What can I do with my degree?

What can I do with my degree?:
Hospitality management

Hospitality management graduates are highly employable, applying their skills in careers such as events, hotel and conference management, sales and business development and forestry and fishing management

Job options

Jobs directly related to your degree include:

·         Accommodation manager
·         Catering manager
·         Event organiser
·         Fast food restaurant manager
·         Hotel manager
·         Public house manager
·         Restaurant manager

Jobs where your degree would be useful include:

·         Customer service manager
·         Human resources officer
·         Retail manager
·         Tour manager
Remember that many employers accept applications from graduates with any degree subject, so don't restrict your thinking to the jobs listed here

Work experience

It is essential to gain experience in the industry and many hospitality courses offer an industrial placement, enabling you to put academic learning into practice. This helps to develop your transferable and subject-specific skills and provides evidence of skills and experience to employers. It is also a valuable opportunity to learn from highly experienced colleagues and can help you to discover your particular area of interest within the sector.

If you already have a specialist area in mind, opt for the closest matching environment you can find. For example, if you ultimately hope to work in a luxury hotel, apply to local hotels of a similar standard.

It is possible to achieve responsibility relatively quickly in this sector, so you can gain experience of supervising and training new staff early on if you show a willingness and ability to learn.

Typical employers

Some of the large chain hotels or restaurants offer graduate-management programmes, providing a fast-track to management positions and experience in a range of operations.

Hospitality graduates can find work in catering, conference and events management; within the tourism and leisure sector; the entertainment sector; and in facilities management and food service management. There are also relevant roles throughout the public sector in universities, hospitals, transport and the armed forces.

Self-employment is an option with experience, business sense and a sound plan.
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Skills for your CV

Hospitality-related subjects offer a range of study options, both specialist and generalist. Whichever you choose, a degree in hospitality management gives you an in-depth understanding of the structure and operation of the industry and its related sectors. A common thread is a focus on identifying, understanding and responding to the needs of consumers, so as to provide an excellent customer experience.

You also develop many other general skills sought by a range of employers. These include:

·         analytical, critical and problem-solving skills, developed through researching, evaluating and  presenting arguments and data;
·         IT skills to collect, analyse and present information in spreadsheets and databases;
·         written communication skills, gained from report and essay writing;
·         negotiation and teamwork skills, developed through working both independently and on group projects;
·         leadership and delegation skills, gained through group work.
Hospitality management is a social business so you need to be friendly, outgoing and have good networking skills.

Further study

A small number of graduates choose postgraduate study in order to specialise in a particular hospitality-related function, such as hospitality management, events management or human resources (HR). Some postgraduate courses, e.g. international hospitality management, involve a year's work placement as part of the course.

Before progressing to postgraduate study, do your research and consider the benefits of qualifications compared to experience.

There may be opportunities to undertake supported-postgraduate study while working for an employer, to enhance your career development with them and bring new skills to your workplace.