SisterWorks Hospitality Program
Recently, Jenni D’Orival and I had the pleasure of presenting an interview prep workshop to the participants of SisterWorks’ 9-week Hospitality Program. These free courses strive to support migrant, asylum seeker and refugee women through their transition into the Australian workforce. Thanks again to SisterWorks for welcoming us into your empowering community with open arms.
Here were our key takeaways from the day:
Navigating the Human Experience
Firstly, we found it quite humbling to remember what it felt like to go for our first jobs, let alone being in a new country as well. On graduation day of the SisterWorks Hospitality Program, participants are given the opportunity to meet with hospitality recruiters.
After chatting through the mixed emotions around this, we quickly realised that it was time to normalise nerves! We quickly felt a shift in the room as together we acknowledged that nerves serve as a reminder that we’re out of our comfort zone. I’ve often believed that our best moments in life are on the other side of our comfort zone, as challenging as that may be. Whether you’re an aspiring barista or CEO, job interview jitters are an experience shared by us all. Set yourself up for success and you’re already winning.
Our best advice: do your research ahead of the interview, make sure you appear polished and professional, have your relevant skills and strengths front of mind, be true to yourself and give it your best crack!
Resilience
One myth we quickly debugged in this session is that being rejected for a role is solely a reflection on your ability to do the job. Of course, sometimes there is a misalignment of the skills required, but there are a few more complexities to consider. Unfortunately, more often than not, there’ll be a few no’s before you find the YES. So, we highlighted the importance of resilience, being proud of your strengths and keeping your mission front of mind.
Through chatting with the Sisters, we also uncovered the importance of reflecting and being strategic in your search. In the context of hospitality for example, searching for jobs within the business district if you’re unavailable to work on weekends. Avoid telling the recruiter what you think they want to hear. Demonstrating self-awareness and understanding of your situation will help guide your search and heighten your chances of securing an opportunity that fits with your lifestyle. Lastly, being critical of yourself will serve no good, so remember to be extra kind to yourself whilst searching for your next opportunity.
Collaboration and Teamwork
During an interview, the recruiter will often be seeking examples of how you work under pressure and resolve issues. In the context of the bustling hospitality industry, we touched on examples including understaffing due to illness, customers being dissatisfied with their order and tensions in peak periods. The solution to all three? You guessed it, TEAMWORK AND COLLABORATION!
The ladies shared some wonderful examples of times that they’ve leveraged teamwork to solve common issues in the workplace. One of my standout moments was an example provided by a Sister on how to ease tensions with a coworker that appeared disgruntled; growing up in her family’s restaurant, she had witnessed this situation unfold firsthand. Her best advice was to approach with authenticity and kindness. When the time is right, take your coworker aside to somewhere quiet and private, mention that you’ve noticed they may be struggling today and that you’re there to listen and help. Should this not resolve the issue, she recommended chatting to your manager from a place of care and concern. This reminded us of how easily compassion can alter the trajectory of an uncomfortable situation. Thank you again to the Sisters for opening up about how to tackle these common challenges.
To summarise, we delivered this workshop to champion and inspire these women but in the end, they inspired us. Through these meaningful conversations, we were humbled by their examples and anecdotes. In short, our key takeaways were:
Everyone is human, be true to yourself and you’ll heighten your chance to succeed.
Most problems can be resolved through communication and collaboration.
Keep not only your skills and strengths front of mind, but your passion! (ie. If you’re going for a kitchen hand job because you’re obsessed with food, it’s okay to share this with the recruiter)
Job searching is challenging and sometimes nerve wracking, so be extra kind to yourself throughout the process.
Once again, all the best and good luck to the graduates of the SisterWorks Hospitality Program. Thank you for welcoming us into your space and allowing us to share our insights into successful job hunting.