How To Land Your Dream Hospitality Job

Rooted Hospitality Group had the honor of participating in the Hospitality Academy at Hampton Bays for a second consecutive year.?The Academy is an educational, engaging and interactive job training series, designed to help prepare participants for opportunities in the hospitality sector, funded by the Suffolk County Department of Labor, Licensing & Consumer Affairs .

The Academy includes traditional classroom instruction, hands-on project-based learning, and engagement with leaders in the field that culminates each year with a Job Fair, with the intention of helping participants land their dream job in the hospitality industry.?

Rooted Hospitality Group Owner, David Hersh, provided insights during this year's Hospitality & Service Industry session, sharing his own personal experiences of working in the restaurant industry, to opening up his first restaurant and the journey of how he expanded the Rooted Hospitality Group to where it is today, with eight locations in two states. ?

"Being part of a program that educates and engages the community, on career development within the hospitality sector, is an initiative that Rooted is extremely passionate about." - David Hersh

Human Resources Manager, Erika VanDervoort, presented on "Marketing Yourself for the Job," highlighting tips on building your resume, interviewing etiquette, and how to market yourself to land that dream job.?

"Building your brand is critical -- how you tell your story throughout the process will give the employer a good impression of who you will be on the job.?Know your strengths and opportunities and sell yourself, but always remember... It's a two-way street, they need to impress you as well.?Make sure their values, culture and mission align with yours." - Erika VanDervoort

Ms. VanDervoort shared her own expertise and provided some easy tips and tricks. "This was super rewarding," she continued, "The participants were engaged, asked so many great questions, and even participated in some fun role-playing scenarios!"

The Academy provides an opportunity for participants to spend time with those already in the industry, which is a unique advantage to those candidates, which is why Erika added, "I would encourage anyone looking to land their dream job in hospitality to join a wonderful program like this or something similar to this, wherever they may be located."??

The Academy concluded with a job fair where Stephanie Jones, Human Resources Manager at Rooted Hospitality Group, was able to engage further with the participants on their career aspirations.??"A good number of participants are currently in the interview process, and we are excited to see them move forward." Stephanie said after the job fair concluded, adding, "The competition for a skilled workforce is intense and a pool of committed candidates is critical for the future of the hospitality economy across the East End.?With Rooted's goal of providing truly memorable experiences for our guests, having the right teams in place is critical to our success."

Rooted Hospitality Group looks forward to participating in the Academy annually!