Video Interviews: Hospitality Job Fair
Hundreds of people showed up this past Thursday [Feb 17] at the Hospitality Industry Job Fair held at the Fairmont Hamilton Princess. Watch video interviews with Kellianne Smith of the Fairmont Human Resources Department, CEO of Bermuda Hotel Association John Harvey and Business & Tourism Minister Patrice Minors below.
Kellianne Smith of Fairmont Human Resources, speaks below saying the line formed at 9am for a 10am opening, and said the response was overwhelming:
CEO Bermuda Hotel Association John Harvey speaks below, saying he arrived at 9:30am and found 100 people lined up, and in excess of 600 people had come through the door so far. He said it was the most successful job fair they had ever held, and he hopes that the hotels can hire as many as people as they can:
Business & Tourism Minister Patrice Minors said around 900 people came through the door, and that people had come looking for both full time and second jobs:
I have worked in hospitality for several years and only in the past year stepped away from the industry due to the economy. I thought this fair was a great idea to assist in filling in gaps for those still unemployed and of course getting more Bermudians into the hospitality industry but I was saddened to hear by a colleague that he and a few friends went to the fair only to be given attitude. It was quite clear that some representatives did not want to be there nor did they care to help these young Bermudians looking for work. When told a ‘pool boy’ position was available this gentleman prepared to give his remume and take a business card only to be told “we want someone who is going to keep this job for a long time, there is no movement from this position” – What motivation to go into hospitality… I was very upset by this comment and I started out cleaning pools at Sonesta and worked my way to a supervisor position through my experiences… Who wants a pool boy position for the rest of their lives? This is unacceptable, expecially considering the previous holder of the pool boy position was a foreigner!