Advice to Advance: Career-Progression Expertise from Hospitality Alums

Hospitality is a people-powered industry where your ability to connect with others and cultivate positive relationships — both internal and forward-facing — is crucial to your ongoing success. At the recent College of Hospitality Management Alumni Leaders in Campus at JWU Providence, 7 alums from a wide range of hospitality sectors spent the day on campus sharing their career advice with students, including:

• Sean Banno '15: Coordinator, Facilities & Operations, Brown University
• Jeff Lima '06: Complex Director of Revenue and Distribution at Highgate
• Stephen Mazzariello '07: Regional Fresh Director, Walmart
• Rick Simone '95: President, EGN LLC
• Jenna Sullivan '07: Director of Front Office Operations, Hilton Hotels & Resorts
• Matthew Tortora '15: Co-Founder, WhatsGood
• Bradly Vanderstad '15: Experience Director, Pinwheel Tourism

ALUMNI LEADERS ON CAMPUS, LEFT-RIGHT: DEAN PAUL MCVETY, JEFF LIMA '06, STEPHEN MAZZARIELLO '07, RICK SIMONE '95, JENNA SULLIVAN '07, MATT TORTORA '15, BRADLEY VANDERSTAD '15, SEAN BANNO '15 + PROVIDENCE CAMPUS PRESIDENT MARIE BERNARDO-SOUSA '92

While the assembled group represented a wide range of industry segments and individual expertise, their advice boiled down to developing a common core of connection and communication — a principle instilled from Day 1 at JWU.

Rick Simone, a consultant and president of an event planning firm, emphasized how much hospitality professors care about and support their students: “They’re on steroids with how much they help you network and bring people in to talk to. I can’t talk enough about networking and getting out there to meet people.” “There’s a million opportunities for you here,” echoed Banno.

Courtesy, thoughtfulness and personal integrity were also touched upon as essential traits. Both Simone and Lima talked about writing thank-you notes (hand-written is ideal, but email is acceptable) after going on an interview. “People are taking time out of their busy schedules to speak to you,” said Lima. “Be genuine and show an effort.”

And while there’s no guarantee a thank-you note will clinch a job, it can certainly solidify your standing as a top candidate, noted Simone: “One of my positions received hundreds of applications. I narrowed it down to 3 candidates — and all 3 sent a personal thank you to the interviewer. And out of the 3, one of them sent additional notes to my assistant and the HR secretary. That’s the person who got the job.”

“Success looks so different for everybody — I want you all to know that YOU get to choose what it is.”

Walmart’s Mazzariello uses interviews to uncover not just a potential hire’s work ethic, but their underlying moral backbone. “I want to find out what kind of a person you are,” he explained. “I like to hire good people. I like to be able to sleep at night knowing that the person who’s leading a large team has the ability to make the right decision for our associates — and for our customers.”

WATCH THE LIVESTREAM OF THE 2020 HOSPITALITY ALUMNI LEADERS PANEL

True passion for the industry is a necessity, noted Banno: “I look for people who are truly interested in what we do, not just someone who loves sports. They have to have the drive to work in the industry.”

Pinwheel Tourism’s Vanderstad also reminded new grads to really focus on carving out the right career path for you, specifically: “Right now, you might be in a room full of hotel majors and success looks like becoming a GM [general manager]. But success looks so different for everybody — I want you all to know that you get to choose what it is.”

If defining personal success is a crucial step to career evolution, Lima illustrated the importance of organic growth as well: “[My] biggest challenge professionally … was going into the wrong role at the wrong time of my life. I took a GM job at the Residence Inn in Brockton — I went from being an assistant for an office manager to overseeing 3 departments. I skipped a few rungs on the ladder, and found myself very overwhelmed. …The challenge was accepting that I needed to take a step back — and that actually turned out to be a greatest blessing, because then it put me on a better path. It’s okay to know when something’s not right for you; the challenge comes in recognizing that and being brave enough to change it.”

Ultimately, Lima said, the right path will present itself. “This is a great school and you will do great things.” Pause. “And learn Excel!”