Hospitality students find getting first job takes more than grades

"The seniors who have experience outside the classroom are getting jobs that start in the $50,000 range," said Joseph "Mick" La Lopa, associate professor of the hospitality and tourism management. "The top-dollar jobs go to the grads who present a total package of experience beyond required internships, doing service work and being a good student."

In the past, making the grade in class was the determining factor when it came to employment, but now that trend is changing. Companies are looking for more than just a good GPA.

"It also pays to have experience in your industry beyond that of just an internship," La Lopa said. "If possible, students should work while in school to gain as much experience as they can.

"They are not going to get the same kind of offers from companies out of the gate without a variety of experience and developed skills."

So La Lopa has a community-service requirement in one of his classes to help students realize there is more to learn than what is taught in a classroom and that employers value non-profit experience when it comes to making hiring decisions.

La Lopa also said major retail chains are starting to hire employees with a hospitality and tourism degree in management positions because of the students' customer-service backgrounds.

"Enterprise Rent-A-Car recently came to campus to recruit hospitality majors," La Lopa said. "Retail chains are looking for ways to increase customer-service standards and are finding that placing hospitality majors in management roles fills that need."

Writer: Kiersti Kjonaas, (765) 494-2081, kkjonaas@purdue.edu

Source: Joseph "Mick" La Lopa, (765) 494-6218, lalopam@purdue.edu

Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu

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