Total years spent working within the industry?
13+ years in Hospitality and 5+ years in recruitment.
How did you get into Hospitality?
I got into hospitality at the age of 18. A friend of mine asked me if I could lend a pair of hands on-site location for the Top Gear program. Our role was to serve the cast and guests from a food van which we had set up as early as 4:30am. We proceeded to work on several other program sets including EastEnders, The Bill and many more. After working on location for a few years we both started working with in the restaurant sector.
What was your most job recent (or current)?
My current title is Head of Hospitality within the recruitment sector.
What do you most enjoy about this industry?
The Hospitality sector is 100% a customer service-oriented industry. You have to have strong people skills to fit in. If you can combine mixed nationalities, flair, passion and hard work, you find the reason I fell in love with the industry.
Tell us something we might not know about your field/sector?
Building rapport is the only way to survive with both clients and candidates.
The single most important piece of advice given to you?
You have 2 ears and 1 mouth so you should listen twice as much as you talk.
Big break, or career-defining moment?
Given the opportunity to build the whole sector from scratch and successfully exceeding expectations with Hospitality Pro.
Advice you would offer to your younger self when you first entered the industry?
Stay focused, stop dating girls in the industry and climb up the ladder through dedication and hard work.
Who has been your career and/or personal inspirations, how?
My fiancé has been my personal inspiration as we have worked together for so many years now, she knows the best way to keep me focused and motivated.
Biggest career challenge and how it was overcome?
Having to recruit on a national scale without meeting either clients or candidates. I managed to do this by taking extra time to build a relationship with the necessary party to ensure nobody was let down. This was a lot more difficult than it sounds.