Sunday, February 27, 2011

Golf Course Management: The Complexities Of The Career

It's easy to picture a golf course manager as someone who just makes sure everyone is having a good time playing, but golf course management is actually a complex and challenging career. Anyone who wants to enter this field should understand just how many different hats he or she will be wearing and how many different types of jobs they will be doing to make sure the facility they manage is running smoothly and their customers are happy.

The most obvious focus of the work is Operations; keeping the day to day working of a course, country club or driving range running smoothly. Operations management includes everything from making sure the course opens up on time to making sure cart rental is handled properly and that caddies are lined up for patrons. In the end, it is all about making sure that things happen without a hitch so that patrons are happy and can enjoy playing the game without worries.

The nuts and bolts of Business and Accounting are never far from the mind of a successful course manager, from tracking inventory in the pro shop to knowing what the monthly cash flow is in each department of the course, the manager will oversee millions of dollars and will need an in-depth understanding of how to budget and allocate funds. Fortunately, a bachelor's degree offers business and accounting courses that prepare students for handling all of these details.

Actual course management is another part of the job that contributes to the success of a facility. It requires knowledge of everything from pest management to course design and renovation to make sure the course is always in peak condition and able to compete successfully with other facilities. Changing environmental requirements must also be a concern for anyone in course management.

There is also a portion of managing that requires the same skill set that is needed to successfully run a fine restaurant or hospitality suite. Food and beverage management is taught at academies as a part of the curriculum so that managers can oversee everything from beverage service at the driving range to catering of weddings and banquets in the dining facilities at the club house. These courses will also cover the essentials of ordering and organizing the preparation of the proper quantities of food for special events and tournaments. Decor, inventory and understanding cooking and wait staff needs are all a part of making sure that those dining or drinking at a club's facilities will have a memorable experience.

Marketing and Publicity is essential to successful management. No matter how smoothly the business runs or how fabulous the food and drink service is, if you aren't consistently bringing in new business and successfully retaining the current customers, you won't grow the business. This is why management schools prepare students with courses in marketing, public relations and media relations. Developing strategic partnerships, designing and promoting tournaments, promoting in-house activities and special events and encouraging community outreach are all a part of the success of any club or course, and an experienced administrator will excel in these areas.

Finally, Human Resources are crucial to being the best possible administrator. Recruiting professionals who are the right fit for your green, finding chefs and wait staff who will be an asset to your club's restaurant and understanding how to properly train and retain employees are all crucial skills. You will also need to understand complex payroll, safety and worker's compensation issues. A university offering a bachelor's degree in this industries management will cover all of these areas thoroughly in its coursework.

It's obvious that it takes a well-rounded, highly educated individual to run a country club successfully. A strong business sense is needed in addition to a love of the game and genuine people skills in order to pursue the long term goals of a growing golf facility. Today's academies offer a balanced blend of classroom work and on the greens instruction to prepare students in order to enter the field of golf course management prepared for anything.

Thursday, February 24, 2011

10 Common Career Management Misconceptions

Most people do not believe in career management, they only believe in career damage control which means when something goes wrong they will fix it. Until then, most people don't bother to manage their careers to prevent disasters from occurring in the first place.

Listed below are ten misconceptions with regard to career management:

1. Only the most qualified people get the job - This is simply not true. It does not matter how qualified you are for the job. What matters is the way you have presented yourself during the interview process. Qualifications are not the only criteria for getting good jobs, other things like dedication, confidence and attitude also matter.

2. No need to work at a career just because you have a job - This could be the biggest mistake you make and quite possibly the most popular misconception. This way of thinking has potential for disaster. You never know when you may be downsized or laid off from your current job, and if you do not have a career plan then you are in serious trouble. Make sure that you spend some time on managing your career even if you have a job. Do small things like update your resume and network with your peers.

3. Professional education stopped after graduation - This cannot be further from the truth. You need to continuously work at your professional education to maintain a competitive edge. Read trade magazines, write articles for relevant magazines, attend seminars, and pursue certificate and training courses.

4. The most generous salary is always offered - This is not true. In fact most employers offer a low salary just to see your negotiation skills. This is an old trick of the trade, where the employers check to see whether the candidate has done sufficient research from every angle.

5. I have job Security if I perform well - This is not true, especially in an economy where downsizing, mergers and outsourcing seem to be the order of the day. No one has a secure job, no matter how well you do your job. You have to take a hands-on approach by managing your career properly to ensure security.

6. Only a resume is required - All job seekers need to have certain tools for job hunting and the resume is only one of these tools. Other tools include cover letters, references and so on.

7. Recruiters are sufficient for job searching - No, they are not. Yes, recruiters will help you and guide you in the best way possible, but you cannot leave it completely up to them to get you the best job. You have to be proactive and take charge in your job-hunting process.

8. Employers are responsible for defining career paths - No, employers aren't responsible for anything except getting the job done. You are the only person who is responsible for getting your career on the right path and for defining the way you want your career to head.

9. No need to network - Networking is essential to every business and for every person. You as a career oriented person need to constantly network. It is one of the most important aspects of career management.

10. Jobs are easily identifiable - Most people think that jobs are posted on the Internet or advertised in newspapers. This also is not true. Only a small percentage of jobs are advertised in this manner. Most people identify jobs by networking.

By keeping in mind the above misconceptions, you can avoid them and keep your career on the right track!

Sunday, February 20, 2011

Hotel Management in UK Now Looks Easy For Aspiring Individuals

Students have never shown any drop of dissatisfaction or passed a sarcastic comment when asked about their views on studying in London. Apart from the famous London Bridge, this city is also embedded with many places to visit that have historical importance besides the buzz about their fashion and financial hubs. Almost every aspiring face of the planet has an insatiable curiosity and desire to make their dreams come true in London.

Moreover to pursue a vocational course in globally recognized colleges and top calibrated universities are one of the basic reasons behind the concept of making London, a second home for such ambitious students. Post graduate degree and course like hotel management in UKare often selected by the individuals for taking admission in a reputed business school or a college. Now-a-days there are many useful websites that can provide information regarding colleges and universities that offer such courses to any dedicated student.

Similar valid and important information based on the colleges and educational institutions that offer courses like hotel management in UKwill help those individuals who have a dream about studying in London. London Thames College is one such reputed educational institute that provides Diploma in Hotel Management in London. Entry requirements are possible for students who have at least done twelve years of education with a minimum of 5.5 band score in IELTS (International English Language Testing System). By paying £3950.00 (excluding examination and registration fees) for the course that has duration of eighteen months (including placement) a student can enroll his name in this college.

Confederation of Tourism & Hospitality is the awarding body behind this course and its commencing dates are in the month of February, June and September. Advanced Diploma in Hotel Management in Ealing is the course that can be done by taking admission in London School of Management. Duration of the course is of one year and fees structure is £3,200 excluding VAT. Besides, Cambridge College of Learning also offers a course on Diploma in Hotel Management (CTHCM) in London. The course duration is of twelve months which can be pursued by paying £3,000 excluding VAT. Diploma in Hotel Management in London is the course available in LSM Business School. On payment of £3,450excluding VAT (Value Added Tax) any dedicated student can pursue this twelve month duration course.

CECOS London College is also not lagging behind in providing Diploma in Hotel Management (CTHCM). Interested students can take admission by paying £3,000 excluding VAT this one year course can be undertaken where CTHCM means (Confederation of Tourism - Hotel - Catering Management). These above mentioned colleges are ranked in the top list of available educational institutions that offer course on hotel management to aspiring students.

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Careers In Hotel Management

Travel and tourism is a growing industry that offers many exciting careers. Lodging is one of the largest employers in the travel industry and offers many educational, internship and certification opportunities for professionals pursuing a career in hotels. Hotel employees can rise to management through formal education requiring degrees in management or through vocational training followed up by experience.If hotel management is your passion, many programs are available and designed to prepare you for management positions in the hospitality industry. At the Boston University School of Hospitality Administration, for instance, students are taught about hospitality in conjunction with a variety of liberal arts and management courses. Making quick positive decisions is another requirement for this type of position. Many times you will not have someone else to rely on or you will only have the barest of information but a decision must be made now.

This many times is the nature of the business, the pace is fast and when today is done there is no tomorrow. But the customer want the answer now, or you have to give the employee instructions now, or the event planner needs a decision now, so it's a prime requirement of a good hotel manger to be able to deal with this type of pace.Unlike in the past, hotels are increasingly becoming more sophisticated. More hotels are using databases to manage their clientele, and book rooms. Thus creating an avenue for the services increased specialization in different fields. Unlike the past where computers weren't considered important and the services of computer experts weren't required, hotels are beginning to increasingly hire database managers and computer specialists.

Hotel managers can often find themselves in a very hectic job. Hotels are open 24 hours a day year round, and mangers regularly work in excess of 40 hours per week. They often have to accommodate a large influx of guests during holidays or for conventions, which can cause a stressful work environment.For a successful growth of hotels and hospitality industry, it is a great demand from the employees to have the knowledge of more languages apart from the basic English one. French is one of the popular languages that are widely used after English in most of the countries and there is a huge demand of this language all over the world.

Sunday, February 13, 2011

Hospitality Management Course In English

Instituto Hemingway has created a new course which is to be incorporated into the programmes which can be studied through the Virtual Classroom. This Basic Hotel Management Course is aimed at students interested in getting to know the characteristics of the catering industry in Spain.

We can now offer the course in English for those students who are less familiar with the Spanish language. All queries, activities and communication with the teacher can be done in English.

The Course includes a basic vocabulary guide so that students can familiarise themselves with the Spanish language and its vocabulary.

The Course has been created to answer a learning need expressed by students during their trip to Spain and it is a great complement to the "Work in Hotels" programme.

The "Work in Hotels" programme allows students to learn Spanish and to get to know the Spanish culture by working and living in hotels situated in Spain. Naturally, some of the students are unaware of many aspects of the socioeconomic reality of Spain and the characteristics of the hotel industry.

This is precisely what the Basic Catering Course aims to explain: aspects of the cultural, gastronomic and economic reality of Spain in relation to the catering industry. The Course is divided into 7 didactic units dealing with topics relating to restaurants, hotels, food, gastronomy, table service, serving staff etc. The estimated duration of the Course is 40 hours and combines theoretic content with practical elements.

The Course is imparted through the Virtual Classroom which is a modern learning tool where you can find the main content of the course, complementary materials and other documents of interest, course activities and self-evaluation exercises. The Virtual Classroom allows you to contact other students and your designated tutor through forums, chatrooms and direct communication with the teacher.

Details on content, methodology and the teaching team can be found in the Teaching Guide.

Thursday, February 10, 2011

How Can You Learn Hotel Management at Home?

One of the most popular study fields of today is hotel management. The hotel management courses teach you to handle tasks like housekeeping, conventions, reservations and handling catering in a hotel then you can earn good salary. If you have interest in this line and the skills required for jobs related to this field then you should definitely do hotel management courses.

Today people can learn these courses from home if they have problems due to which they cannot do it by going to a particular training centre. These courses can be done online on the World Wide Web. This way a lot of your time and money will be saved but you will be required to attend management training courses outside your town which would not be a big hassle for you. There are a lot of reputable universities and business training agencies which are offering these courses; you can easily find them over on the internet.

However these universities are virtual universities. They are either offering degrees in management or short courses online. The fees of these study programs are comparatively lower and affordable than the others which are based on regular classes. However you should contact to your university and make sure if the examinations are given online or in the classrooms.

In the first couple of years of your program you will be taught how to handle the mundane duties. Do not think that you would not be taught online what they teach in classrooms. All of the material is the same except that in homes you see it visually and in the classrooms you see it physically. After some time you will be given assignments to give theories on staffing, hotel décor or conventions.

After you are done studying, you will be offered jobs like hotel manager, catering manager, food and drinks manager or convention service manager. Your salary will also be low but when you will gain experience in this field you will earn good stipend. If you performed well you will be able to get bonuses along with your salaries or you will be promoted.

Presently, there is a lot of demand for the hotel managers because these hotel businesses keep on rising not just in this country but internationally and the best thing about these managing courses is that it is not necessary to have a four year degree, you can even get jobs easily by studying short courses.

Sunday, February 6, 2011

Why You Should Select Hotel Management as Your Career

The hotel industry leads the service segment of our economy with continued expansion and chances abounding. Hotel management students are prepared for management, marketing and sales opportunities in the hotel industry by course work that combines theory with authentic hands-on learning experiences. Hotel management graduates have several career opportunities to interact with hotel industry professionals, as they are habitual speaker in classes, and provide site visitations and internship opportunities.

The hotel management degree program has an industry advisory board made of professionals from throughout the spectrum of the hotel industry and gives students employment opportunities by inviting the top company in the industry to campus to recruit. The placement rate of hotel management graduates exceeds 95 percent. More than 20 scholarships are available in the college hotel management degree program. The awards are usually based on scholastic completion, industry experience, extra curricular activities, career aspirations and need. Moreover to course work, the program needs minimum of 400 hours of paid work experience, which is often completed with the nation’s luxurious hotels and lodging establishments, as well as international experiences.

Hotel Management College Graduates Get Great Jobs

The hospitality industry is a people and service-oriented business. Individuals trained in hospitality programs manage operations where food, lodging or both are provided. These may include full service, luxury, all-suite, convention, mid-scale, and budget hotel, resorts, motels, inns, bed and breakfasts, conference centers, and airline operations. The hotel management degree program has a joint education partnership with the university-owned holiday inn hotel and conference center to enhance student awareness of the complexity of the hospitality industry and give hands-on opportunities. The hotel allows hotel management students to ‘test the water’ of the hospitality industry.

Increasing demand for better qualified and professionally trained managers has led to make this course more demanding. Social, technical and demographic changes suggest that the industry’s development will extend well into the 21st century. IIMT one of the leading hotel management colleges India offers bachelor degree in hotel management degree courses. If you are looking for management institutes Delhi, the consider IIMT as it is one of the best management institutes in India.

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Great Opportunities in a Hotel Manager Career

Though the industry is likely to do well in the long term, the Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts there won't be very much growth in the number of jobs for hotel managers. A lot of new hotels will be economy class and extended-stay hotels, and these kinds of accommodations don't hire as many managers as shorter-stay, more upscale ones. However, increasing business travel and domestic and foreign tourism will drive employment growth of hotel managers and assistants.

Hotel and motels rent rooms to customers. These businesses need employees to clean rooms and check in guests. Larger hotels also need employees to plan conferences, set up rooms for events, and prepare meals for guests. Hotel and motel managers oversee all these departments and make sure employees do good work. Duties vary with the size and type of the business. In small hotels and motels, one manager may be in charge of all departments. In large hotels, each department may be run by an assistant manager. General Managers are in charge of the entire hotel. They often help create budgets, policies, and advertisements. They also may set room rates and fees.

There are several types of assistant managers. Executive housekeepers are in charge of the workers who clean the hotel. They inspect the hotel to make sure that all areas are clean. Front office managers are in charge of reservations and room assignments. Food and beverage managers oversee restaurants and banquets. They plan menus, set prices, and order supplies. Convention services managers coordinate all hotel activities related to meetings. They meet with clients and plan schedules. Then they work with the food service and front office managers to serve and lodge the visitors.

Assistant managers hire, train, and supervise the members of their staff. They assign duties to workers and schedule their shifts. They also solve customers' complaints and answer questions about their departments. In addition, managers write reports about their department. They also order food or supplies and may negotiate contracts with vendors. Assistant managers meet and talk with the general manager several times a week. They also talk to other assistant managers when coordinating large events, such as weddings.

In general, managers of small hotels and motels have more duties than managers of larger businesses. This is because there are fewer employees in smaller hotels and motels. Thus, managers are likely to fill in for absent workers. For example, managers may occasionally clean rooms, take reservations, check guests in and out, or make general repairs. Managers of small hotels and motels have many administrative tasks. They interview, hire, and train new staff. They schedule laundry service deliveries and order supplies. In addition, they keep track of income and expenses.

In short, hotel managers wear a million different hats and juggle a million different tasks. As managers who oversee the running of entire hotels or motels, they must have an incredible eye for detail, enormous organizational ability, and lots and lots of energy. Initiative, self-discipline, effective communication skills, and the ability to organize and direct the work of others are also essential for managers at all levels.

In the course of the day, hotel managers face all sorts of crises. They must make many quick decisions with grace and aplomb. They must have a good sense of business and know how to promote their hotel through advertisements, promotional events and special offers.

Twenty years ago, hotel managers came up through the ranks, usually starting out at the front desk. This is less likely today. An associate's degree can qualify someone to be an assistant manager or manager of a small hotel, but in a large hotel, it's difficult to rise beyond assistant manager without additional education. Most department managers have a bachelor's degree, preferably from a hotel-school program. These programs usually require extensive internships, and this is how future managers get their initial work experience. Hotel executives often have advanced degrees in a specialty or an MBA.

In chain hotels like Sheratons or Marriotts, new managers, even those with hotel school degrees, are usually put through a year-long management trainee program before being assigned to an assistant manager position.

Because hotels are open around the clock, night and weekend work is common. Many hotel managers work more than 40 hours per week. Managers who live in the hotel usually have regular work schedules, but they may be called to work at any time. Some employees of resort hotels are managers during the busy season and have other duties during the rest of the year.

Salaries of hotel managers and assistants vary greatly according to their responsibilities and the segment of the hotel industry in which they are employed. Managers may earn bonuses up to 25 percent of their basic salary in some hotels and may also be furnished with lodging, meals, parking, laundry, and other services. In addition to typical benefits, some hotels offer profit-sharing plans and educational assistance to their employees.

A well-run hotel or restaurant is the result of carefully choreographed teamwork and specific knowledge and training in the administration of such places. A Master's degree in hospitality administration will prepare the student for a career in the aspects of the hospitality industry that are nothing less than vital for the success and growth of these kinds of businesses. The coursework is often quite similar to that undertaken by students in MBA programs, but in this case they focus in on the hospitality industry, as opposed to other aspects of the business world. Courses may include marketing, negotiation techniques, asset management, entrepreneurship, systems analysis, and restaurant and spa development.

The Master of Science Program (MS) taking about 1 1/2-year is geared toward hospitality professionals who wish to continue their careers in an academic or research setting and is designed to help students develop solid graduate-level research skills within a focused hospitality research area. The majority of the student's course work is tailored to the student's area of hospitality research interest and academic and professional background. Students plan their concentration area courses as well as thesis research with their thesis committee.

If you are in high school, find out about CTE courses in Hotel/Motel Marketing, Hospitality Management, Hospitality Services and Travel and Tourism Marketing. These courses can lead to hospitality skills certification from the American Hotel & Lodging Association and the National Occupational Competency Testing Institute.

 
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