Week of June 17, 2010
Greater Miami hotel group builds own jobs website By Jacquelyn Weiner Aiming to bridge a communication gap between jobseekers and employers, the Greater Miami & The Beaches Hotel Association is building a local hospitality-industry careers website. Wendy Kallergis, association president, said she constantly receives job inquiries and has "personally placed four hospitality management positions in hotels." "I've always gotten a lot of resumes," Ms. Kallergis said. "I found there's not really an agency that works with just our profession." Hence the idea of a website, linked to the hotel association site, dedicated to local hospitality careers. Set to launch by summer's end, the website's aim is to help unemployed hospitality workers and recent graduates "find jobs locally so they don't have to leave Miami." Area schools stand to benefit as well, she said, from an internship section for students at area hospitality schools. The hotel association's members "loved the idea" when she suggested building the local jobs site, Ms. Kallergis said, because it provides an easy outlet for area candidates. "It's so much easier to hire someone local that knows the market," she said. Leading up to the website's launch, Ms. Kallergis said she plans a workshop with a group of hospitality jobseekers to gain feedback on how their searches had been going and what the site can offer to help. Aside from the jobs site, Ms. Kallergis said the association is also looking to strengthen social media outreach, including a blog and a virtual concierge offering area hotel reservations and event-planning services. The idea is to expand on the association's "1800-SEE-MIAMI" phone service and "really market it." Offering booking assistance for individual rooms and bigger events like family reunions and weddings, Ms. Kallergis said "1800-SEE-MIAMI" serves as "an extension of what the hotels are doing." Details: www.gmbha.org. |
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