Luxury hotel manager encourages jobseekers to stand out
The manager of a luxury resort in Shropshire this week offered his advice to jobseekers on how to make themselves stand out.
Terence Southward, the general manager at Hill Valley Spa, Hotel and Golf, said it was important to show initiative in the current climate.
“Our business is about personality, commitment and get-up-and-go so just putting in that little bit of extra effort can make all the difference," he said.
Terence, a father of one, started his career at 21 waiting tables at Butlins but is now manager of the luxury hotel and golf resort on Tarporley Road, Whitchurch, which is part of the Macdonald Hotels & Resorts group.
The Macdonald Hill Valley Hotel Golf and Spa is well-known as one of the top 10 golf venues in the UK but is also a prestigious wedding venue with luxury spa and health club as well as conference facilities for up to 300.
It had been a quick rise to the top for the 39-year-old who simply knocked on restaurant doors until someone gave him the job he wanted after leaving the holiday park. He said it was this kind of dedication that could make the difference in the eyes of potential employers in 2012.
"It’s easy to put a letter in the post enquiring about employment but if someone with the right attitude walked into my hotel, I would give them a chance,” he said.
Before becoming general manager of Hill Valley, Terence worked his way up through the ranks, starting with waiting tables shortly after graduating from university.
Over the years he has worked in three and four star hotels throughout the north west – including in his hometown of Liverpool while it was the European Capital of Culture – and managed several royal events and the catering for the wedding of footballer Steven Gerrard.
He believes the best managers are those who have experienced work at all levels of their industry.
“You understand the pressures your employees are under if you have done it yourself," he said.
“The most important thing to me as general manager is attention to detail, the moment I walk into a hotel I will notice if the background music isn’t on, if a light bulb is broken or if the temperature isn’t quite right.
“They may sound like small things but they make a difference to customers and that is what concerns me.
“Every day you should come into work and ask what are we doing and how can we do it better?”
