Rota and Tinian residents get job search and hospitality classes

Twenty-two residents of Rota and Tinian participated in a two-day job search and hospitality certification course, under the leadership of Debra Inos, director for the CNMI Women’s Association.

Participants learned about the keys to a successful job search and that it takes considerable effort to launch a truly successful job search.

“Conducting a proper job search is hard work and, as you might imagine for those on Tinian and especially Rota, it is even harder. Job opportunities are very limited and residents need to position themselves to be ready for when there is an opening, especially at the Rota Resort and Tinian Dynasty [Hotel & Casino], the two biggest employers,” said Jim Arenovski, certified hospitality training and facilitator of the training. “The training that was conducted [on] Tinian and Rota is a great start to position them for hospitality positions. It is now up to the participants to use what they learned.”

The course covered the importance of interviewing skills and the need to practice these skills until you are great at answering key interview question comfortably and concisely, including a session on live interview techniques and the do’s and don’ts of interviewing.

The course included lectures on communications and effective listening, goal setting and time management as well as customer service. These skills will help them be better prepared for answering questions in their interviews and when they enter the hospitality industry. Each member will get individual feedback on improving their resumes.

Participants ate lunch and participated in tours of the Rota Resort and the Tinian Dynasty on their respective islands. These tours showcased the food and beverage outlets, laundry facilities, guest rooms, and the front desk operation.

“The great part of our tour was getting to visit the ‘presidential suite’ at the Tinian Dynasty,” said one participant.

“I enjoyed seeing the new room renovations at the Dynasty the upgrade is really nice,” said another.

Rota Mayor Efraim Atalig and Tinian Mayor Joey Patrick San Nicolas both joined the groups at lunch to show their support for the participants and to encourage them to work hard in their search for employment. Observations were made that there were still many CW1 staff at the hotels and that with hard work and dedication, these groups could see themselves in these position in the future.

The two-day session included the teaching of the American Hotel and Lodging Institute’s Guest Service Gold program. The program teaches the softer skills needed for a great hospitality employee, including initiative, anticipating customer needs, delighting the customer, follow through, empathy, and going beyond the job description.

Each participant will get a certificate from Island Training Solution for the Job Search Skills class and those passing the GOLD certification exam will receive their certificate from the American Hotel and Lodging Educational Institute.

“Participants who have completed this course are prepared for an entry-level postition in the hospitality industry and are an excellent choice for new job openings, compared to just another applicant off the street,” said Arenovski. “The participants now have the basic foundation they need to begin a successful career in hospitality and I urge employers to be on the lookout for applications from these participants and to reach out the NMI Women’s Association and the Department of Labor on the two islands about these participants.”

“The CNMI Women’s Association extends its gratitude to the Tinan and Rota mayors’ offices, Department of Labor, and NMC for its assistance in making this training possible. Their generosity and commitment to our effort was greatly appreciated. We are happy to have such great partners in improving the opportunities for our islands residents,”said Inos.

For more information about the CNMI Women’s Association and its efforts to improve employability of the NMI residents, contact Inos at 233-8978.

For more information about training for your organization, contact Arenovski at 287-7037. (CWA)