste in my mouth, I sold my shit, packed my bags and got the hell out of there as fast as I could.
Hotel Industry Overview:
The 5-Star Luxury hotel industry is a huge industry filled with totally below average workers. Total deadbeats and beatniks, makes you sick to your stomach of how lazy these people are from all departments. With new 5 star hotels going up on almost a daily basis there is a severe lack of competent managers and a strong sales force. This works to your advantage as it becomes one big poaching festival between the different hotel companies.
Working as a Restaurant Manager in the Hyatt? Marriott will offer you a F&B Manager or hell maybe even a Director position if you can bullshit yourself properly (more on that later). These hotel companies value experience over degrees and most importantly for manager positions they value your face value. Yes they are shallow. If you are not in shape, repel woman and stutter then getting into one of these managerial positions will be hard. You must look the part to get the part.
Note: This only applies to Hotels in exotic locations, and overseas cities. They basically just want some eye candy to make there place look more legit.
Now comes the point in the thread where I can hopefully steer some of you guys on why you should join. If you love travelling like me for long duration's and love sleeping in 5-star bedrooms with complete amenities while not working very hard then the Hotel Industry might be for you. You won't get rich but you will be able to explore the world, have time to work on yourself and your side business. They will take care of the visas and all the paperwork. They even pay for my Mandarin tutor for 4 hours a week.
Process:
You could get lucky and get hired right off the bat into an awesome location with an awesome work package hopefully after following this post this is what happens. But for the ones who are not so lucky here is the other most direct way.
-Get Hired by one of the Big Hotel Companies in your city, stay away from the smaller guys at first(more on this later) get a job in a department you can see yourself in. The big companies to work for are: Starwood, Marriott, Hyatt, Wyndham, IHG Make sure the hotel is a 5 star one, this is a must other lower stars hotels will not have budget or the care to pay for the same packages. Doesn't matter the position just get hired. Although Note FOH (Front of House) and F&B (Food & Beverage) and Sales positions are more likely to benefit you when you apply for a transfer as the other departments will always lean on low pay locals to do the technical stuff...like finance, maintenance etc.
-Should go without saying, totally kill the position your in. Be a Superstar which is pretty easy since these companies hire so many degenerates so standing out shouldn't be a problem.
-During this time figure out the hotel transfer policies and kiss your HR ass (most likely an overweight divorcee lady) My first hotel had a policy that after 6 months you can apply for a transfer to a different location. I however did the above steps and applied after 4 months and my bosses were cool with it because I was a hard worker and HR loved me because I gave them cake and pastries(no joke).
-Get on your hotels career website and start applying like mad man on meth. 687 positions opened for managers and above? Apply Apply Apply.
-Only apply for 5 star hotels
-Make sure your resume is on point(wouldn't hurt either to pay $80-100 and get a professional resume on upwork.com)
-Pass the interviews usually, first email then phone, then skype.
-Have all your documents ready and already scanned (Drivers license, passport, criminal record, 2 work references)
Resume:
Note: The following section might make some rubes and squares uneasy. All you gotta know is that you have to give them what they are looking for which is.
Good looking (As best you can be), well spoken, charming, organized, multi-lingual individual who knows how to bullshit. By bullshit I mean talking about different cities, cultures, food and food types, know your wines, whiskies, cocktails and beer. The more languages you can pass off that you know the better.
The most important thing to get your foot in the door. Your Resume has to be on point. No half ass resumes. I made my best attempt at my resume then paid a top writer on upwork.com $90 USD to make my resume and cover letter become amazing. Day and Night. Don't cheap out.
Have little to no hospitality experience? Make it up. or Exaggerate the hell out of your resume and just have to get your story straight. Better to use small stand alone companies, or places that went out of business. Go on LinkedIn find somebody in a position similar to what your applying and just pawn it off.
Note: When I was hired as a bartender in first hotel they actually called two of my references (which were real). On the second go around when I was already part of the company, the hotel I work for now didn't call anybody they didn't even call the hotel I was working at to check if I was a good worker... Then when I was getting my visa I had to provide two reference letters. Easy I wrote it myself and had it signed by Mr. Louie Fougazi and Sir Richard Snort Alot. Once your in the system your gold. They assume the other hotel did its homework so they don't have too.
Write a top resume, memorize it and have a copy handy when you are doing your interview.
Interview
So you applied to over 100 positions overseas (Focusing on China, UAE, Qatar), have a super cool resume. Expect to get a reply back in 3 weeks or less. Anything longer is considered dead in the water and you have to keep looking.
When you do get a reply, you must do everything in your power to get the interview appointment ASAP. HR people are lazy the first person that seems to fit profile will be the one they go with. This was explained to me as they ate there pastries.
Good things about skype interviews is that you have time to prepare. Use stickies and paste them all over your desk. Have a good 3-5 stories that show off your skills and expertise with the below examples.
A few questions they will probably ask
Tell me about yourself (TELL THEM ALL THE LANGUAGES YOU SPEAK! speak about your love for fine wines sprinkle in some food knowledge and your a smooth operator with customers etc.. Also mention you have 0 kids and are Single.
Tell me about a situation when you dealt with an upset customer, guest or
associate and were able to successfully resolve it.
Describe a stressful situation that tested your ability to stay calm and even‐tempered.
Tell me about how you have set a professional goal to grow as an associate and the steps you took to achieve that goal.
Describe a time when you suggested a better way of doing things
Describe a time when you anticipated that something would need to be done at work, even though you were not specifically asked to do it.
Keywords to sprinkle in on your interview on skype or phone. Try and have some stories that revolve around these.
- A time when you Empowered Associates
-Play as a Team***
-Go Extra Step
-Do The Right Thing
-Drive Innovation
-What Sets you Apart***
-Going Above and Beyond with Guests
Note: If your a repped member on the forum or I have met in person send me a PM and I will give you a more detailed version, I just don't want these questions ending up on some glassdoor type of website.
Say yes to whatever they ask you. Once you get an official offer then you can negotiate as they already invested time in you so you will have more bargaining power.
Negotiating an Offer
I wish I have known about the negotiating process before I took my current contract. I was desperate and in a hurry to GTFO out of Alberta so I quickly signed the papers and took what they gave me.
So you passed the interview and they have emailed you a formal LOA or offer. The big companies don't have much wiggle room especially for somebody who is off the street as they have guidelines to follow. That being said they will also not low ball you and will give you your country of origin market rate. Westerners, Europeans get top benefits. A standard package will include
-Airfare
-Accommodation
-Meals at there Restaurants
-Laundry and Dry Cleaning Service
-Taxi Vouchers
-Local Cellphone
Instead of getting one of there guest bedrooms ask instead for a long term Residence Suite. Ask for a Allowance on Suits, additional meals.
Most importantly ask after the 90 probationary period how will your offer be revised aka increased. This was where I screwed up big time and now regret it.
My offer was pretty standard. For my next jump I plan on taking them for all they got as I got experience in the company now for some leverage.
Pros&Cons
Lets Start with some Cons first
-You can't be shuffling in 5-6's through the doors every night. Your now an manager in the hotel, everyone at the front will know who you are and will judge you and gossip will spread.
-Living in the hotel means, they know where you are and where they can find you
-Can't be getting smashed and making the bellboy wheelchair you to your room
-The work although easy is very repetitive and boring. Everyday im told a VIP is coming blah blah blah you must pretend to show interest.
-This isn't a job to make filthy money, that being said you get to travel and live in another country in pretty comfortable luxury.
Pros:
Travel, Meet CEOs and other big shots of there respective companies if you can get a job offer from there all the power to you, no need to worry about rent and utilities, Easy to tell ONS a bullshit story since your living in a hotel room ( no need to say you work there), Pick up the hotties that come in your hotel bar and drink $27 martinis, time to focus on improving yourself, you get awesome hotel rates across the world. For example I can stay in almost any hotels my company runs for $49 a night.
I will be honest and say this is not an industry or career I see myself in for the long haul. I made a disaster of my finances with my previous business and this was a way to get my life and thoughts back in order. I will use this time to build on my weak spots and really work on one of my side hustles. My next hotel Im looking at is in an area I want to launch my next business.
Companies to Work for and what to look for in a Hotel
Make sure the Hotel is less than 5 years old. You want new employees, and a hotel that still has money in the bank so they don't really care about inventory, and headcounts so much.
Marriott #1 (they are expanding the fastest and need the most people)
Starwood (they have been bought by Marriott and have the coolest hotel brands)
IHG (the biggest but not even close to being the best)
Hyatt (loves hiring young dudes)
Wyndham
Accor
Writing this post, I have been on tantan and drinking beer so if anything is unclear or needs more information just ask for a clarification.
Hope this Helps some of you guys looking for an adventure!
