Purpose of the Assignment
The purpose of this assignment is to expose your deeper into one of the many individual sectors that comprise the tourism and hospitality industry. Additionally, this assignment will require you to consider viable career tracts including job titles, job roles, and responsibilities, character traits for success, and future job outlook and salary prospects. Finally, this assignment will require you to identify, solicit, and complete a face-to-face interview with an individual currently working in this position to gain a greater appreciation and understanding for the identified career track as well as an expanded network of professional contacts.
Tasks for the assignment
- Identify which industry sector most interests you.
- Lodging
- Restaurants
- Gaming
- Convention Visitor Bureaus/State Tourism Offices
- Contract Services
- Attractions
- Cruise Lines
- Consulting
- Transportation (i.e. airlines, buses, jet charters)
- Conventions, meetings, and special events
- Etc. etc. (just ask?)
- Study this industry sector thoroughly collecting data through a literature review, association website, and governmental reports.
- Identification of Industry sector trade associations or professional organizations involved with specific topical area
- Definition of the sector (SIC and NAICS codes)
- Segments of the sector
- Unique aspects of the sector
- Statistics regarding the size of the sector
i. Annual sales
ii. Number of establishments
iii. Number of employees
iv. Industry sector and unions
v. Labor shortages/surplus
vi. Sector major players (companies)
- A brief overview of Industry players (i.e. Harrahs, Wynn)
- Company or franchise or?
- Job titles of interest (i.e. Dir. of Group Sales)
- Job responsibilities of (e.g.) (i.e. sell, prospect, reports)
- Job requirements of (e.g.) (i.e. Bachelors degree)
- Character traits for success or failure for (e.g.)
- Specific details of (e.g.)
i. Salaries
ii. Minorities and gender issues
iii. Moving requirements
iv. Glass ceiling
v. Working conditions
vi. Trends within the specific job or industry career track
- After a thorough analysis of literature and all secondary data sources, you will conduct a face-to-face interview with an individual currently working in this position to gain a greater appreciation and understanding for the identified career track as well as an expanded network of professional contacts.
a. Identify the locals who have the specific job of interest
i. Business directories
ii. Teachers
iii. Business websites
iv. Local industry association websites/contacts
b. Develop interview goals and objectives
c. Identify specific interviewee prospect
v. Document interviewee contact information
d. Develop an interview schedule (i.e. questionnaire)
e. Contact and schedule interview
vi. Tell them who you are HRT Grad student
vii. State the purpose of your call and your project assignment purpose
viii. Do not let them force you into doing it over the telephone or email
ix. Try to get them off-site for coffee (i.e. fewer work interruptions
x. Tell them you need about 30 minutes of time (i.e. they will talk longer no worries)
xi. Call or email them 24-48 hrs. in advance to confirm time and place and to see if other more pressing matters have changed their schedule
f. Conduct the interview
xii. Professional dress
xiii. Professional demeanor
xiv. Bring two copies of the questionnaire
xv. Bring paper and pens (DO NOT BRING A COMPUTER TO TAKE NOTES ON, IT WILL SLOW THINGS DOWN, NOT SPEED UP, AND MOST IMPORTANT IT MAY INTIMIDATE YOUR INTERVIEWEE)
xvi. Pay the bill for both you and your interview subject
g. Send them a thank you note
- Write up the interview lessons learned.
- Positives and negatives of this type of position
- An in-depth look at how this position interacts with the rest of the organization
- Add the interview summary and lessons learning into your DRAFT term paper already 70% completed (hopefully)
- Develop a strong conclusion
- Purpose of your paper
- Industry sector overview
- Specific job overview/details
- Interviewee details
- Overall project and interview identification of new knowledge
- Application of this new knowledge to your life
Suggested Format
Cover Page includes:
Title of Paper
Name of Course
Date of Submittal
Your Name
Table of Contents includes:
Title of each section
The page number on which each section starts
Introduction (about three paragraphs) that includes:
The purpose of the assignment
The sector of interest
The position of interest
Your reasons for interest in this sector and more specifically this position
The body of Paper may include:
Current requirements of the position
Availability of positions for this position in the nation
Starting salaries of this position
A direct conversation with someone in this type of position (including their name, position, organization, phone number and e-mail address where they can be reached)
Positives and negatives of this type of position
An in-depth look at how this position interacts with the rest of the organization
Current trends affecting this type of position
Conclusions include:
Restate the purpose of the paper
Your thoughts on why this is a desirable position and the downsides of this position
Major lessons learned
Application of new knowledge attained throughout the assignment
Paper Specifications
- Single spaced
- 12-point font max except for title page (no page number on the title page)
Pages numbered on the bottom center of each page
- A paper table of contents page
- Include the statement the purpose of this paper is to .
- Accurately cite all resources both in the text body where it appears and then listed at the end of the paper within the references section using APA formatting.
Use of page layout to ensure clear and efficient reader comprehension
- Proofed and grammatically correct
- Include FULL contact information for your interview subject
- Include a copy of the interview questions in the paper appendices
