Jobless - What my Search Taught Me

At the beginning of October 2013, I was in my comfort zone. Steady job with an employer I considered family. Working Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm with lots of time to see family, make plans on the weekend and live a comfortable life.

Despite my level of comfort with my life at that time, somewhere deep inside I was restless. I didn't know it at the time, but now looking back I think maybe I chose not to know it. I had been working the role of Extended Stay Sales Representative for over three years and despite improving my numbers year over year, 2013 had been a tough year. The hotel had taken a different direction in a push to improve the Average Rates and that had made achieving the lofty targets laid out for me a little more difficult. Subsequently I found myself missing my monthly targets consistently which severely affected my motivation level. The hotel had compensated for these higher targets by expanding my job parameters to include non-extended stay smaller corporate accounts. This gave me something concrete to work towards and I will always be grateful for that diversification from which I learnt a lot those last few months.

So when the hammer fell on Halloween 2013 (Oct 31st), I wasn't too surprised. To be fair, the situation was handled wonderfully well. I had never been in such a position before and I feel that all the powers that be at One King treated me with the same utmost respect that I had given the hotel for the previous six years.

Being the positive person that I am, I immediately consulted with Lauren, family and friends and came to the conclusion that this was a necessary change and an opportunity to turn my direction back towards hotel operations and specifically the Front Desk. After taking a couple of weeks to lay some groundwork for my job search I dove into it with the eagerness and anticipation of bigger and better things to come.

Fast Forward to June 2014 and I was still jobless. It was not an easy experience to say the least. I thought that with my educational background and varied experience at One King, it would have been a walk in the park. What it turned out to be was a up and down journey with lots of hours spent alone with just my thoughts. I came to several realizations:

1.   My Education Didn't Carry The Weight I Thought It Did

The five years I spent at George Brown College obtaining my Hospitality Operations Degree were five of the best years of my life. The thing is, most employers while taking it into consideration, cared more about what practical experience I had under my belt versus how many text books I had read. Therefore with Front Desk being my priority in the job hunt, my lack of previous Front Desk experience hurt me.

2.   Job Hunting Is More Quality Over Quantity

At first my focus was sending out as many resumes as possible. I sent out hundreds and not ONE of them came back for an interview request. My search took place all over the world with applications sent out for jobs internationally as well. The day I started to narrow my search and focus in specifically on organizations I wanted to target, my results improved and I began to get calls for interviews.



3.   Moving Might Not Have Been the Best Thing

In January 2014, we received confirmation that Lauren was pregnant and this immediately led to me reconsidering my thoughts about a move out of Toronto. I came close to obtaining a dream position with a terrific hotel in downtown Vancouver doing three interviews with them. This was in February 2014 and with everything that followed during her pregnancy, I am very glad that I never got that position. I would have moved without her initially and not only would it have been tough for her, I would have been extremely distracted in Vancouver and that could have affected my job performance significantly.


4.   Being Creative About My Job Experience

Now this definitely doesn't mean make up my job experience. As I was going for a Guest Services position at the Front Desk and I didn't have any previous actual Front Desk experience, it was critical that I found ways to connect my work as Extended Stay Sales Representative with the Front Desk. The fact is while my job was mostly Sales related, it was a unique market segment to work as it did involve maintaining strong relationships with my guests as well as working closely with the Front Desk to ensure that my guests were looked after during their stays. Convincing potential employers that my lack of Front Desk experience was not a hindrance and that my sales experience was actually a benefit was the most challenging part of the hunt.

5.   Be Truthful to Yourself

December is not the best time to be job hunting and that lull in the market carries over well into January. It was a tough time to search and I was getting no hits. There was a time from mid January through to the first call I got from that Vancouver hotel where I was asking myself some seriously difficult questions. For the first time in almost seven years I was questioning my abilities, my career choice and my own personal career choices over the past few years. Its extremely easy to fall prey to these darker and more negative thoughts that come when things aren't going the way you'd like. I realized that these conversations I was having with myself were necessary. They were difficult questions and in order to move forward I needed to think about them and answer them truthfully.

6.   Support is There When Needed

This leads me to my sixth and final point. I want to pay my respect and humble appreciation to my family, friends and loved ones who were there for me on the darkest of my days. In the end, that was my journey to take and mine alone. However I can point out multiple meaningful and deep conversations with both my parents that helped me get through those moments. My mother in law for the countless jobs she searched for and sent my way. My friends who were behind me all the way whether to boost my confidence or just simply to make me smile when I needed it. My brother for continuing to inspire me on a daily basis. When I needed to escape, he was there. My wife Lauren's continuous support throughout everything. She backed every decision without blinking and unconditionally loved me in the most negative of days. When Vancouver looked like a possibility she was all for it despite being on the most incredible nine month journey of her own with all the uncertainty it brought.

Finally I'd like to thank my baby girl Zahra. Even though she had not entered into the world as yet, she was my inspiration. I can safely say that being off for the first six to seven months of Lauren's pregnancy and having a chance to support and share with her through those times was the single most rewarding experience of my life until that point. Knowing that my efforts were all going towards creating a future for Zahra gave me the best motivation anyone could ever ask for.

I can't wait to see what that future holds!

Till next time....

To Be Inspired Again

I started writing this blog because I was inspired by the word "Service". I wanted to be able to share my inspiration with others or at the very least create some sort of diary of record that might give my kids some idea of what made their Dad tick.

It all started very well however somewhere very early on this blog fell into obscurity just like every other diary I have ever attempted to start. I just stopped....and didn't think twice about it until two life changing experiences that have occurred over the last year or so.

Firstly my position at One King West Hotel and Residence was made redundant about a year ago bringing to an end for me 6 years at what was my first hotel employer coming out of Hospitality school. It was an amicable ending and I'll write more about that in a future entry (not too distant this time...).  After 9 months of job hunting misery (more on this in a later entry too) I was offered the position of Guest Services Representative at the Holiday Inn Toronto International Airport and my career was in a sense; reset.

Then more recently I was blessed with the birth of my first baby girl when Zahra Jean Shirazie came into the world on September 12th 2014. This was my motivation...she is my motivation. She will forever be my motivation.

The question is why? What connection is there between my career in Hospitality, the birth of my baby girl and an inspiration to write in this blog again?

I feel that one of the keys to outstanding guest service is the ability to be genuine. Too often have I stayed at hotels and resorts and been greeted with that cookie cutter smile that looks like its been cut and pasted ou
t of the first page of the "Guest Service" manual. Its difficult to trust someone to look after your stay if you don't feel that they genuinely have your best interests at heart.  One of the lessons I learnt from my parents early on in life was to be genuine in my interactions with others. It is a lesson I try to apply to not only every guest who walks through those hotel doors but also with my colleagues, family, friends or even strangers.

Greet your guest with a smile you would give a long lost friend. I actually put myself in the mindset that I know this person walking towards me and I feel this helps. When the guest is talking, take a moment to hear the guest out. Truly listen to what they have to say. If you do it right, chances are higher you will be able to accurately assist the guest precisely with what they require. Don't do it right and chances are they will be right back at your desk with three other issues within the hour.

Is this genuine guest service a trait that can be learnt? Is it one of those things you either have or you don't? I don't know.,..perhaps if it is something that can be learnt, it is a deeper learning. A lesson to be applied to life...Treating others how you would expect to be treated. Or better yet...treat others how you would expect others to treat your mother or father because really there shouldn't be a better bench mark.

It is this approach to my work and my life that I would like Zahra to know and learn from. Be genuine...listen...learn....and you will find yourself halfway to happiness.

till next time...