Senior Auditor 

How did you get your current job?
A friend knew I was unhappy managing a movie theatre, and put me in touch with the GM of the larger hotel, who needed an auditor at the time.

What was the application process?
Yes, via resume and completation of a boilerplate application.

Did you have to interview for your current job? If yes, what did the interview process entail?
Yes, 15 minutes with the GM and Front Desk manager.After the first five minutes, the interview was basically over and we were discussing pay and start dates.

If you can remember, what questions were you asked during the interview?
About my work experience, what computer systems did I know, did I have formal mathmatics training, had I worked in hotels before, did I mind working overnight. When I said I didn’t mind to the last question, I could tell I had the job as all conversation then turned to pay and start dates.

Do you feel your employer properly prepared you for your job? Explain.
Yes. They have always provided training and or access to the necessary training and/or resources to make me feel confident in undertaking what I am tasked. They have even accepted several of my requests to be sent to training classes that I felt were necessary.

Was there training for your current position? If yes, what did it entail?
Basic training for the auditor’s position when I was hired included the PMS (property management sytem) for the hotel, associated proceedures and paperworks, and all the necessary skills to run the front desk. Since then most of my training for specific systems and tasks has come from training classes and seminars, generally run by third parties. There is also a lot of reading (technical manuals, professional magazines and the like) that is necessary.

Do you feel your educational background prepared you for your job? Explain.
Partly. I was always very good at mathmatics (thanks to excellent teachers when I was young), and was first exposed to computers as a freshman in high school when I took an elective computer class in Basic, Fortran and Cobal computer languages to fulfill a math requirement (and avoid trigonometry!). However, my college classes were directed at another field entirely.

If applicable, do you feel your internship experience helped you prepare for your job?
I did not do an internship.

If someone wanted to go about getting a job similar to yours, what would you recommend for him or her to do?
Get as much IT training as possible. Be sure the training is diversified (not just PC/server certification, but learn networks, telecommunications devices/interfaces, and as much as you can about hardware). I was lucky to have some IT knowledge when no one else did, so I became very valuable to my company and as I now have specific knowledge of the company’s systems and operations, I have value to them beyond what my qualifications might suggest. Being lucky as I was and getting in on the ground floor with a company is very, very useful.

What skills do you think a person should have if they want to pursue a position like yours?
On the technical side, solid mathmatics skills are a must. You don’t necessarily need a college degree (I don’t have one), but if you can’t do basic math, you can’t do this job. As described above, computer skills and IT knowledge/training are necessary. Knowledge of hotel PMS (Property management systems) is a plus, but can be taught/learned. On the organizational side, our company expects punctuality, dedicated work and meeting minimum performance standards (with quarterly reviews/critiques). Drug testing twice a year or with probable cause are required. Social skills for the Auditors are necessary (and part of the performance reviews) as they are required to perform the duties of front desk clerks and reservationists during the overnight hours, with all the customer interaction that entails. We are a service industry, and we must provide good service if we are to be successful.

Do you feel that you need a certain level of education or training to be successful in your job?
At a minimum a high school degree with strengths in math and IT work. As in my case, you can learn/be trained for the job from there.

What advice would you give to someone who was about to start work in your position/ line of work?
Learn as much as you can about all the systems that you can. The more you can absorb, the more valuable you will become. Get your hands dirty. Reading books and doing simulations is one thing, but replacing server components without killing your system is a bit more nerve-wracking, and requires an element of confidence that can only be acquired through practical experience. Be prepared for the long haul, this is not something that you can learn overnight. It took me 5 years to reach the position I am in now (including 2 complete IT replacements, one at each hotel), and another year to earn the trust and confidence of the company’s leadership structure.