Published by Jaico Publishing House
A-2 Jash Chambers, 7-A Sir Phirozshah Mehta Road
Fort, Mumbai - 400 001
www.jaicobooks.com
Peale Foundation, Inc.
HOW TO SUCCEED IN HOTEL MANAGEMENT JOB INTERVIEWS
ISBN 978-81-8495-742-6
First Jaico Impression: 2015
No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.
Contents
Foreword
Acknowledgements
Preface
Part I General Knowledge and Personality Development
Countries, Capitals, Currencies and Airlines
Soft Skills for Hospitality Professionals
Group Discussion
Job Interview
Part II Food Production
Equipment and Tools
Methods of Cooking
Stocks, Soups and Sauces
Food Commodities
Potato Preparations
Egg Preparations
Salads
Sandwiches and Convenience Food
Patisserie
Indian Cuisine
International Cuisine
Kitchen Design and Planning
Food Science and Nutrition
Menu Planning, Pricing and Menu Engineering
Storage and Controls
Plate Presentation, Food Styling and Molecular Gastronomy
Larder and Charcuterie
Part III Food and Beverage Service
Introduction to Food and Beverage Service
Menu and Menu Planning
Food Service
Alcoholic and Non-Alcoholic Beverages
Wine
Beer
Spirits
Tobacco
Bar Management
Function Catering
Food and Beverage Management
Part IV Front Office
Introduction to the Hotel Industry
Classification of Hotels
Front Office Department
Interdepartmental Communications
Room Tariff Structure
Reservation, Reception and Guest Cycle
Registration
Check-Out and Settlement Process
Night Audit and Front Office Accounting
Property Management System
Revenue Management
Budgeting
Security
Part V Housekeeping
Housekeeping Department
Housekeeping Inventories
Cleaning of Surfaces
Cleaning of Guest Rooms and Public Areas
Housekeeping Desk
Housekeeping Budget
The Linen Room and Laundry
Pest Control
Flower Arrangements
Interior Designing
I remember the days when I was a student of Hotel Management (19801983) at IHM, Kolkata. Those were days when there were very few Hotel/Hospitality Management colleges with limited options in teaching/learning resources. We as students and later as teachers have had to work very hard to collect resources to be effectively transferred to our students. At every step we felt the absence and thus, the need of quality, ready to use resources for students of Hotel/Hospitality Management in India.
Prof. Partho Pratim Seals book is an important step in that direction. Having worked together as colleagues and having seen his devotion and passion for teaching, I see the same reflected in this work. I hope and expect that the Hotel/Hospitality Management teaching/learning community will take full advantage of this book.
I wish him all success for this book and otherwise..!!
Arunangshu Bhattacharya
Dy. Director
Amity School of Hospitality
Amity University Gurgaon
Nobody walks alone on their journey through life. I would like to thank all those who have walked beside me and helped me by continuously urging me to put my thoughts down on paper and write this book. I would also like to thank the people that I have met and worked with and shared my thoughts regarding a positive approach to life and all that it throws at us.
The heavenly blessings of my father, the late Mr Sarat Kumar Seal and my mother, Mrs Anjali Seal, have been a source of divine inspiration to me.
I want to thank my wife, Samita and son Swapnil, who supported and encouraged me in spite of all the time it took me away from them.
My sincere thanks and gratitude are due to all the academicians and reviewers of the book for their feedback, conceptualization and reviews of the content, which helped in giving the book a superior presentation. I would also like to thank the editorial team at Jaico Publishing House for their prompt response, which has led to the completion of the project as per the schedule.
I would like to thank all my students who inspired me to look at things from their perspective and explore new dimensions in writing a comprehensive book.
Finally, I would like to thank God for all that I have been blessed with and I hope I will be able to give others as much as I have received.
An aspirant learner of hospitality chooses a career in hotel management hoping for a bright future in the field of hospitality. The hospitality industry has a dearth of quality manpower and is always in search of people. The various hotel management colleges, institutes, vocational institutions and even some universities, both in the government and private sector, offer hospitality courses at the intermediate, undergraduate, and post graduate level. Students are usually selected from these institutions through various recruitment programs held both on and off campus.
Students often have a problem when they have to prepare for campus interviews, as the latter involves a meticulous knowledge of their field of interest with both soft and hard skills. Individuals may be skilled but have problems in expressing themselves. Such students would be ignored in the interview process so it is necessary for all aspirants to have proficiency in language and the knowhow of expressing it.
Most of the books are prepared considering the various Indian syllabi and not for campus interviews, which require a brief but comprehensive knowledge about all the core subjects of hospitality as well as the basics of making it through an interview.
Utmost care has been taken to incorporate new trends and topics in the industry. Since the book incorporates a lot about hospitality some points may not have been considered as it is not a text book but a supplementary book for hospitality students facing interviews.
The book gives an overview of all the four major departments, namely, the front office, housekeeping, food production, and food and beverage service. The book has five sections, four for the core subjects and a section for overall personality development.
The core subject sections have been divided into chapters. The chapter begins with a brief introduction about the topic discussed and is followed by questions and answers. The questions and answers are broadly based on those asked in campus interviews, but could also be a guide for students preparing for their respective examinations as that perspective has also been considered while preparing the text. Students are usually nervous and tense just before an interview. Considering this, general questions and answers have been added to familiarise students with the pattern of questions asked. A simple but very effective exercise is also included to relax a candidate just before appearing for the interview.
