A normal story of daily life

At the end of November 2000 we published a note of Pierluigi Sassano, a young man who had successfully completed his studies, and yet could not find a job in tourism. The essence of what he said was this: “I love Siena and its immense appeal, but I realise that something is not the way it should be. The town lacks a modern tourist business culture. Based on a few articles I found in Job in Tourism and doing some personal research, I decided to turn my attention to larger establishments than those present in Siena, and directly contacted the managers of the most important national and international hotel companies in Italy. The replies I received have been disappointing. Now I am only left with the alternative of going abroad, where there are more opportunities for those who wish to start a career in the hotel industry…. It is absurd that similar opportunities cannot be found in a country like ours, where tourism is a driver of the national economy…” Mr Sassano held on, and last week he wrote me: “After I wrote to you, a few more months went by with scant results. Suddenly, I received a phone call which summoned me to Siena to the best hotel in town. I was interviewed for an important position in the F&B sector, but they selected another person. The favourable impression received by both parties during the interview, however, allowed me to join the company anyway, at a lower level, but still in a crucial sector of the hotel – the front office. I went in “through the back door” as a shift operator, after a few days I was moved to the reception as secretary, and after a few months my hard work and my desire to grow allowed me to be promoted to reception and cash-desk secretary. I attended some courses on reception service and the sale of hotel services in Florence, and actively participated in opening the company’s second hotel in Florence, a five-star hotel. I attended a one-week training course in Rome in view of the implementation of the Optims system in the hotel, and a refresher course on the Utell/Netrez system. Currently, I am an assistant front office manager. Of course, there are difficult moments, but they are part of the job. I hope I will grow further in the room division or in yield/revenue management, and I hope I will do so inside this company”. This testimony is evidence that sometimes it is difficult to begin, but will and determination, combined with adequate schooling, do generally come out the winners.