Last week, Apical Resource Group had our second monthly All Candidates meeting in order to discuss the employment landscape, new initiatives and new hospitality technologies. We had some great discussions spearheaded by Chicke Fitzgerald of Solutionz Media that surrounded a number of topics that included a candidate’s online reputation as well as online positioning. There is a lot more to come about this very interesting subject.
One of the main areas of discussion was focused on hospitality technology and how it figures into a candidate’s decision-making process on whether they should accept a job offer from a prospective employer. As technology continues to evolve, it is increasingly important that people fully understand the “technology state of the company” as it relates to their current technology as well as their future technology direction. How a company is perceived in regards to its technology will either make it easier for its employees to obtain outward visibility or it can hinder them greatly. It does not matter whether the position with a prospective employer is a sales, marketing, development or an executive position, the technology plan that is in front of a candidate should be highly scrutinized.
Mark Hoare, a Partner at The Prism Partnership, was our guest speaker related to the future direction of hospitality technology and his insight was greatly appreciated. Mark discussed initiatives that will help a candidate focus on technologies that are up and coming. Some of these initiatives were the Software as a Service (SaaS) model, where the application is truly Internet native and you pay to use the technology application via a subscription or transaction fee and have no overhead associated with buying and maintaining the hardware or software required to run the service except for an internet connection and a PC, Mac or laptop.
Another area of interest was focused on mobile technology and how it will change the playing field. Undeniably the mobile phone is the tool, which will become the ultimate User Interface for Hoteliers and Guests alike and any company that fully understands this technology is a good one for a candidate to investigate.
Last but not least, Mark discussed social media and its impact on every facet of technology. As candidates look to hospitality technology companies as a possible target for employment, make sure that the companies have a good plan in place on how they will use social media to market their brand as well as their products.
Bottom line…Irrespective of your expertise and discipline within the hotel industry you will always be touched by technology in your working day. Some of you will be completely dependent upon it, and it will directly affect your performance and productivity. Accordingly, when you are researching prospective employers, always take the time to investigate and ask direct questions about the company’s existing and planned technology. You should inquire about how they are planning to investigate, embrace and deploy the technology advances we’ve discussed today. You may be surprised at their answers.
