Why do employers across industries love Les Roches hospitality graduates?

When employers are looking to fill graduate vacancies, they come to Les Roches. Around 300 a year visit our campus, while, in 2023, 564 were actively recruiting our students for internships or employment.

In fact, 2023 saw an incredible 94% of Les Roches students receiving at least one employment offer on graduation day. On average each student had at least four offers on the table for first employment – incredible!

But what is it about hospitality students – and Les Roches graduates – that makes them so employable? In this article, we’ll discuss the qualities they have that make them attractive to employers and how a hospitality degree sets them apart from other business studies graduates.

What makes hospitality graduates so employable?

Exceptional customer/client service skills

Hospitality is a people-to-people business, so holders of a hospitality management or hotel management degree will all have exceptional abilities when it comes to dealing with clients. While honing their customer service skills, hospitality graduates also develop vital aptitudes that are highly valued in many sectors where interaction is required. The most common transferable skills include:

Exceptional communication skills: being able to listen to and converse with people from all backgrounds and at different levels is critical in hospitality. Communication is also hugely important in most other industries. Those who can communicate effectively are usually better team players and contribute to a more productive working environment

Problem-solving abilities: adapting to different situations and thinking on your feet are essentials in hospitality and those skills are much sought-after in other industries too. The ability to solve problems and ensure things run smoothly is an asset in any workplace, not just in hospitality

Multi-tasking and time management skills: hospitality graduates have an amazing ability to juggle tasks, from reservations and last-minute guest requests to coordinating staff in different departments. Their ability to prioritize and manage time efficiently is valued in today’s fast-paced working world

Attention to detail: those studying hospitality are taught that it’s often the little things that can make all the difference, so attention to detail is paramount. This is a skill that translates easily into any role requiring meticulousness and focus

Practical skills

As well as the transferable soft skills outlined above, hospitality graduates also acquire a raft of practical talents that can easily be adapted to other industries. Among the main ones are:

Planning, execution and smooth operation of successful events: organising weddings, parties and functions is part of most hospitality graduates’ armory. And the skills they acquire learning how to do this, including planning, prioritization, communication and people management, are highly prized in many other industries

Coordinating with vendors and suppliers: hospitality graduates’ abilities to interact with people at all levels make them valuable assets in industries where dealing with clients, salespeople and suppliers plays a significant role

Managing budgets and resources: while it may not be their favorite subject, all hospitality students learn about finance, accounting and balancing the books – all vitally important in any business

Handling logistics and crisis management: making sure things are where they are meant to be when they are meant to be – and solving things if they are not – are all in a day’s work for hospitality graduates. These cool-headed aptitudes are highly valued in all industries

Strong leadership and management abilities

Most hospitality graduates learn not only the operational aspects of the industry, they also study various leadership and management techniques. Among the aptitudes they develop during their time at hospitality school are:
Training and supervising staff: the ability to get the best out of a team so it is able to help you achieve your goals is as critical in hospitality as it is in any other industry

Managing daily operations and team performance: hospitality management is not only geared towards ensuring the day-to-day running of the operation goes smoothly, it’s also about monitoring and improving the performance of your personnel

Implementing and maintaining standard operating procedures: like any other business, hospitality venues survive by having a strategy and ways of working and sticking to them

Working with cross-functional teams: hospitality venues are often a collection of different departments working together to achieve a common goal. For hospitality graduates, working collaboratively is second nature

Adaptability and flexibility

In the fast-paced world of hospitality, things can change at a moment’s notice, so hospitality students need to be flexible so they can adapt to different circumstances. While studying for a hospitality degree, they acquire the following skillsets:

Dealing with changing circumstances and demands: no two days are the same in hospitality and all guests have different and changing needs, so the ability to cope with new situations and requests is paramount

Thriving in fast-paced environments: when you work in hospitality, the pressure is almost always on, so students are pitched into hectic working environments during internships to make sure they can survive and thrive

Handling high-pressure situations: in all hospitality venues – but especially at the upper end – things can become highly pressured, so hospitality students need to be able to deal with such eventualities with a cool head

Embracing a variety of roles and responsibilities: hospitality is a team sport and graduates gain hands-on experience of roles at all levels to ensure they understand how each function and layer works

Industries that will hire hospitality graduates

Graduates holding a degree in hospitality are well-rounded individuals with diverse skillsets that are appealing not just to traditional industry employers but also talent-seekers in many other sectors.

Their unique blend of talents they hone on hospitality programs makes them attractive to employers far and wide. While most hospitality graduates choose careers in the industry, many others find rewarding roles further afield in disciplines such as:

• Finance/business: most hospitality programs include courses in accounting and finance and this inspires many graduates to move into roles in the financial sector
• Marketing: an essential element of hospitality programs is communication, which is the mainstay of many public relations, advertizing and marketing positions
• Real estate: many hospitality programs include modules on property management and, with the customer-centric nature of hospitality, graduates are perfectly adapted to the real estate industry
• Retail: the ability to make customers feel welcome and at home is a great asset in the retail industry, which is why so many hospitality graduates excel in it

Take a look at the Marbella campus career day to see some of the companies you could end up working for…

@lesroches.eduThis week, Les Roches Marbella hosted an exclusive High-End Brands Career Day, offering our students a remarkable opportunity to engage with esteemed brands and delve into potential career paths. ?? It was an unparalleled experience.✨ Renowned brands such as Moncler, La Prairie, C de Salamanca, Bentley, Real Club Valderrama, Lunajets, Engels&Volkers, and Thirdhome graced our campus, providing invaluable insights into the transcendent nature of hospitality within the luxury sector. Our students seized this unique chance to explore career opportunities and gain firsthand knowledge from industry leaders. It was a day filled with inspiration and invaluable connections. #ExclusiveBrands #CareerDay #LesRochesMarbella #HigherEducation♬ original sound – ??S•phia??

Why employers across industries hire from Les Roches

As one of the world’s top hospitality schools, Les Roches attracts high-calibre students from around the globe who are dedicated to learning their craft. And since our graduates go on to reach some of the highest positions in the industry, they have an enviable reputation and are much sought-after by the top hospitality brands.

Their appeal is not limited to hospitality either – employers from many sectors come to Les Roches when they are looking for fresh talent to fill their full-time roles.

Before you take the next steps on your hospitality journey, have a look at another one of the Les Roches career days!