Preparing for Employment in the Travel and Tourism Industry Essay

A) * Identifying customers needs 1. There should be a staffing plan for any company 2. When a vacancy arises for whatever reason, the impact of the vacancy should be considered against the staffing plan. 3. There may be an opportunity to move staff into different positions better suited to company needs 4. Sometimes major restructuring takes place without a vacancy having arisen, due to changes in the business or economic circumstances of the company, for example a takeover of another company or a major economic downturn. * Job descriptions A job description is a general statement explaining the purpose, duties and responsibilities of a job. It should include the following:- 1. Job title and department 2. Job purpose- the main duties of the role 3. Responsibilities – to whom the job holder is responsible, and all the responsibilities of the post 4. Physical conditions – where the work is performed, the hours, any hazards or special conditions 5. Social conditions – in teams, with client, or alone 6. Economic conditions – salary range, commissions, bonuses, pension, sick pay 7. Prospects for promotion and training. 8. Date it was written – this is important because duties and responsibilities may change over times. * Person specifications A person specification is used to match the right person to the job. It describes a desirable personal attributes of the job holders. It is usually based on a seven-point plan which includes:- 1. Physical make-up – does the job require any special physical characteristics such as strength, good eyesight or height? 2. Attainments – what type of education is needed? What special occupational experience or training is required? 3. Intelligence – how much general intelligence should be evident? 4. Special aptitudes – is a skill in writing or drawing needed? Does the applicant need o be reliable or hard working? 5. Circumstances – does the applicant need o be mobile? Does he or she have to travel away from home? 6. Interests * Advertising Advertising is used to find suitable candidates. There are many possible locations for placing advertising. The most important consideration is reaching the right people, but cost must also be taken into account. The following could be used: – 1. Job centre – usually used to recruit unskilled or semi-skilled staff. As the department for education and employment provides the service which is free. Job centres will also pre-interview for the company. 2. press – local press is ideal for local companies 3. Radio – frequently used for recruitment; more suitable for local jobs. 4. ‘Milk round’- companies visit universities searching for suitable graduated applicants. 5. Internet – on their own websites or through specialist recruitment sites. 6. Recruitment agencies – general or specialist. There are specialist travel and tourism agencies. To fill a permanent position, the agency charges a percentage of the annual salary for the post, so they are expensive. * Roadshows When companies send their recruitment team to venues in major cities to undertake a recruitment drive and it is often called a roadshow. They advertise their presence locally and potential applicant turn up and find out about career opportunities with that company. ‘The milk round’ is a particular type of roadshows when companies travel to universities in an attempt to recruit students who are about to graduate. * Recruitment agencies There are organisations who earn their income by charging a fee to companies for undertaking their recruitment for them. Some are specialist companies. An example of a recruitment agency specialising in travel and tourism is Holiday Resort Jobs, and they have an online resort jobs directory. * Short-listing applications The initial methods of selection involve comparing applications to the job specification and person specification. A list of essential criteria may be used, which will result in many applications being rejected by the organisation. At Canvas Holidays an interview checklist is used to help decide who should be short listed. Essential recruitments include availability, a bank account, and experience (which should involve working with the public), experience of overseas travel or camping. Desirable recruitments include a language and experience of working with children. * Telephone, group and individual interviews * Psychometric testing These are used to test ability or personality. They usually take the form of fairly lengthy questionnaires and the respondent is judged as suitable for a position or not depending on the responses given. The tests are used to support other selection methods rather than as a selection tool that stands alone. * Offer of employment If a person is successful at interview then they can expect to receive a letter which constitutes an offer of employment. This is followed by a contract which lays out the terms and conditions of employment and it will include details such as:- 1. hours of work 2. location 3. start and finish times/shift times 4. holiday entitlement 5. rate of pay * Contracts A contract is an exchange of promises between two or more parties to do, or refrain from doing, an act, which resulting contract is enforceable in a court of law. It is a binding legal agreement. The contract lays out the terms and conditions of employment and it will include details such as:- 1. hours of work 2. location 3. start and finish times/shift times 4. holiday entitlement 5. rate of pay * Induction B) From the prospective of the application, include a description of the different stages including:- * Researching opportunities Before a person applies for a job they have to carry out research to find suitable jobs to apply for and can find jobs in these sources which are as follows:- 1. Newspaper (local and national) 2. Trade magazines such as Travel Trade Gazette and Travel weekly, leisure opportunities and caterer online 3. Careers specialists 4. Recruitment agencies 5. Company websites * Producing a CV Curriculum vitae literally means an account of your life, it is a summary of your own work experience, education and skills. The purpose of a CV is to bring a person to the attention of an employer and get them to the interview stage. Everyone’s CV should be constantly updated, and although you will keep a basic CV on file you should adapt it to fit the particular requirements of each job you apply for. Of altering the emphasis of the CV to make the relevant points stand out. Your CV should include: * Personal information * Work history * Education * Skills * References Personal information Give your name, address, telephone numbers and e-mail address. There is no need to give your gender, marital status or number of children, if any. No need to mention your age either, but if you are young it is a good idea to put your date of birth as there may be jobs you are not eligible for because of you age. Work history This is where you list all your employment, starting with you current or latest job. If you have never has a job, include any periods of work experience or voluntary work you have done. For each job give the job title, the name of the company and what it does, if it is not well known. Add a list of your responsibilities in that position, list them too. Education List your qualifications. As with work history, start with your most recent qualification or course. Include schools from secondary onwards. Do not include GCSEs below ‘C’ grade. Writer the name of the college/ school and against it the qualifications you achieved there. Skills List any other skills you have. Examples include languages, with an indication of your level, driving, licence, and first-aid certificate or lifeguard qualifications. Include your key skills and IT qualifications here too. For IT, say which software packages you can use. References It is usual to include the name and addresses of two referees. One must be an employer or tutor. Alternatively, you can state that referees are available on request – this gives you time to ask referees for permission to give their contact details. Profile Some people choose to start their CV with a brief personal profile. It sums up your skills and experience and gives the employer an instant idea of whether you are suitable for the post. It can easily be adapted to fit a particular post. * Speculative enquiries Letters of application may be speculative- this means a letter is sent even if you don’t know whether a job vacancy exists. * Responding to advertisements When you are writing a response to a job advert, you must always remember to make sure you say which advert you saw the job. Highlight your skills, qualities and qualifications that match job. * Preparing for interview * Advanced preparations The individual has to prepare their interview clothes the night before. They also have to prepare for the question that might be asked from them about the company, why they would like the job? They also need to research their journey, the time it will take to arrive at the place where the interview is being held. The individual must also research about the company for example products and services. * Telephone screening Telephone interviews are very common, they are less time consuming. The telephone interviewee can create an impression of themselves to the other person that is interviewing them on the other end of the phone (telephone interview) 1. Here are a few tips to prepare you for the duration of your telephone interview * Stand up-good body language will affect your voice * Use appropriate language, not slang * Introduce yourself * End the call properly 2. When you are specking :- * Use your voice to make a good impression * Make sure points are clear over the phone * Attending interview * Personal presentation The dress code is very important; you have to look smart for all of your job interviews Make sure that all of your clothes are clear, crease free and your shoes are polished. Make sure you are clean and well groomed. * Projecting a positive image and attitude Make sure that you are friendly at the interview, always make sure that you engage very good eye contact with your individual also have to make sure they know their information from the interviewer about the company. Always remember to be confident * Body language Pay attention to your body language during the interview, make sure that you appear relaxed not stressed. * Responding to and asking questions Questions are often asked about instances where you are able to demonstrate your skills prepare example of questions that may be asked in the real interview. * Time management Always be punctual and on time for all of your job interviews. To save time work out your journey route a few days in advanced for your interview and pre-buy coach/train tickets before your interview day. * Evaluation You may have to apply for many jobs before you receive an offer for employment. Some companies will offer you feedback. If you receive good feedback you have shown your strengths to the interviewer in order to obtain your ideal job! If the feedback from the interviewer is bad, then they will notify you about weaknesses for the interview that took place. After this procedure, you need to reflect on these weaknesses and make sure that you turn these weaknesses into strengths * Responding to job offers If you are offered a job, and you wish to accept it, you may receive and accept the offer by telephone but make sure that you formally accept the job offer in writing. * References It is usual to include the name and addresses of two referees. One must be an employer or tutor. Alternatively, you can state that referees are available on request – this gives you time to ask referees for permission to give their contact details. Task 3B (M2) * Researching opportunities Before a person applies for a job they have to carry out research to find suitable jobs to apply for and can find jobs in these sources which are as follows:- 1. Newspaper (local and national) 2. Trade magazines such as Travel Trade Gazette and Travel weekly, leisure opportunities and caterer online 3. Careers specialists 4. Recruitment agencies 5. Company websites * Producing a CV Curriculum vitae literally means an account of your life, it is a summary of your work experience, education and skills. The purpose of your CV is to bring you to the attention of an employer and get you to the interview stage. A person’s CV should be constantly updated, and although you will keep a basic CV on file you should adapt it to fit the particular requirements of each job you apply for. Of altering the emphasis of the CV to make the relevant points stand out. Your CV should include: * Personal information * Work history * Education * Skills * References Personal information Give your name, address, telephone numbers and e-mail address. There is no need to give your gender, marital status or number of children, if any. No need to mention your age either, but if you are young it is a good idea to put your date of birth as there may be jobs you are not eligible for because of you age. Work history This is where you list all your employment, starting with you current or latest job. If you have never has a job, include any periods of work experience or voluntary work you have done. For each job give the job title, the name of the company and what it does, if it is not well known. Add a list of your responsibilities in that position, list them too. Education List your qualifications. As with work history, start with your most recent qualification or course. Include schools from secondary onwards. Do not include GCSEs below ‘C’ grade. Writer the name of the college/ school and against it the qualifications you achieved there. Skills List any other skills you have. Examples include languages, with an indication of your level, driving, licence, and first-aid certificate or lifeguard qualifications. Include your key skills and IT qualifications here too. For IT, and you should also talk about which software packages you can use. References It is usual to include the name and addresses of two referees. One must be an employer or tutor. Alternatively, you can state that referees are available on request – this gives you time to ask referees for permission to give their contact details. Profile Some people choose to start their CV with a brief personal profile. It sums up your skills and experience and gives the employer an instant idea of whether you are suitable for the post. It can easily be adapted to fit a particular post. * Speculative enquiries Letters of application may be speculative- this means a letter is sent even if you don’t know whether a job vacancy exists. * Responding to advertisements When you are writing a response to a job advert, you must always remember to make sure you say which advert you saw the job. Highlight your skills, qualities and qualifications that match job. * Preparing for interview * Advanced preparations The individual has to prepare their interview clothes the night before. They also have to prepare for the question that might be asked from them about the company, why they would like the job? They also need to research their journey, the time it will take to arrive at the place where the interview is being held. The individual must also research about the company for example products and services. * Telephone screening Telephone interviews are very common, they are less time consuming. The telephone interviewee can create an impression of themselves to the other person that is interviewing them on the other end of the phone (telephone interview) 1. Here are a few tips to prepare you for the duration of your telephone interview * Stand up-good body language will affect your voice * Use appropriate language, not slang * Introduce yourself * End the call properly 2. When you are specking :- * Use your voice to make a good impression * Make sure points are clear over the phone * Attending interview * Personal presentation The dress code is very important; you have to look smart for all of your job interviews Make sure that all of your clothes are clear, crease free and your shoes are polished. Make sure you are clean and well groomed. * Projecting a positive image and attitude Make sure that you are friendly at the interview, always make sure that you engage very good eye contact with your individual also have to make sure they know their information from the interviewer about the company. Always remember to be confident * Body language Pay attention to your body language during the interview, make sure that you appear relaxed not stressed. * Responding to and asking questions Questions are often asked about instances where you are able to demonstrate your skills prepare example of questions that may be asked in the real interview. * Time management Always be punctual and on time for all of your job interviews. To save time work out your journey route a few days in advanced for your interview and pre-buy coach/train tickets before your interview day. * Evaluation You may have to apply for many jobs before you receive an offer for employment. Some companies will offer you feedback. If you receive good feedback you have shown your strengths to the interviewer in order to obtain your ideal job! If the feedback from the interviewer is bad, then they will notify you about weaknesses for the interview that took place. After this procedure, you need to reflect on these weaknesses and make sure that you turn these weaknesses into strengths Task 3b (M2) use the guideline you produced in task 3b (a) as the basis for a detailed assessment of your personal performance when applying for work and for attending an interview. Research opportunities Before a person applies for a job they have to carry out research to find suitable jobs to apply for and I did the same thing to find the right job for me. Ways to find cabin crew jobs are as follows:- 1. Newspaper (local and national) 2. Trade magazines such as Travel Trade Gazette and Travel weekly, leisure opportunities and caterer online 3. Careers specialists 4. Recruitment agencies 5. Company websites For my research opportunities I used the Virgin Atlantic and the cabin crew careers website to find out about the company and to get detailed information of what and what not Virgin Atlantic provides to their member of staff. Also to get information about what they want in their staff and what the roles and responsibilities of cabin crew when working with such a big company like Virgin Atlantic. Producing your CV Curriculum vitae literally means an account of your life, it is a summary of your work experience, education and skills. The purpose of your CV is to bring you to the attention of an employer and get you to the interview stage. I updated my CV before the day of interview so that whatever I have gained so for which I have forgotten to put down could be updated and to also show how much experience I have gained. Your CV should include: * Personal information * Work history * Education * Skills * References Personal information In personal information sector I have put down my name, address, telephone numbers and e-mail address. I have not put down my gender, marital status, because there is no need for me to put it down in a CV. I also don’t have to mention my age, but sometimes you are young it is a good idea to put your date of birth as there may be jobs you are not eligible for because of you age. Work history This is where I have listed all my employment, starting with my current or latest job. This includes all the work experience I have done. For each job I have given the job title, the name of the company and what it does, if it is not well known. I also have added a list of my responsibilities in that position. Education I have listed all my qualifications. Starting with my most recent qualification or the course I am doing. I have also talked about my secondary school education onwards. I have not included my GCSEs below ‘C’ grade. I have also put down the name of the college/ school and against it the qualifications I have achieved there. Skills I have listed all the other skills I have other than my education. Examples include languages, with an indication of my level. I have also included my key skills and IT qualifications too. For IT, I have motioned about the software packages I can use. References It is usual to include the name and addresses of two referees. One must be an employer or tutor. In my CV have put down that the referees will be available on request – this will gives me time to ask referees for permission to give their contact details.