JobsDB Moments (August 2009)

Dorsett: Hospitality Industry is Full of Life!

“It’s an exciting industry; like the airlines industry, it’s so full of life,” said Osman. Dorsett International currently owns and manages the international class Grand Dorsett Labuan Hotel in Labuan, the four-star Dorsett Regency Hotel in Kuala Lumpur, the four-star Maytower Hotel and Services Residences in Kuala Lumpur, and the three-star Dorsett Johor Hotel in Johor Bahru.” So, what is exciting about the hospitality industry? “For one, you get to meet all walks of life, ranging from cabinet minister to a dishwasher, for example. You get to know different culture and handle different challenges on daily basis. It’s not a mundane chore, nor is it confined to office,” she said. She added that people are much friendlier in hospitality industry, and it is natural that they treat everyone equally. “It’s a people oriented industry, very warm and friendly. This is also an industry where one can learn from the other,” she noted.

Further to that point, for example, a maid can go to the bakery and watch their bakery chef whip up cakes and pastries and learn from them.  Hotels also offer lots of training that may not be related to one profession but may be used to add extra skills in had. Trainings, like cake decorations or fruit carving for example.

“In fact, this is one industry where one can start as bell boy and become a general manager,” said Osman.

So, what is stopping many jobseekers from seeking career in this exciting industry? Despite the fact that the economic uncertainty caused other industries to squirm and freeze on staff intakes, the hospitality industry was still seeking new employees.

“Senior managers especially are very difficult to get, as well as the accounts executives,” Osman said. In fact, their operation in Labuan was affected badly due to this reason. “One reason is the location, people are very selective unfortunately,” said Osman.

Selective is probably an understatement. As readers have probably learned from our previous interviews, jobseekers are a bit too self centred when considering career option.

“Malaysians are selective, and most of them are not loyal. They want lots of personal time for themselves. It’s about what you can give to me than what I can give you,” she laments.

Also typical are question on working hours and time, not exactly right queries to pose on an industry which depends on shift system. “At the end of the day, you need to have passion in what you do. But the attitude seems to be about, ‘you should be honoured I am joining you’.”

This also is not helped by the fact that only 20% graduates from hospitality and hotel colleges and universities who actually end up working in this industry. “The others move on to other industries like Telco, bank or education sector,” she said. Telco especially seemed more attractive monetarily considering their revenues number in billions easily. 

More frustration comes in form of the turnover in the sales department which is typically high. “There is lot of pinching in the industry,” Osman said. “They use this as training ground and move on to five star hotels.”

Challenges, challenges. Even when the hotel does get some interested candidates, they have to face the challenges concerning their communication skills. “Local graduates struggle in communicating in English. To overcome that, those accepted can attend our internal English class,” she said.

Osman certainly has these issues in her mind, as the company gears itself to huge expansion plan of opening ten hotels in five years and have up to 1200 employees by then. 

“In order to open new property, we need to have senior managers, head of departments, then we go for rank and files, supervisors, waitress but that will be in individual stage,” she said, adding that there will be difficulty in getting people for the rank and file jobs, namely waiters and chambermaids. “Local job seekers think working as chambermaid is dirty job, long hours,” she noted.

But she is not backing off from hopes of getting quality candidates. Osman is confident that the company’s benefits, highest amongst four star properties in Malaysia, would induce them.

(Source: Jobsdb Malaysia)