Viewpoint: Career development isn’t a one-way street

We should be more attuned to the all-round experiences people can acquire that can help them develop in their jobs, says Amanda Hall

As I reflect on my career in this fantastic industry, and particularly the past decade, I feel proud to see how the dial has moved when it comes to diversity. As we approach International Women’s Day it provides us the opportunity to celebrate the achievements of the many incredible women we work with, but also everyone collectively, too.

From my own experience, there’s been a huge shift from working in what was, and sometimes still is, a very male-dominated industry, to working with strong, inspirational female leaders. We now have the room to flourish in a company where an increasing proportion of the senior leadership team are women. Just over half of our upper-quartile earners are also female and while this is something to celebrate, it’s imperative we continue to focus on attracting and retaining diverse talent.

The great thing about our industry is that there is opportunity for everyone. It’s important to remember that each of us has a role to play when embracing equity and it is about how we continue to help drive success for everyone, no matter their gender or background. Anyone who is keen to progress and make their way up the ladder has the opportunity do so. That isn’t the only way to progress though, and as with many businesses in the industry, we recognise there is not a one-size-fits-all approach to developing talent. The development on offer needs to be as diverse as the demographic. I see an increasing number of success stories of people not only progressing in their chosen field, but taking a more ‘scenic route’ with their career path, leveraging transferable skills and working across different disciplines.

I’m proud to say we’re an industry led by human touches, something we know people value more and more, and it is our people that are the forefront of the business. That is why I believe transferable skills developed and honed in hospitality roles are more important than ever, perhaps more than technical skills in many instances. There’s so much more than what is listed on a CV when it comes to these life skills. People invest in people, and when we introduce and celebrate diverse and different life experiences, we can really stand out. For instance, those who may have had a career break for any reason would have gained invaluable insight and experience from other standpoints – whether that be multi-tasking or simply gaining a new perspective. We often see people returning from maternity or other leave, who feel perhaps they have missed out on important advancements or that a colleague has developed new technical skills and overtaken them in their career progression. However, we should embrace and leverage the new life skills, such as empathy and patience, which are so valuable in a people-led industry and are learned, not taught.

This is where it is our role to keep up representation across the board and stay open to sharing opportunities, whether this be through external partnerships, mentoring schemes, open cohort development programmes and employee network groups, for example, but most importantly challenging ourselves. The biggest hurdle is getting to a place of equity – a point where equality isn’t a question, it is a given, and a day when there isn’t a need to celebrate International Women’s Day. However, it still raises a valuable topic and a reminder to continue to empower each other in the workplace to achieve the very best from every one of us.

Amanda Hall is the head of learning and development at Clermont Hotel Group