Question
I'm 23 and have worked in restaurants, bars and hotels - both front of house and in the kitchen. I'd like to join the marketing sector of the industry. Where do I begin?
Answers
Johnny Johnson, communications manager at HCTC:
If you have no marketing experience, then you should think about gaining a relevant qualification. Contact the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM); its qualifications are the industry standard, and you can do them in a number of ways - either full- or part-time.
As you already have experience in restaurants, bars and hotels, there's no reason why you shouldn't look for a junior role in a marketing department and start to get some experience right away. Many people do this while gaining CIM qualifications at evening classes.
Contact the larger organisations such as Marriott, Ramada Jarvis, Greene King, Corus or De Vere, and find out if they have any positions available. Call the CIM on 01628 427500, or visit its website at www.cim.co.uk - it's a useful site with lots of information about training, as well as other resources to help you make your next career move.
Lesley Reynolds, chief executive of Portfolio International:
Now there's a toughie - marketing is a specialist discipline, and increasingly we're seeing people with specialist marketing training going into this area rather than operatives.
Your best bet is to transfer within your company, or find a company where there's an opportunity down the line. You may need to work across from a food and beverage perspective with a restaurant that has a loyalty scheme or something similar.
However, I think you may have to accept that you haven't chosen the ideal route to go into marketing. Maybe some private/home study will help you.
If you'd like to submit a question, send it to chris.druce@rbi.co.uk.