InsideMyInternship

“Passion is too important to live without but too fickle to actually chase.” -Mike Rowe

Looking back on this past summer, I am so happy I decided to keep a note book with me at all times so I was able to take note of every little detail that I can now look back on! I still can't believe my first day there after touring the hotel that I was trusted with the task of setting up a job fair for The Sheraton to fill open positions after reopening following COVID. I was able to test my skills creating mock ads for the job fair in Canva. I created three different ideas for the ads with corresponding Facebook Banners and Instagram posts. I wanted to give options to hopefully fit whatever ideas my supervisor and General Manager of the Sheraton had in mind. I actually got to present my ideas to the corporate Head of HR on the day of her site visit and got feedback of what I created. I spent the first part of my internship finding ways to broadcast the job fair, connect with people at Point Park to email out the flyer, reach out to surrounding businesses and even got the post on the Sheraton’s LinkedIn page, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter (corporate gave me admin access to the Facebook page!). This allowed me to use my knowledge I have gotten from classes like Marketing and Promotions, and social media, advertising, & PR. I loved being able to research the demographic and then following the posts look at the insights to see the reach and engagement each post received. My facebook post reached 587 people with 21 people engaging within the first 3 days. The Sheratons average reach is only 140 within this time frame. I realized the best posting time is around 11am and the most traffic the page receives is around 6pm. After the job fair, I got the new task of sorting through the Indeed account. This allowed me an inside look on what professional work places look for in resumes, cover letters, and responses. I also got the chance to utilize Canva again to create an updated mask policy for the guests and the employees when the mandate was lifted. The most memorable experience I have from my internship as it falls more in the direction of the career path I am leaning towards was the wedding tasting. I got the opportunity to shadow the Sheraton’s Wedding Coordinator, sat in on her final menu tasting for a wedding in September and listened in on all the finalizations of the event details. The Wedding Coordinator, Courtney, was so organized, easy to speak to, but so confident in what she was presenting to the soon to be newlyweds. For the remainder of my time, I did get to attend weekly staff meetings and contribute my input/ideas, continued to screen applications, and then scheduled interviews with the appropriate managers. Looking back on all of this, it is amazing what the staff at the Sheraton trusted me with and I am so grateful for the opportunity to learn from their team of such amazing people. 

My final week was bitter sweet. I have really enjoyed my time with everyone at the Sheraton and genuinely appreciate all the time they took with me this summer. My final job duties included organizing some of the new uniforms the banquet staff had gotten in as renovations continue at the hotel, and resume my role in setting up interviews after connecting with applicants. I personally email all candidates that apply on Indeed that fit all of the job requirements and have work history that I felt comfortable “judging” by the end of my internship to see how they would apply to the job description based on their previous experience. I reposted old jobs that are reopening now after COVID and set up a ton of interviews for the next couple of weeks. We actually hired 2 new people my final week out of some of the previous interviews I lined up! After wrapping up my final day of job duties, I thanked everyone I came in contact with for their encouragement and of course my supervisor who has given me so many helpful tips and hints that I will carry with me through my entire career. 

Coming up on my final week has had me looking back to when I first started my internship eight weeks ago. This internship has shown me the ins and outs of building professional relationships, maintaining a solid work team, and how important open communication can be in a work place. I spent most of my work time inside the office this week, however we did attend a longer staff meeting than usual on Thursday. My very first week, I attended my first staff meeting of a total of about 6 people plus myself. The team consisted of my supervisor the Director of HR, the General Manager(GM), a front desk manager, the chief engineer, and a few people from the sales/events department. My latest staff meeting looking around the table we have expanded to a new director of housekeeping + her assistant, an executive chef, a banquet manager, a food and beverage manager, a new accounting controller, and a new front office manager. This has one - given me hope that the world is quickly returning to normal post COVID. The team is growing extensively as more people are traveling and hosting events hence more people to stay at the hotel, and in turn requiring the team to take care of everything within the hotel that goes into giving people a great stay, a smooth event, or a beautiful wedding. The hospitality industry really relates to the SAEM industry in that way, that it’s essentially all the inner workings of giving people a fantastic experience. This has also two - shown me how important it is to have reliable and dedicated people coming together to do whatever is needed to be done to provide that experience. The GM of the Sheraton at Station Square is the heart of that and really strives to create an open line of communication within the staff to allow everyone the ability to work together now that we are able to once again. 

This week has showed me just how frustrating the recruitment process can be. I have been tasked for the remainder of my time with The Sheraton as they gear up towards a complete reopening following COVID-19 amongst an entire hotel renovation, to expand their team of staff. I have been keeping up with Indeed applications, monitoring the analytics of who’s clicking, when and on which format (desktop or mobile). I am learning to keep on top of tasks and ensuring that everything is running smoothly, that it takes management keeping on top of staffing. You need the appropriate number of employees, especially in a setting like an established downtown hotel to complete all work efficiently to keep guests happy and the overall appearance up. I had over 25 confirmed interviews scheduled for my seventh week with appropriate managers depending on the job the interview was for, and was shocked at the turnout. The amount of people that confirm interviews that just don’t show up truly blew my mind this week. I couldn't believe that people would take the time to talk about the job and company, set up a time and approve the invite only to just no show. I know the world of unemployment is a hot topic right now but being in the midst of it has put me in a new mindset. I have kept a very detailed and organized schedule of all the interviews and have made sure to keep note within Indeed and our personal records of who these applicants were for future reference. I also attended the staff meeting where I got to share my thoughts on this topic and familiarize the rest of the management staff what I have been up to this week. With these weekly staff meetings, I definitely feel more comfortable talking in front of a group in a professional setting, sharing data and updates, and know this is great for me to take with me through the rest of my career. I have never been someone that is good with public speaking and for this I am extremely grateful that this position is helping me overcome this professional obstacle. 

Nearing 100 hours with my internship, and it’s hard to believe I only have about 3 weeks left! I have learned so much valuable information that I feel like I can carry with me through my career no matter what job or industry I may work in. Recruitment and hiring is such an important part of being part of a company, and it’s so interesting to be on the hiring side instead of the person applying. This week I spent most of my time clearing up the hotel’s Indeed account. I reviewed any old application we had still sitting in a waiting period. If these people fit our requirements based on the job description, I sent them out an email to try to connect with them to see if they were still job searching. I also posted job listings and updated job descriptions for positions the hotel is now searching for. I made the initial connection with these new applicants, screened their resume, and then sent their information to the appropriate manager depending on the department they applied for. If the applicant met the manager’s requirements, I would then ask their availability to be able to set up n interview. From there I would send invites to the interview for the applicant to have, and then created meeting invites in the shared employee calendars so the proper people knew when the interview was set to be for the upcoming week. Outside of the office, my supervisor and I attended a Housekeeping staff meeting on Tuesday where I got to see the process of kind of regrouping staff, getting them back all on the same page, review any new additions to their job descriptions, and got to attend the luncheon provided following the meeting. I am learning the importance of networking, connecting, and continued employee appreciation. 

Thursday finished out this exciting week at my internship with me getting to shadow Courtney, our events and wedding planner at the hotel during a tasting. She walked me through the timeline of wedding bookings, and when exactly it is that the soon-to-be bride and groom come in to taste the menu options for their reception. Courtney let me know she normally will bring them in 3-4 months prior to their wedding date this way it gives extra time to finalize decisions and make sure we have more than enough time on the hotels end to be well prepared. We walked the space, made sure the table was set up for the bride, the groom, and the bride’s parents, and then waited by the main doors to greet them. We walked them through the restaurant and had them get comfortable at the table. From there I sat to the side and watched as Courtney effortlessly captured their attention, secured decisions, and smoothed over any issues, questions or complaints. The hotel is undergoing a complete renovation, and Courtney had to break the news that the lobby renovation may be during their wedding. The bride’s father became extremely upset and started getting a bit loud. Courtney quickly took charge of the situation, explained that plans were behind by weeks and that chances are they wouldn't see any of the lobby renovation. She let them know though that in the case that they do, she already went ahead and reserved them the second level of the lobby and the Fountain View room for their cocktail hour so that they were still able to entertain guests with the amazing view of the city. The father still didn't seem completely on board but the chef’s food choices were all major hits and distracted any complaints on the space for the time being. Courtney worked through her checklist, getting answers for every question that she had for the wedding party so that she was able to start the ordering process for their wedding. A few things like chair types, seat covers, and if they wanted three or pay an additional for four appetizers were questions the wedding party didn't seem completely decided on. Courtney recommended that they start big, add what they want- and then when they see the final budget they are always welcome to cut things out from certain areas and work their way backwards so that nothing was left out or regretted. At the end of the menu tasting, we walked the party to the second level to show them the other reserved rooms and you could really tell they left happy and excited for their reception in October to come! Being on the events side of SAEM this really excited me and I loved to see the organization of the planning process. You always need a good foundation for a great result!

My fifth week of my internship with the Sheraton in Station Square was definitely my most eventful yet - which is why I chose to break it down into two separate parts. All of my blogs up until this point have been leading up to my project working on a job fair for the hotel. We held the job fair for 3 days, but figured we wouldn’t have the biggest turn out due to the nature of the work field right now following COVID. We set up a table out front in the lobby decorated with balloons, candy and a sign. We laid out blank applications with a jar of pens and had asked the front desk staff to let us know if they seen anyone come in for an application so we could come out to speak with them. I was only present for one day of the job fair, and we sadly only had a total of 3 or 4 people come in. It wasn't a complete bust as we hired someone on the spot after the open interview for a front desk agent position that we’ve been trying to fill. We counted it as a success, but definitely noticed how little turn out we had and just how much the virus is limiting the amount of people actively looking for jobs at the moment. To finish out my Tuesday I reviewed more Indeed applications, made contact with those who we were interested in interviewing, and denied those who came back with very unrealistic demands. I also printed new lobby signs for the updated mask policy as well as create a graphic for the employees to be notified as well that if they are fully vaccinated, they are able to remove their masks at work. Thursday continued my busy fifth week and I will share more in my next blog!

I can’t believe it’s one month in! This week I was mainly focused in the office. I was tasked with reviewing incoming Indeed applications for the various positions the hotel is hiring for. I screened each resume using the tips I have learned from my supervisor and the GM of the hotel. I print off the most promising applicants that look to be a good fit for the job, send email requests for interviews, and also can decline any we are not interested in. I have received an emailed application from the Employer Engagement Liaison that I met with last week, and promptly responded that we would be in touch if the resume fit our requirements. I have learned how important it is to always follow up with people regardless of if they seem “important” or are just people that applied. This closes the door, wraps up a conversation, or lets people know that their time is appreciated. This keeps working relationships professional and respectful. Another thing I have completed this week is reviewing the analytics for the hotels business page. Our corporate team granted me access to the Facebook page as an admin and I can now view the insights to see things like the targeted demographic, what kind of posts receive the most interaction and just how many consumers each post reaches. I created a post of my own to broadcast more of the upcoming job fair that we have tomorrow and watched to see how it was performing on the page after a few hours. I discussed the possibility of boosting the Facebook post with as little as $10 and was able to set up a mock of the ad to see just how many more people we could reach even with just a $10 paid post. I am looking forward to sitting in on the job fair tomorrow and am hoping to get even just a few applications out of it!

My third week at my internship with The Sheraton in Station Square was a shorter week than usual. I had some unexpected plans come up that I was unable to attend my normal second day. However, the shorter week did not mean that I didn’t get a lot out of my internship! During my second week, I was tasked with the responsibility of reaching out to the employer engagement liaisons from Goodwill. Through the website we discovered Goodwill is more than just a resale shop, but actually invest time into their community to give back, provide life coaching, and job assistance. We determined this would be a good avenue to explore to recruit for some of the hourly positions we are hoping to fill at the hotel. I emailed the liaison that was based out of Lawrenceville, and set up an in-person meeting that was really exciting as I haven't had too much face to face professional contact lately due to COVID. The employer engagement liaisons met with my supervisor and I to discuss their program, how exactly they operate, and how they could assist us by sending potential applicants our way. We discussed job requirements, union standards, job shadowing possibilities and the struggles of hiring upon coming back from COVID. This meeting opened my eyes to a lot of benefits as well as the complications of working with union workers, the process of running background checks, as well as COVID restrictions in a work place and how almost every industry is experiencing the same problems. 

Upon completing my first week with the Sheraton Pittsburgh Hotel at Station Square, I was excited to go back for my second week! Everyone at the hotel is so welcoming, and has eased me into working in such a professional atmosphere. From a personal standpoint, I am feeling more open to the possibility of working in a hotel setting following graduation and can see just how much opportunity there is to grow within the hospitality industry! Working underneath my supervisor has already taught me so many little tips and tricks on what to look out for in the work place, and most importantly how to structure a professional resume. I am interning mainly underneath the Director of HR and assist in scanning applicant’s resumes, scheduling interviews for those who's resume’s have what we’re looking for, and at times rejecting those who do not fit our needs. Building back a strong team after reopening after COVID seems to be the most important task at hand amongst the hotel right now, and I am happy that the GM has put his faith in me to use my knowledge from my Point Park courses to contribute in any way possible to this process. I met with a member of the corporate management team to discuss my background and what I was hoping to get out of my internship, and got a lot of really great feedback from her regarding the graphics I created for the open-interview job fair we are holding. We decided on which one to use, chose a date, and decided where it would be best to share the information. I have since created multiple LinkedIn posts, an Instagram post, as well as a Twitter post on the Sheraton’s official pages to get the information out there. I have also used my connections at Point Park to have this job fair information shared in email blasts to students who may be interested in summer work while on campus. I am looking forward to my third week with the Sheraton as I have a meeting with an Employer Engagement Liaison on Tuesday, and am also in the process of creating and getting “Join Our Team” cards printed for management to pass out when they meet anyone who may be a potential applicant! 

Going into my first week of my internship, I had no idea what to expect! Up until this past semester I was very set on working strictly in the music industry and wasn’t open to much else. I can see now why limiting yourself and closing out other opportunities is never the way to go about things especially when it comes to your future. After this week I have vowed to keep an open mind to the various industry’s that I can translate my knowledge and skills away from my SAEM courses outside of just music. This week was a lot of formalities, getting my log in and credentials created, getting introduced to the staff, and touring the hotel itself. However, I was surprised but extremely grateful that I already have been given essentially my own project to focus on. I am working on creating an open-interview job fair flyer that the staff is looking to host to bring in more applicants to the hotel following the shutdown due to COVID-19. I have created multiple graphics to provide options, and am now moving on to researching various recruitment sites to decide where it would be best to post the flyer once completed when a date is set for the event. I got to share my progress in a staff meeting Thursday afternoon, and definitely feel welcome to provide my own thoughts and input on this project. I am looking forward to continuing my work, gaining new experiences, and seeing where this avenue could take me!