Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.Clik here to view.
When it comes to career advice, I’m all about keeping it simple.
“What do you want to be when you grow up?” Even that question is too complicated. I like if/then statements.
If you like dogs and medicine, you might be a veterinarian. If you like science, you might be a good scientist.
Recently, I was asked to speak in a third-grade classroom about jobs in hospitality and tourism.
It sounded like a perfect opportunity to educate and recruit, but I had to simplify my typical message.
This is how I broke it down.
If you like to smile and you like people, tourism may be a career for you.
It was simple but effective, and I’ve adopted it into all of my discussions about the tourism workforce.
The tourism community comprises the largest workforce in the area with 24,000 workers. I feel I’m always trying to recruit happy people who like other people. It’s at the heart of customer service and at the basis of our brand of customer service in Savannah, the “Hostess City of the South.”
Those who embody that optimism and respect for fellow humans advance in the tourism ranks — fast.
For example, Rheubin Lewis, director of banquets at The Westin Savannah Harbor, has an infectious smile. He loves working with people, and people love working with him.
His career in hospitality and tourism started with one of the most rudimentary jobs, parking cars as a valet while he was studying business at Tennessee State University.
Lewis excelled with his people skills as a valet, and his supervisors quickly moved him to an inside job as an assistant room manager.
His career in tourism has taken him across the country to Dallas, Maui, San Antonio, Atlanta, Nashville, and since 2000, Savannah.
Lewis is responsible for
setting up food and beverage service for all of the meetings at The Westin, whether they be for business or pleasure. To do that, he leads a team of nearly 30 people.
To see him in action is watching a great leader at work.
“You can pass along the task, but it will still be there,” Lewis said. “Or, you can just get the job done yourself to keep your team on task.”
His team loves him, and so do the visitors. He is centered on helping others, anticipating what guests might need before they even know they need it. He does this not looking for appreciation but from the feeling of a job well done.
“This industry feels like a family because everything you do requires that everyone do their job well,” said Lewis. “There has to be communication between the departments. You depend on others in order for everything to go smoothly.”
There’s another side to his career in tourism. Most weeks, he works 60 hours a week, coming in at 6 a.m. and leaving around 9 p.m. He also has the occasional angry guest who cannot be consoled.
But at the heart of Lewis’ success is his incessant smile and his love of people.
Simple.
Molly Swagler is vice president of communications at the Tourism Leadership Council. In addition to representing the industry, she also teaches customer service skills through the Coastal Concierge Association. You can reach her at molly@TourismLeadershipCouncil.com.