Job requirements in the Hospitality Industry: Technical or General Skills? The Dilemma for Academic Education

This paper attempts to identify the professional profiles of graduates for job positions in the accommodation sector, particularly whether specific skills of the position or skills related to the tourism sector are preferred. A conjoint design is applied, which figures out a more realistic context of asking respondents to evaluate potential “product” profiles. Managers of accommodation facilities express their preferences on four hypothetical profiles of candidates for five job positions: receptionist, administrative clerk, human resources manager, web specialist, revenue manager. Six attributes (academic degree and level, among others) are used to describe the candidate profiles. The data are analysed through a multinomial logit model and an OLS regression model that highlight the preferred characteristics of the candidates for the considered job position. The main findings show that recruitment in accommodation facilities looks also at specialized skills and academic programs appropriate for specific job positions. The knowledge of those characteristics of graduates, which could affect possible recruitment, is important for designing effective academic curricula.