A Paper on “Experience of Hotel Industry in Hiring Fresh Graduates”

Presented on Pakistan’s First National Conference on

“Quality Assurance In Education” – 2003 by PIQC/NUST at PCSIR
Auditorium, Ferozepur Road Lahore from May 10-11 , 2003

Hashoo Group

Presented by :

Medeeha J. Khan
Corporate Human Resource Development Manager
Pakistan Services Limited (Owners & Operators of Pearl
Continental Hotels
& Marriott Hotels in Pakistan)
E-mail ; hrdmpchl@lhr.comsats.net.pk

1
 GROUP PROFILE

Hashoo Group of Companies was established under the leadership of

Mr. Sadruddin Hashwani. In a period of some three decades he through his
single handed dedication and commitment to the Profession has
transformed this Group in to a leading industrial group of Pakistan, well
known for its forward-looking approach, and highest standards of quality
and integrity.

Starting with Cotton Trading, Hashoo Group of Companies today boasts the
only chain of Five -Star Hotels in Pakistan namely The Pearl Continental Hotels
chain and the Karachi Marriott and the Islamabad Marriott Hotels with
presence in all the provincial capitals and the Federal Capital except one.
Today, Hashoo Group of Companies besides hotel industry encompasses oil
and gas exploration, mining, ceramics, pharmaceuticals, tourism and travel.
It also has considerable investment in real estate. Mr. Sadruddin Hashwani
with his keen eye on the future is now guiding the Group to enter the field of
Information Technology (IT). Towards that end a wholly owned subsidiary of
the Group known as Net 21 (Pvt) Ltd is currently operating as Internet Service
Provider, that is planned to serve as springboard to launch substantive IT
projects.

The oil and gas exploration is being done under the Orient Petroleum Inc,
which has recently met with successful find. The Group is constantly on its
forward march. Some examples of it are: The construction of Pearl
Continental Hotel Bhurban in Murree hills, Construction of new wing called
Atrium Wing of The Pearl Continental Hotel Lahore equipped with the most
modern amenities, Continual up-gradation and modernization of Pearl
Continental Hotels and Islamabad as well as Karachi Marriott Hotels,
Acquisitions of the state-of-the-art Ceramics Factory to design and produce
crockery and a plant known as Gel caps to manufacture halal gelatine
capsules for the pharmaceutical industry according to the most stringent
quality standards. Mr. Hashwani’s Vision knows no bounds and it will be
difficult to predict as to what will be his focus of attention tomorrow. For him
time is short and the Art is long. Therefore, his philosophy is that each
moment of life should go towards advancement of cause of humanity at
large.

Mr. Hashwani runs Hashoo Foundation whose sole objective is to engage in

philanthropic projects in support of social and cultural causes and for the
uplift of the deprived. Through this Foundation he not only fulfils his corporate
responsibilities but also more importantly his unwavering commitment to
promoting the good of common man.

2
Experience of Hotel Industry in Hiring
Fresh Graduates

3
 ABSTRACT

The success and progress of any organization depends upon quality of

people working for it. The Human Resources acquire even greater
importance in the service industry and hospitality industry is no exception.

This paper is an attempt to see how far our educational institutions are
producing he demand driven managers. The empirical study (based
upon data of last 02 years for Pakistan Services Corporation Limited –
covering PC & Marriott Hotels in Pakistan) reveals that there exists a
sizeable gap between the product of educational institutions especially
imparting management training in the country and the needs of the users
especially the hospitality industry. The reasons of this gap can be
attributed to both supplier and user. So far, the hospitality industry has
failed to specify and let the providers know regarding their exact
requirement.

The educational institutions are more market driven. The size of hospitality
industry in itself is a major factor for not being the target (and priority)
area. Without going into al the niceties of educational institutions, and
their contribution toward building a society of informed man and women,
the fact remain that such institutions are business entities which could only
run if they are not incurring losses. Instead of targeting a focused area
having very little capacity to absorb their “ product ”, they logically pursue
a market demand which is more general in its character. Such use of
“focused” education/ training is left to the potential employer for post
induction training or capacity building endeavors.

4
Hotel Industry – An Overview
In any country, the hospitality industry is inextricably linked with its overall economic
prosperity and resourcefulness. In other words the developmental level of the hospitality
industry could well be considered the index of its all round growth. Trade and commerce
too would be unable to thrive were there not adequate facilities and provisions for the
overseas traders and business people.

Hospitality industry is also directly proportionate to the inbound tourism to any particular
country. The various countries of the world like Egypt, China, Mexico, Pakistan and Nepal
etc., that were the seats of ancient civilizations, are till date the most favorite destinations
of the tourists from all corners of the globe. Hence each of them has vast potentials for
developing both tourism and hospitality industries. In this era of increasing globalization,
hospitality industry or hotel management is assuming greater significance and fast
evolving as a lucrative career option.

The history of hotel industry is as rich as the history of civilization itself. From the moment
that cities and towns began to spring up, the need for lodging for travelers was obvious.

Career in Hotel Industry

Hospitality Careers present the most energizing, inspiring, and challenging options and
opportunities today. Technology, intense competition, shrinking world borders, economic
growth, and an increased level of guest expectations are some reasons hospitality
careers are considered "hot" careers now and for the emerging 21st century. Hospitality
/Hotel careers include a broad spectrum of career choices found in restaurants (fine
dining, theme, casual, family, sports bars), hotels and motels (all economy-brands, mid-
size, extended stays, luxury brands), resorts, recreation, clubs (private, sports, military),
cruise ships, gaming, culinary, vending, and gourmet groceries/food services.

Within each category are a multitude of jobs. Some specific job titles include the
following: Manager/ director/supervisor/coordinator of food services, rooms division,
housekeeping, laundry, guest services, beverage services, room services, engineering,
purchasing, human resources, accounting, health and fitness services, convention
services, banquet and special functions, valet parking and bellmen services, business
and reservations services.

Employment outlook varies by occupation. Employment of hotel, motel, and resort desk
clerks is expected to grow rapidly as some of these workers assume responsibilities
previously reserved for managers. However, the spread of computer technology will
cause employment of other clerical workers—bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing
clerks and secretaries, for example—to grow more slowly than the industry as a whole.

Job turnover is relatively high in this industry. To attract and retain workers, the lodging
industry is placing more emphasis on hiring and training. Nevertheless, many young
people and others—who are only looking for seasonal or part-time work, not a career—
take food service and other jobs that require little or no previous training. Therefore, job

5
opportunities exist for first-time jobseekers and people with a wider range of experience
and skills, including those with limited skills.

Food and beverage service workers as well as hosts and hostesses, maids and
housekeeping cleaners, concierges, and baggage porters and bellhops derive their
earnings from a combination of hourly earnings and customer tips. Waiters and
waitresses often derive the majority of their earnings from tips, which vary greatly
depending on menu prices and the volume of customers served. Many employers also
provide free meals and furnish uniforms. Food service personnel may receive extra pay
for banquets and other special occasions.

Working Conditions
Everyday presents a new situation. It is not like any other business where you can plan
your day, here you have to excel in tackling diverse situations. The work environment is
unenviable. You are in air conditioned elegant surroundings. The whole atmosphere is
professional and productive. You meet with corporate executives, famed personalities
and people from different communities / countries. Thus you have a good social reach.

There is never a dull moment as there is job variety. At the same time the working hours
are long and you could be in the morning, afternoon or night shifts as the hotel operates
through 24 hours. If you are placed in the night shift you will have to adjust your routine
accordingly and sleep during the day ! You have to be a good stress manager and you
cannot afford to be temperamental even if harassed by an irritating guest! You have to
serve and it has to be "service with a smile" ! Moreover, even if you are a manager you
have to be willing to use your hands and do manual work if the situation so requires as
the hotel atmosphere demands a tremendous dignity of labour.

Hiring the right people

Staffing is a crucial element of achieving optimal customer service. This presents new
challenges to hiring .We at our hotels, put sufficient emphasis on hiring and retaining
individuals who have a natural passion for quality service and customer satisfaction. To
meet that goal, the organization focuses on the selection process, which involved hiring
the right people to do the right things.

While hiring the fresh graduates, we are mainly focusing on the following qualities in order
to hire the right people for the right job:

Positive Attitude
Flexibility & adaptability, sensitive to concern for others, even tempered disposition

Communication Skills
Ideas & information are presented in a clear, concise & organized fashion.

Language Skills
Command over spoken English in terms of grammar, pronunciation, accent & fluency.

6
Integrity
Meets work commitments and promises. Demonstrates honesty & respect in the
workplace.

Leadership

Being clear about direction, generating vision and committing others to it. Leading by
example with enthusiasm, confidence and showing initiative.

Cooperation & Teamwork

Understanding & applying teamwork principles on the job .Actively contributes to

accomplishment of team objective and the success of others. - Being able to build
relationships with people by inspiring trust and appreciating individual differences

Enthusiasm
Displays energy, Desire to learn

Grooming Skills
Ability to present oneself in a professional manner focusing on appearance, hygiene,
dressing & body language

It would be quite appropriate to quote Joseph Neitlisbach ,General Manager of Pearl

Continental Hotel Lahore , as he advises his team of Department heads , “Hire for the
right attitude / behavior , we’ll train for the skills.”

It’s a fact that training for attitude is much more difficult than training for the technical
work or skills. Although attitudes can be improved over the period of time through
training & counseling but the likelihood of success is quite lower as compared to the skills
whereas more time & efforts are required. Therefore, the traits given above are very
crucial in selecting fresh graduates for the hotels.

Using behavioral interviewing techniques our HRMs & the department heads evaluate
how a candidate will behave on the job. During the interviews, candidates are asked for
specific real life examples that demonstrate the specific attitudinal or behavioral skills
needed for the job.

Asking applicants questions, which are open -ended and unaided, creates a platform for
getting objective, reliable data that accurately indicates their potential for success.

An empirical study based on the two year data available at various hotels of Hashoo
group reveals the strengths and the weaknesses of our fresh graduates produced by the
educational institutions in the market.

This survey proves that our education infrastructure is inadequate for the needs of a
modern service organization. From elementary to high school and from undergraduate
to postgraduate institution, not enough emphasis is given to teaching service & service
skills.

7
Good customer-contact people need to have the skills and attitudes that allow them to
work well with other people and a good perspective on problem solving, yet early
education tends not to emphasize these skills. High schools focus on teaching pre-
college subjects but don’t teach people skills necessary to prepare them for customer-
contact service jobs.

Higher education also does not support the burgeoning service economy. There almost
no undergraduate programs that focus on the service industry. They teach liberal arts,
business, and engineering etc. but not how to apply these fields specifically in a service
environment. Even business schools often avoid or ignore the specific difficulties
associated with a service industry.

Moreover, the concept of a “Customer” does not relate to the customers only who pay
in monetary form for the goods or services but a Customer is anyone who receives or
benefits from the output of someone’s work. Within this definition there are two broad
categories of customers. The first is the external customers, the customers that most
people think in the traditional sense as discussed above. For us they are the ones who
stay in the rooms, dine in restaurants and avail other services or goods of the hotels.
The second category is internal customers. These are the people inside any company
who receive or benefit from the output of work done by others in the company.
Examples of this include the Banquet manager of a hotel, who depends on food &
beverage people to deliver their product or a Front Office manager who depends on
Housekeeping people to make up the room & lookafter other related jobs to deliver their
product i.e., the room. Internal customers must be viewed by support personnel not
merely as co-workers but as customers in their own right.

Today's graduates are faced with a quite different employment challenge than that of
earlier generations. Research conduct ed noted that unemployed graduates felt "short
changed" by higher education institutions which had failed to note that the "rules of the
game had changed" and consequently (despite fulfilling the traditional goal of a "good
degree") had not provided them w ith the essential skills for employment.

Simple Graduates – vs – Business Graduates

Where are we today? On the surface it may not look too bad. Most kids are graduating
and are generally prepared to go on to college and will get pretty good jobs. Our
concern is primarily with what's happening to the majority of graduates--those we are
employing every day. Business generally finds that many of today's graduates lack
adequate skills. They often have difficulty in reading, writing and communicating; they
are frequently unprepared to work in teams, think critically or solve problems; they may
have poor work habits; and they may not be adaptable.

Henry Ford once bragged that a new hire needed only ten minutes of training to work in
his factory. But as we know, those days are long gone. Employers like are now searching
for skilled people who can adapt as work grows more complicated. In virtually all of
today's jobs, we are asked to keep pace with new technologies and demonstrate skills in
language, communication and positive attitude.

The survey conducted at the corporate level covering all five Pearl Continental Hotels
(Karachi , Lahore , Rawalpindi , Bhurban, Peshawar ) and Marriott Hotels (Karachi &
Islamabad ) reveals that our business graduates have some competitive advantages

8
over simple graduates. Especially in Grooming, Teamwork, language, Communication &
IT skills. Whereas, most of our simple graduates (B.A /B.Sc / B.Com or equivalent) are not
very clear & sure that which profession they want to adopt and what are their career
goals they want to adopt which effects their integrity & commitment to the organization.
Moreover, during the interviews it has been observed that they are also not aware &
confident about their strengths & weaknesses. On the other hand, our fresh business
graduates are more confident & sure of themselves but somehow this confidence grows
to over confidence in some cases which leads to negative attitude. Most of our fresh
business graduates have resistance to learning & it’s more likely that this negative
attitude develops due to their over confidence. An important thing to be highlighted
here is that these business graduates have unrealistic expectations in terms of position &
salary packages .It won’t be wrong if we consider it as a result of the over confidence.

The result of the empirical study given in Annexure 2 *, gives a comparison of the
common Strengths for which the simple graduates & business graduates were hired and
the weaknesses given in Annexure 3* that were the basis of the rejection of the simple &
business graduates in last two years.

The observations presented in the form of a statistical analysis (Annex - 2 & 3)* are based
on estimated figures collected from five PC & two Marriott Hotels in Pakistan. From
January 2001 to March 2003, the hiring of fresh graduates is as follows (Annex – 1)*:

Total no. of No. of hired No. of graduates

candidates graduates rejected
interviewed

Simple Graduates (B.A / 148 42 106

B.sc or equivalent)
(28 % ) (72 %)

Business Graduates 98 35 63
(B.BA , M.B.A or
equivalent ) (35 %) (65 %)

(* All figures are estimated figures)

Role of Education Institutions:

Over the years, the critical role education plays in our economic success has become
more and more apparent. Corporate recruiters repeatedly complained about the
arrogant and cutthroat attitudes of graduates and recommended that education
institutions instill humility in their students and encourage more teamwork and
collaboration. Let's have more regard for each other.

9
 We know success in the business world requires persistence, drive and the desire to
excel. On the other hand, we must be careful that these traits don't lead to self-
absorbed, ungenerous behavior. Such conduct isn't the way to get work done

Our Education institutions must recognize that for many students the transition from
education into employment is not a straightforward matter and in the past many
students have been ill-equipped for this transition. During the 1990s, this issue has been
exacerbated because of the considerable expansion in graduate numbers which has
taken place within a relatively short period of time. Furthermore, the nature of graduate
employment is changing; today it is only a minority of students who can hold any realistic
expectation of employment in a position directly related to the discipline studied; this is
particularly the case for those students whose focus remains within traditional academic
disciplines. Whilst it is essential that the academic standards of particular disciplines or
broader fields of study are not undermined it is also important to be realistic and to note
that the academic knowledge gained will (for most students) never be utilized directly in
any employment context. More and more, the academic qualification of the degree is
merely a statement that the graduate has demonstrated the ability to perform to a
particular level of academic competence and, perhaps more importantly, possesses the
ability to learn.

Lessons Learnt & Recommendations

It won’t be wrong to say that the educational institutions should not focus on teaching
only rather they need to focus more on learning. There should be a shift from teaching to
learning - A shift from an emphasis on the quality of input to an emphasis on output and
process.

One of most significant publications in the past decade on teaching and learning in
higher education is an article by Robert Barr and John Tagg (1995) published in Change,
a leading journal on new issues in higher education. In their article they draw attention to
the fundamental shift in assumptions and views about teaching and learning that have
taken place lately. According to them, educational institutions should no longer offer
teaching, but should instead produce learning results. In addition to an emphasis on
outcomes/output-driven teaching, there would be numerous other implications if teaching
programmes were to adopt a learning- and learner-centred approach. Table 1 lists some
of these implications in the areas pointed out by Barr and Tagg.

10
 Table 1

The shift from teaching to learning

TEACHING PARADIGM LEARNING PARADIGM

MISSION AND OBJECTIVES

• Presents/provides teaching • Produces learning

• Conveys knowledge
• Offers programmes and courses
• Improves teaching quality
• Ensures access to teaching
• Promotes discovery and construction of
knowledge
• Creates powerful learning environments
• Improves learning quality
• Achieves success through learning

MEASURES OF SUCCESS

• Inputs, resources • Learning and success outcomes

• Quality of students being admitted
• Curriculum development, expansion
• Quantity and quality of resources
• Student numbers, growth in profit
• Quality of lecturers, teaching, narrow
evaluation results
• Quality of student stimulation
• Development of learning techniques,
expansion
• Quantity and quality of outputs
• Growth of learning, effectiveness
• Learning quality, broad evaluation results

As can be seen from Table 1, this shift (transformation) in teaching has numerous and far-
reaching implications for teaching and educational institutions. Although the shift will
probably take time to become established in any way, it is a force to be reckoned with if
educational institutions want to keep abreast. Barr and Tagg say the following :
“In its briefest form, the paradigm that has governed our colleges in the
past is this: A college is an institution that exists to provide instruction.
Subtly but profoundly we are shifting to a new paradigm: A college is an
institution that exists to produce learning. This shift changes
everything. It is both needed and wanted. … [W]e are beginning to
recognize that our dominant paradigm mistakes a means for an end. It
takes the means or method – called “instruction” or “teaching” – and
makes it the college’s end or purpose. To say that the purpose of the
college is to provide instruction is like saying that General Motors’
business is to operate assembly lines or that the purpose of medical care
is to fill hospital beds. We now see that our mission is not instruction but

11
 rather that of producing learning with every student by whatever means
work best."

An important area where our education institutions must emphasis on is; Establishing
learning orientations (Students should be prepared for learning by providing an initial
structure to clarify intended outcomes and cue desired learning strategies.)
These introductions facilitate students' learning by communicating the nature and
purpose of activities, connecting it to prior knowledge and cueing the kinds of student
responses that activities require. This helps students to remain goal oriented, it stimulates
motivation to learn and helps students to appreciate the value or application potential
of the learning outcomes.

Another factor which needs to be focused on is the Curricular alignment (All

components of the curriculum are aligned to create a cohesive programme for
accomplishing instructional purposes and goals).

Teachers often become so focused on content coverage or learning activities that they
lose sight of the larger purposes and goals that are supposed to guide curriculum
planning. Teachers typically plan to cover the content or achieve learning outcomes
with students without giving much thought to the goals and the broad learning
outcomes of programmes. As a result of ever-increasing content demands, too many
topics are covered, with the result that learning activities often lack coherence and is
cluttered with insertions. Skills and attitudes are taught separately from knowledge
content rather than integrated with it. In general, neither the students' texts nor the
questions and activities suggested in learning materials are structured around powerful
ideas connected to important goals.

Practice and application activities must be a part of the academics. Students need
sufficient opportunities to practice and apply what they are learning, and to receive
improvement-oriented feedback. Presently , there are two main ways in which teachers
help their students to learn. First they present information, explain concepts and model
skills . Second, they ask questions and lead their students in discussion and other forms of
discourse surrounding the content . But we have to work on the third way now; the
teachers should engage students in activities or assignments that provide them with
opportunities to practice or apply what they are learning. There are good indications
(that skills practiced to a peak of smoothness and atomicity tends to be retained
indefinitely, whereas skills that are mastered only partially tend to deteriorate. Most skills
are learned best when practice is distributed over time and embedded within a variety
of tasks. Thus, it is important to follow up on through initial teaching with occasional
review activities and with opportunities for students to use what they are learning in a
variety of application contexts.

The important roles of teachers missing in our system are of a mentor & a coach .For
which they need to be converted into these roles first, by giving an appropriate linkage
between the institutions & the Industry. Our graduates need to know themselves through
this mentoring & coaching as it will enable them to sail in the right direction knowing their
goals & objectives in life.

_______________________________________________________________________

12
 Annex-1

Graduates-vs-Business Graduates

Applicants & Hired

98 Hired
Business 35
Graduates
Graduates

148
Graduates 42

0 50 100 150 200

13
 Annex-2

Graduates- vs -Business Graduates

Comparison of Strengths-Hired graduates

Annex-3
Graduates
Business Graduates
100

90

80
27% 17%
70
30% 20% 24% 17%
60

50
37%
40 %
30
41%
20

10

0
Computer Language Grooming Integrity Team Player Attitude Communication Leadership

Strengths (in % age terms)

14
 Annex- 3

Weaknesses of graduates
-not hired

100

80

60

40

20

0
Over Confident Leadership Attitude Language Integrity Communication

Common weaknesses in %age terms

Weaknesses of Business graduates

-not hired

100

80

60

40

20

0
Over Confident Leadership Attitude Language skills Integrity Communication
Skills

Common weaknesses in %age terms

15
CREDENTIALS OF

Medeeha J. Khan
Corporate Human Resource Development Manager
Pakistan Services limited (Owners & operators of PC Hotels & Marriott Hotels in Pakistan )
Human Resource Development Manager-Pearl continental Hotel Lahore
Honorary Dean – Institute of Tourism & Hotel Management ( TDCP)

EDUCATION:

Certified HR Professional - Pakistan Institute of Quality Control in affiliation with NUST,

Master in Business Administration - Pak-American Institute of Management Sciences (Pak-AIMS), Lahore
Bachelor of Arts - , Kinnaird College for Women , Lahore.

WORKING EXPERIENCE:

Corporate Human Resource Development Manager

Pakistan Services Limited –Owners & operators of Pearl Continental & Marriott Hotels in Pakistan (Hashoo Group
of Hotels)
Human Resource Development Manager –Pearl Continental Hotel Lahore
Consumer Banking (Marketing Department), for PICIC Commercial Bank Ltd. Gulberg Branch, Lahore.Have
been teaching to Pre - O’ level classes at Lahore College of Arts and Sciences (LACAS).

Special Assignments:
Honorary Dean & Faculty for the Institute of Tourism & Hotel Management-TDCP , Imparted Training for SMEDA ,
Spokes Person at “Certified Quality Professional – Batch IV “ by PIQC/NUST, An active member of Lahore HR
Forum

Courses & Workshops Attended:

“Impact Leadership” by Marriott International, “Introduction to Human Resources Management at PIM , “

Performance Appraisals” IBP , Business Communication at British council , “Effective Communication Skills” at
PIM, “Conflict management & Negotiation Skills” at CMD, “Role of HR in Changing Business Environment” at
Shaukat Khanum Memorial Hospital, “Training Needs Analysis” at British Council Lahore.

16