Communication and listening skills

Hospitality industry employees can take advantage of constant opportunities to practice their communication and listening skills with guests, colleagues, and managers. And communication skills are some of the most in-demand skills for all industries, even outside of hospitality.

1. Verbal communication: What did you say? Verbal communication isn’t just about talking, but clearly articulating the point you want to convey. Best practices when communicating verbally include avoiding filler words and jargon and using a strong, clear voice. In a hotel environment, front desk agents use verbal communication when checking guests in. Good verbal communication skills are especially important because these verbal interactions can make or break the guest experience.

2. Written communication: Like verbal communication, the goal of written communication is to clearly communicate to an audience - but this time, the audience is reading your words instead of hearing them. You can practice written communication through writing emails, signage, memos, menus, reports, and more. 

3. Phone skills: “Thank you for calling the Four Seasons New York, how can I assist you today?” If you’ve ever worked in a guest-facing role at a hotel or restaurant (or even a retail store), chances are you’ve answered a few phone calls! Good phone skills include speaking at an appropriate volume, being conscious of pauses, multi-tasking (pulling up the guest’s profile while holding a conversion, for example), and adjusting your tone to match that of the caller. When including “phone skills” on your resume, remember to quantify the number of calls you fielded.

4. Remote communication: In the post-COVID business world, remote communication has become increasingly popular with many people working from home or in a socially distanced environment. If you’re a good remote communicator, you can keep your audience engaged over a video call, convey your message in a variety of formats (like sending your key points in an email and explaining them over a video call), and maintain rapport with clients or colleagues even if you aren’t sitting together in the same physical office.

5. Public speaking: Mic check, 1, 2, 3… Public speaking is an essential skill for many roles that interface with guests, clients, or colleagues. Perhaps you’ve hosted an event, led a training session, or presented a business case to executives - these are all good examples of public speaking experience. 

6. Constructive criticism: If you can provide constructive criticism in a strategic, polite way, your colleagues or clients will be more receptive to it. For instance, if you are training new front desk agents and your trainee isn’t speaking clearly enough, your constructive advice will help him deliver a better guest experience.

7. Active listening: Communication isn’t only about sharing information with others, it’s also about listening. Active listening includes using body language and eye contact to show your focus on the speaker, like when you hold eye contact with a restaurant patron and orient your body to face them while they’re speaking.

8. Asking questions: Another component of active listening is asking good questions - both to show your engagement and to probe for information you need. For instance, if you’re taking a reservation from a guest over the phone, asking targeted questions about the purpose of the guest’s trip or the type of room she wants can help you better meet the guest’s needs.

9. Note-taking: It might seem simple, but note-taking is an extremely helpful and important skill, especially for roles that involve teamwork or interaction with clients or customers. You can hone your note-taking skills by taking notes during meetings or phone conversions.

10. Nonverbal communication: The words that you speak are just part of your communication skills; nonverbal communication, or body language, can tell your audience just as much (or more!) about your message. Nonverbal communication involves your facial expression (like whether you’re smiling or not), body position, posture, hand gestures, and eye contact. 

11. Bilingual or other language skills: Do you speak another language? Language skills are more and more in-demand as the world becomes more globalized. When including language skills on your resume, remember to include your level of fluency, certifications, or professional context (for example, if you spoke Spanish with your housekeeping employees as a housekeeping manager).

12. Communication software: In today’s high-tech world, you need to have a solid grasp of communication software in addition to speaking, writing, and listening skills. If you’ve used communication software like Slack, Zoom, Skype, or others, you can highlight your expertise by noting it on your resume.

Customer service skills

As the saying goes, you want to “know your customer,” but to be a good customer service professional, you need to master customer service skills first. 

1. Emotional intelligence: Perhaps the customer service-related skill that is most transferable to other types of jobs is emotional intelligence. If you have high emotional intelligence, you can manage and control your own emotions and handle relationships with colleagues or clients with ease. For example, if you are in a stressful situation like a busy day of check-ins, emotional intelligence helps you stay calm and recognize if and when guests are getting upset so you can act accordingly.

2. Problem solving: Like emotional intelligence, problem solving is another skill that is very in-demand no matter which industry you want to work in. If you’ve worked in a hospitality context, you probably have a slew of examples you can mention in interviews, like how you managed to deliver a good experience for a guest who booked the wrong room type or how you figured out a solution for restaurant patrons who showed up on a night that was fully booked.

3. Conflict resolution: Similar to problem solving, resolving conflicts is another essential customer service skill. Conflicts are stressful, so your expertise in resolving them shows you can stay calm under pressure, remain objective, and avoid placing blame. 

4. De-escalating skills: Have you ever needed to calm down a guest who was screaming, yelling, and making a scene in the lobby? If so, you can speak to your de-escalating skills, which would make you an asset to any organization that interfaces with the occasional difficult customer.

5. Crisis management: In hotel and restaurant jobs, crises are bound to happen every once in a while. Any example from your own work experience can help you illustrate how you stayed calm and responsible during unexpected, serious events like medical emergencies.

6. Sales skills: As a customer service professional, even if “sales” isn’t technically part of your role, you’re always selling your product or brand to your customers. As a front desk agent, for example, the experience you provide to your guests will influence them to choose your hotel again - or not. 

7. Product knowledge: Customer service professionals are often the face of the business, since they’re usually the first ones to interact with customers. If you have strong product knowledge skills, you’re a fast learner and can become well acquainted with the product to answer customer questions or else direct customers to the correct department.

8. Upselling: In some customer service roles, upselling is an opportunity to further flex your sales skills, make an impact on the business’s bottom line, and build stronger relationships with customers. As a hotel reservations agent, for example, you might include on your resume that you secured $50,000 in upsell revenue or increased the average reservation revenue by 8%.

9. Negotiation: A component of any role that involves working with multiple parties is negotiation, which involves a combination of communication, listening, and sales skills. Negotiation examples are common in a sales context, like negotiating contracts for group room blocks, but also in situations like finding a solution for a guest who isn’t happy with their room or a diner who doesn’t like their meal.

10. Persuasion: A key to influencing your guests or clients to accept your desired outcome is persuasion - but not in a manipulating way! If you’ve mastered persuasion, you can guide your client toward giving the OK by illustrating how your solution meets their needs so that when they agree, they feel totally satisfied with the outcome.

11. Attention to detail: Customer service interactions are packed with little details from the correct spelling of the customer’s name to specific needs like allergies or birthday surprises. Attention to detail helps you ensure that no aspect of experience gets overlooked.

12. Multitasking: In a customer service role, you’ll likely need to multitask, whether by taking notes during calls or operating multiple software apps at once. Demonstrating your multitasking skills shows that you’ll be ready to jump in from day one.

13. Relationship building: Building rapport with guests or customers is a powerful way to deliver great customer service experiences. Engaging in small talk with customers or remembering a repeat guest’s name are simple but effective ways to build relationships and develop brand loyalty.

14. Enthusiasm: Companies want their customer professionals to be excited about the product of service - if the employees aren’t jazzed up about what they’re selling, why would customers want to buy? Showing your enthusiastic personality is a great way to stand out.

15. Confidence: Like enthusiasm, your confidence helps customers feel good about their customer service interaction. Confidence also helps you take risks, try new things, and flex your leadership skills.

16. Business etiquette: Though at times manners might seem like a lost art in the 21st century, they’re still very important in customer service. Using simple words like “please” and “thank you” set you apart as a customer service professional who cares about conveying a good company image.

17. Service orientation: You can learn many components of a customer service role, like information about the product, but it’s a lot harder to teach people to have a service-oriented attitude. If you have a service orientation, you aim to please and exceed customers’ expectations.

Interpersonal skills

In just about every job, you’ll need to work with other people on a regular basis, so interpersonal skills are essential to a successful career. 

1. Teamwork: Working successfully with colleagues is a must for most roles in and out of the hospitality industry, so hiring managers are always looking for examples of how you’ve been a good team player. 

2. Cross-functional collaboration: Besides working with your direct colleagues, you may need to work closely with people in other departments. Showing experience of cross-functional collaboration, like if you’ve been a housekeeping manager working closely with the maintenance department, is always a plus.

3. Decision making: Your resume is not the place to mention analysis paralysis! Every role will require decision making, so hiring managers want to see that you can carefully weigh your options and come to the right conclusion.

4. Organization: In order to work with colleagues or customers, you need to have your own responsibilities organized first. Organizational skills include time management, note-taking, punctuality, and more.

5. Responsibility: As you progress in your career, you’ll be trusted with increasing levels of responsibility. You’ll stand out among applicants if you can demonstrate that you’re responsible, like if you’ve owned up to a mistake or stayed late to complete a task you promised to finish.

6. Punctuality: Nobody wants to work with someone who’s chronically late; punctuality is a fantastic way to show you value your colleagues’ or clients’ time. When you’re interviewing for a new role, make sure to show up on time for the interview!

7. Dependability: In any team-oriented role, your team needs to know they can rely on you to show up and work hard. Dependability is crucial to being a good team player; for example, if you’ve never forgotten to show up to a shift, you can include “dependable” on your resume. 

8. Flexibility: Even the best laid plans can fall through, and being flexible is an important quality for any role. For instance, you might need to cover a team member’s tasks if they get sick unexpectedly.

9. Creativity: Do you like to think outside of the box? Creativity doesn’t just mean being artistic; creative thinking helps you come up with new solutions to problems or try initiatives to bring the business to the next level. 

10. Adaptability: Like flexibility, adaptability means you’re comfortable with change, but if you’re adaptable, you can easily shift to a new way of doing things. For instance, a shift to a remote work environment requires significant adaptability!

11. Patience: If you’ve worked in any guest- or customer-facing role, then you know patience is crucial to your success. You can practice being patient by remaining calm and positive when things don’t move as quickly as you’d like - like traffic, slow WiFi, or even those last couple restaurant patrons who linger for hours.

12. Confidentiality: In a hospitality context, you’re often trusted with sensitive information. Confidentiality means you can not only keep a secret, but also determine which information must be treated with extra care.

13. Communication: Among the most important interpersonal skills is communication; without good communication skills, it’s nearly impossible to work well with others! Communication skills include written, verbal, and nonverbal elements, plus skills like active listening and public speaking.

14. Teaching or training skills: Roles with more responsibility often include a training or teaching component, such as training new front desk agents. If you’ve had any sort of teaching experience, be sure to include on your resume the context and the number of people you trained.

15. Collaboration: In many jobs, you’ll need to collaborate with others on a project, an event, or something similar. Collaboration involves dividing responsibility, holding each other accountable, and completing one integrated product.

16. Networking: It might be painful at first, but networking is an extremely useful skill - it might even help you land your next job! A good networker knows what they want to gain from each interaction, has an elevator pitch prepared, sends follow-ups, and stays in touch with connections.

Technical and computer skills

Many jobs require not only soft skills like communication and customer service skills, but also specific technical skills. Showing your technical or computer expertise on your resume will help you be a more competitive applicant.

1. Microsoft Office: As one of the most popular software suites in the business world, Microsoft Office experience is often requested on job descriptions. Microsoft Office expertise usually includes Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook. You may have used Microsoft PowerPoint to put training presentations together or Excel to analyze financial data.

2. G-Suite: Like Microsoft Office, the Google suite of apps is a popular one in many industries. Since G-Suite apps are designed for cloud-based collaboration, remote companies or jobs that involve a lot of teamwork might prefer G-Suite experience over Microsoft Office. G-Suite includes Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, Forms, and more. 

3. Email management: How many unread emails are in your inbox? Email management skills can involve not only just reading and sorting emails, but also managing a shared inbox and composing emails for optimum readability.

4. Spreadsheets: If you see life in columns and rows, then your spreadsheet skills are worthy of inclusion on your resume. You may want to mention specific and relevant details about your spreadsheet expertise, like in which context you used them and the types of formulas you mastered.

5. Data analysis: Analytical experience can vary by industry and type of role, so if you’ve had any relevant experience, it’s important to clearly describe what you did with as much quantification as possible. For example, maybe you used Excel to analyze the cost and revenue projections to decide whether or not to purchase a new airport shuttle bus for your hotel.

6. Database management: As more business work to wrangle big data, database management can be an attractive skill. If you’ve had experience with data validation or writing reports or queries, don’t forget to include that experience on your resume.

7. Programming languages: If you’re applying for programming roles, then mentioning your handle of programming languages, like Python or Java, is crucial. If you’re currently learning a programming language, you can mention that too, though be honest about your level of expertise.

8. Web design: Simply including “web design” on your resume isn’t enough; hiring managers want to see concrete examples of websites, apps, or software that you’ve built. Include key details like the number of app downloads or monthly website visits.

9. Website building: Even if you don’t know how to code, you might have built websites before! Experience using content management systems or website builders is still worthy of a mention, and be sure to quantify your experience in terms of number of websites built or number of website visitors.

10. Adobe Photoshop/InDesign: Similar to listing your expertise in G-Suite or programming languages, mentioning your experience with Adobe’s suite of software can also show your preparedness for a role in design-related fields.

11. Systems administration: Another valuable IT-related skill is systems administration, which involves being the manager and subject matter expert for a software application or system within an organization. For instance, if you were the administrator for your hotel’s property management system.

12. Troubleshooting: In any tech-oriented role, you’ll need to know how to troubleshoot effectively. You can demonstrate your troubleshooting skills by approaching a problem systematically and identifying issues and solutions.

13. Expertise in specific software applications: As a hotel or restaurant employee, you may have had experience with specific systems, like HotSOS or SynXis, for example. Noting your expertise on applications for relevant roles will help you stand out among applicants who have never used those systems.

Marketing skills

Looking for a new marketing role? You may want to include these skills on your resume or develop them to become a more competitive candidate.

1. Search engine optimization: Do you know how to do keyword research or write a good meta description? SEO is a great skill to include on your resume when applying to marketing roles. Remember to mention any relevant statistics from SEO responsibilities you’ve had in the past. 

2. Search engine marketing: In addition to optimizing your performance in search results, you may also have had experience with paid SEM, like Google Ads. Be sure to include your budget, return on ad spend, or any other relevant stats.

3. Pay-per-click marketing: Like SEM and SEO, experience with PPC marketing can help you stand out among candidates for digital marketing roles. For example, if you’ve used Expedia TravelAds or Tripadvisor Sponsored Campaigns in a hotel context, your experience can make you an attractive applicant for other digital marketing jobs.

4. Email marketing: As more and more business shifts online, email marketing is a powerful way to keep in touch with customers. Showing your expertise with email marketing tools like Mailchimp and Constant Contact is especially relevant today.

5. Content management systems: Some marketing roles look for candidates with experience using content management systems such as Wordpress or Contentful. Remember to note your level of expertise and the specific system you’ve used.

6. A/B testing: A savvy marketer will test two strategies to see which one performs better. Examples of A/B testing to include on your resume could include experimenting with subject lines in an email newsletter or uploading different featured photos on your restaurant website.

7. Customer relationship management: Every business wants to generate more repeat business, so CRM is an attractive skill for marketing roles. If you have CRM experience, also include the system you’ve used, like Salesforce.

8. Social media: Do you know how to leverage tweets, pins, and posts in a business context? Show off your social media skills by including engagement statistics and follower growth on your resume. 

9. Branding: If you’ve started a business from scratch or worked in a start-up, you might have experience creating a brand, like selecting a name, logo, color scheme, and voice. Hiring managers looking for branding experience might want to see a portfolio of examples of your work.

Sales and financial skills

Skills in the sales and finance sectors are often transferable to other industries. For example, if you’ve worked as a sales manager at a hotel, you could be a competitive applicant to a sales position at a software or retail company.

1. Lead generation: How can you sell something if you have no leads? Lead generation is one of the first steps in the sales process, and it involves scraping databases or the internet for potential customers, like gathering a list of contact info for all nearby restaurants for outreach about your new restaurant POS app.

2. Lead qualification: After generating leads, you need to sort out the leads that have high potential. Lead qualification is another skill hiring managers will look for to show that you use strategy in the sales process.

3. Prospecting: Once you have your leads list, the prospecting process involves regularly communicating with your leads to ensure your product is always top of mind, even if they aren’t ready to commit.

4. Contracting: Ready to seal the deal? Contracting typically involves negotiation and attention to detail, though today’s contracts are most likely signed via digital apps like DocuSign instead of an old school pen and paper.

5. Event planning: Whether you’ve planned small company gatherings or red-carpet galas, event planning is an attractive skill to include on your resume. Make sure to mention how many events you’ve planned and the number of attendees - and you get bonus points if you’ve planned virtual events on digital platforms!

6. Revenue management: Selling the right room at the right price to the right customer is the goal of hotel revenue managers, so demonstrating your success through RevPAR increases or direct share growth is a good best practice when applying for revenue management roles. If you’ve had any experience using revenue management systems such as IDeAS, be sure to note that as well.

7. Central reservations systems: Hotels, tour operators, event venues, and more often use central reservation systems to organize their bookings and client information. When experience using a CRS is relevant, don’t forget to mention the specific system you’ve used.

8. Online travel agencies: Do you know the ins and outs of OTA extranets? When applying for marketing or revenue management roles at hotels or short-term rental companies, mentioning your OTA experience can give you a leg up compared to someone brand new to the industry.

9. Point of sale systems: If you have experience in a retail or hospitality context, you may have had experience using POS software, which can be relevant to include on your resume when applying to similar positions.

10. Cash handling: Although many businesses are becoming cashless, showing your cash handling experience can show that you’re a responsible, trustworthy employee.

11. Accounting: Depending on your accounting experience, you may want to include accounting skills on your resume, which could involve accounting software (such as QuickBooks), familiarity with local regulations, attention to detail, and analytical skills.

12. Profit and loss statements: Perhaps your accounting experience includes creating or analyzing P&L statements, like if you’ve prepared P&Ls for hotel owners and executives. 

13. Financial modelling: Along with analyzing actualized financial numbers, if you’ve done any financial modelling or forecasting, these experiences are also relevant when applying to finance roles. Be sure to note your level of proficiency in Excel or other database software.

14. Cost management: Your application to any finance role can also include your experience with cost management, whether that includes familiarity with direct or indirect costs, math skills, or financial software.

15. PCI compliance: Any handling of sensitive data like credit card numbers must comply with industry standards, and your resume should reflect your knowledge of those guidelines. As a front desk agent, for example, you may have completed PCI compliance training or a course about similar standards, which can be an asset to your resume.

Leadership and management skills

As you continue along your career path, you might work up to leadership positions. But holding a “manager” role doesn’t automatically mean you’re an effective leader; these leadership and management skills will help you earn respect from your direct reports and deliver the results you want.

1. Mentorship: Even if you haven’t held a formal management role yet, you can still demonstrate your leadership skills through informal mentorship programs, volunteer activities, or professional relationships that have a mentorship component.

2. Team building: As a leader in an organization, you’ll be expected to build and maintain a cohesive team. Your resume should mention your team building skills, such as examples like increasing employee satisfaction scores or leading team events.

3. Team communication: Besides standard verbal and written communication skills, a great leader should have experience communicating with a large team audience. Perhaps you’ve led weekly meetings for your department or sent memos to all employees at your company.

4. Presentation skills: Communicating with a large internal or external audience might include presentations, and if you have notable presentation experience, it’s worth a mention on your resume. Note the setting and audience of your presentations, such as quarterly business review presentations with the executive team and hotel owners.

5. Meeting facilitation: Besides leading presentations, managers often lead meetings with employees, colleagues, and other internal or external stakeholders. Demonstrating your ability to keep meetings organized, on track, and productive is a great way to prove your management skills.

6. Time management: As a manager, you’ll have constant demands on your time. Time management is crucial to success, and even if it’s not the most buzz-worthy skill, it’s one that can mean the difference between a good and a great manager. Set limits on the number of meetings per day, schedule deep work blocks, and make sure to take time away from work to recharge.

7. Project management: When leading initiatives, managers are often responsible for keeping the project on track. Project management skills include planning each step of the project, assigning responsibilities to each team member, scheduling regular follow-ups, and securing resources.

8. Organizational planning: Especially in small companies or start-ups, managers are responsible for building teams and hiring new employees. A much-needed skill is organizational planning, which includes identifying skills or competencies that a new role can fill on your team.

9. Interviewing: A key step in the hiring process is interviewing, and solid interview skills are essential to success as a hiring manager. On your resume, you can mention how many employees you’ve hired and what their retention rate is.

10. Performance tracking: Employees need regular feedback to continue delivering excellent work, and managers must manage performance through regular check-ins and performance reviews. For example, sales managers might have bi-weekly meetings with the Director of Sales, who helps each sales manager stay on track toward their quarterly goals.

11. Task delegation: Although it can be difficult to relinquish control of projects at first, delegation is a crucial skill for managers to use their time most effectively. As a Director of Rooms, for instance, you might set a goal to increase guest review scores but leave your Front Office Manager in charge of launching an initiative to achieve it.

12. Prioritization: Along with delegating tasks, a good manager can prioritize between the most important tasks and the ones that are less urgent. For example, a restaurant manager might prioritize hiring additional staff leading up to the busy summer season over a fun but less urgent menu redesign project.

13. Scheduling: In industries like hospitality and retail, managers are often responsible for setting their employees’ schedules. A great manager will treat employees fairly and equally when handling time-off requests and shift preferences.

14. Managing cross-functional teams: Managers may also have the opportunity to oversee employees with different work functions and expertise. These cross-functional relationships require the manager to flex her skills to work best with each employee.

15. Risk-taking: Any business endeavor includes at least some degree of risk, like when deciding to try a new idea or even hire a new employee. Managers aren’t afraid to take calculated risks and they know how to evaluate situations to minimize possible consequences.

16. Budgeting: Many leadership roles oversee not only employees, but also budgets. On your resume, you can highlight your budgeting experience by mentioning the size of your annual budget or by how much you decreased operating costs, for example.

17. Forecasting: If you’ve studied historical data to predict what may happen in the future, then you’ve started to build forecasting skills. If you have forecasting experience, you should include the context and the impact of your predictions on the business.

18. Industry certifications: Have you earned any hospitality (or other) industry certifications, such as CRME or CHIA? These certifications add credibility to your resume and set you apart as an expert in your field.

Did we miss any key skills to include on a resume? Let us know!