Reflective Journal: Skills Development and Career Plan in Hospitality

This reflective journal provides a self-analysis of an individual's performance and skills development within the hospitality industry. It identifies key skills used, such as communication, teamwork, and customer service, while also acknowledging areas needing improvement, including flexibility, cleaning, organizing, efficiency, and basic math skills. The journal outlines a career progression plan focused on enhancing employability and capitalizing on future opportunities in the best hotels, restaurants, and bars. A skill audit, self-appraisal, and action planning sections detail current skills, goals, resources, and specific actions to achieve those goals. The skills development record highlights practical applications and outcomes of various skills in real work scenarios, emphasizing the importance of customer service, cleanliness, organization, and communication in achieving career success. The overall reflection emphasizes the crucial role of self-awareness and continuous improvement for professional growth in the hospitality sector, making this document a valuable resource for students available on Desklib.

Reflective Journal

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
MAIN BODY...................................................................................................................................1
Skills used...............................................................................................................................1
Skills required to be improved...............................................................................................2
Career progression plan..........................................................................................................3
Skill Audit..............................................................................................................................4
Self Appraisal and action planning.........................................................................................4
Skills Development Record & Work-based Feedback...........................................................5
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................7
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................8

INTRODUCTION
Reflective journal is a process of analysing the self performance in order to improve weaknesses.
I did define the current performance in the workplace is highly important to enhance the current
skills and recognise the weaknesses that are required to be improved for future growth and
development (Portman, 2020). Reflective journal is a procedure of self assessment in order to
identify the learning opportunities for personal and professional growth. The present reflective
journal will focus on skills learnt and required to be approved by an employee thereby
identifying the strengths and achievements during the work area by highlighting action plan, skill
development record, and career progression plan and skill audit.
MAIN BODY
Skills used
Some of the skills that I have developed while providing services to my customers are given
below:
Communication skills: According to me, this is one of the most important skills that is
needed to be mastered by each and every professional who are coming in direct contact with the
customers. With the help of communication skills the bartender will be able to interact
effectively with different personalities and will be able to offer them great options. The tone and
volume of the speakers matters a lot as well while interacting with different personalities and an
effective communicator shift their tone and volume according to the situation they are in. My
communication skills helped me in providing better services to my customers and helped me in
learning a lot of other skills as well (Wanelik and et. al., 2020).
Team work skills: I have developed this skill during the course of my different jobs. In
order to develop my skills I make sure that I take participation in different team building
activities and tried my best to express my thoughts and ideas effectively in the team activities. It
helped me in boosting my confidence and also helped me in learning the skills of effectively
working within teams. As a bartender I need to make sure that I am effectively coordinating with
the wait, bartender as well as kitchen staff so that the management of the staff will not get
disturbed. Everyone have to do their part of the job so that services can be provided to the
customers according to the expectations and proper assistance will be provided as and when
needed.
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Customer service skills: According to me, customer service is one of the most important
aspects of service sector. It is important for the service provider to give services according to the
needs of the customer. I mastered the skill of reading people's mind so that I can meet the
moment. The interaction that the bartender makes with the customers depends upon who the
customers are and what they expect from their drinks. The behaviour of bartender may be
different with a group of footballers than a group of party people (Oka and et. al., 2020). I make
sure that I adapt to the conditions of the customers and meet those customers through the drinks
that I provide. It is important for me to make sure that I am providing services beyond the
expectations of the customers.
Consistency: The drinks that the bartender make is needed to be consistent as it is a
mixture of different flavours and products. This skill of mine makes sure that the customers get
exactly the same drink that they want or which is according to their taste and preferences. A
slight change in the taste of the drink can ruin the mood or the taste of the customers which is not
at all good for the reputation of the company. It is important for me to make sure that I am able
to provide services and products which are above the expectations of the customers and
consistency skills helps me in doing that.
Skills required to be improved
Flexibility: It refers to the capacity that one has to adapt to a change that might occur in the
course of job. A change in the working hours or changes in the tasks that needs to be done is one
of the most common things that occur in the field of hospitality. I need to work upon this skill so
that the owner will be more relied by the fact that I am willing to adapt to the changes in short
notice. This will improves the chances that someone will hire me as I am able to work in
different shifts and I can respond to any kind of work emergency that may occur during course of
my job.
Cleaning Skills: This is one of the most important skill that I need to develop as the job of
waitressing and bar-tending requires to maintain cleanliness on the counter where the drink are
being served and at the place where people are dining (Bishop, 2020). I need to learn properly
the way of cleaning up the mess that may occur mistakenly by the guest. Dry cleaning of glasses
is also essential before serving the drink so I need to learn to clean the glasses with a piece of
cloth without damaging the whatsoever property of the owner.
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Organising Skills: Organising the tasks done and how the tasks are done is basic necessity of the
hotel management based jobs. Serving the food in an organised and a neat manner is what a
customer looks for, these things enhances the experience of customer with the hotel. A Owner of
a hotel always looks for a person whose work is organised and he have an ability to organise the
tasks given to him. So this skill development is priority and I need to work upon real life based
situations to improve my ability of organising.
Efficiency skills: This refers to generating maximum productivity with the least wastage of
resources. I need to develop this skill as the efficiency in a person while waitressing or doing any
kind of hotel management job is essential. A waiter needs to manage the order of more than one
or two tables and these needs to be done without making the customer wait for a long time. Fast
service is one of the top priorities that a customer looks for; an improvement in this skill would
definitely help me in making a good fortune in this career (Muzinda, 2021).
Basic Math skills: While waitressing and bar-tending, keeping a quick count of number of drinks
served to people and managing the orders of multiple tables is a very important thing so that
further this information can be reported back to the billing department. I need to develop this
basic arithmetic skill so that I can manage the orders by adding them up or by multiplying the
number of drinks consumed by a group of people.
Career progression plan
Progression plan is a procedure by which of the organisation advanced action plan in order to
improve and enhance their current occupational status so that we can achieve career growth and
success (Ham and et. al., 2020). I have build Career development plan in order to improve my
employability skills under the hospitality industry and to create the table awareness and
understanding about my job role in order to grab the future opportunities to the best hotels,
restaurants and bars. I will firstly identify my capability to make sure that I am ready for action
plan over I will be analyse all my skills and ability in order to analyse my underperforming
employability skills so that the plank and benefit me improving those skills timely there by
realising my strengths and weaknesses. Excellent communication skills are mastery as a waiter
and bartender. I'm able to communicate with guest politely and professionally good symbol of a
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better service. I posses low flexibility skills in the field of hospitality people have used in months
and no timing there for working long hours make me frustrated and irritated.
Skill Audit
JOB DESCRIPTION
Job Title: Waiter and Bar tender
Responsible to: Director of FBL
Job Summary: The bartender has a job role to prepare the different drinks as
per customer need and then serve them effectively in good presentation. The
waiter has a role of serving drinks snacks on table, attending them properly.
Main duties and Responsibilities:
 To serve drinks and snacks on table
 To take orders from guest.
 To make drinks, cocktails and mock tails
 Attend all the guest arriving at venue politely and take care of their
needs.
 Take care of cleanliness at the bar and tables.
SKILL MATRIX REVIEW
Skills 1 2 3 4 5
Math skills *
Flexibility *
Organising skills *
Cleaning skills *
Customer service skills *
Self Appraisal and action planning
ACTION PLANNING
Current skills Communication Team work Customer service Consistency
Skills to work on Flexibility Cleaning Organising skills Basic math
My goals To gain To learn digital To arrange all To learn some
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flexibility in
learning different
service role of
hospitality
industry.
tools of cleaning
for effective and
fast cleaning.
wines, liquor,
beers, and
alcohol, glasses
systematically
for better view
and to fasten the
service.
basic
mathematics
calculation in
order to add
payment amount
fast.
My resources My classes and
my openness to
learn
(Lidstone and
Mostofsky,
2021).
Basic videos of
using digital
cleaning tools.
Learn bar
organising
techniques
My notes and
practice with
many bills.
Action Plan To download the
best videos of
cleaning
techniques.
Daily arrange all
the glasses and
bottles.
Join crash course
of statistical
class.
Skills Development Record & Work-based Feedback
Name Hospitality management
Project Waitress and Bar tender
Skills How was it used? What was the result?Customer service skills I used my customer service
skills for the 10 years in
hospitality industry in
different bars, restaurants to
deliver the guest and
customers with best service.
These skills were asset to me
as this helps in earning trust of
the customers and also help in
providing the customer a
satisfaction of visiting a place.
Cleaning skills I utilized my cleaning skills as
an assistant at retail and at
hotel. Also as an waiter and
This help in achieving heights
my career as the cleanliness at
the venue, bar is the key
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bar tender I found this skill of
mine very useful in keeping
the place neat and clean for
customers (Medler-Liraz and
Seger-Guttmann, 2021).
element that customers look
for therefore, this skills are
boon for me.
Organising skills As an bar tender and waiter
for me organisation skills are
crucial as through these skills
I used to keep all the glasses
of different types in one rack,
arrange different alcohol and
liquor at bar.
By these skills I was able to
arrange all the alcohol and
different glasses, wines in
order which made my work
more easy and synchronised.
This also helped in showing
my best performance as bar
tender and waiter.
Communication As the customer service role at
the hospitality industry my
communication skills are used
at the place where I require
interact with my customers,
teammates and higher
authority.
The communication skills
have resulted as the most
appropriate skill of mine. As I
have both professional and
personal touch in tone when i
communicate with customers.
Also I am polite and good
with my words and vocabulary
(Bikila, 2021).
CONCLUSION
It is concluded from the above information that for an employee is very crucial to recognise
the current skills which is done best in the form of reflective journal. This provides an employee
a deep insight about the skills that individual has acquired during the working in that are required
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to be expelled for the future growth as a employee. Hospitality industry the customer service
skills are the most important skills that an employee must possess in order to succeed in the
career or to plan for the future growth. The personal development plan helps an employee to
enhance improve the skills that are mediocre by taking the several actions that can be achieved
within a specific time frame.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Bikila, D.D., 2021.
Customer Service Skills Development and Reinforcement in a Mid-Atlantic
Convenience Retail Corporation (Doctoral dissertation, Wilmington University
(Delaware)).
Bishop, D., 2020. Firm size and workplace learning processes: a study of the restaurant
sector.
European Journal of Training and Development.
Ham, C.C and et. al., 2020. Auditor Skill Demands and Audit Quality: Evidence from Job
Postings.
Available at SSRN 3727495.
Lidstone, D.E. and Mostofsky, S.H., 2021. Moving Toward Understanding Autism: Visual-
Motor Integration, Imitation, and Social Skill Development.
Pediatric Neurology. 122.
pp.98-105.
Medler-Liraz, H. and Seger-Guttmann, T., 2021. The joint effect of flirting and emotional labor
on customer service-related outcomes.
Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services,
60,
p.102497.
Muzinda, M., 2021. Customer Service Strategies to Minimize Negative Customer Incidents in
the Airline Industry.
Oka, I.M.D and et. al., 2020. The Effectiveness of The Green-Based Bartending Learning in
Improving The Competence of The Students of Hospitality Study Program.
Journal of
Applied Sciences in Travel and Hospitality. 3(1). pp.12-21.
Portman, S., 2020. Reflective journaling: A portal into the virtues of daily writing.
The Reading
Teacher. 73(5). pp.597-602.
WALI, M.F.I.,
Managerial skill development in the readymade garments industry of Bangladesh:
an exploratory study (Doctoral dissertation, RMIT University).
Wanelik, K.M and et. al., 2020. Breaking barriers? Ethnicity and socioeconomic background
impact on early career progression in the fields of ecology and evolution.
Ecology and
Evolution. 10(14). pp.6870-6880.
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