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I Heard Professionalism, Maturity, Passion, and Leadership in My Interview with Ms. Britney Bubrowski

Last Thursday, I invited Ms. Britney Bubrowski to speak in my HR class. Britney graduated from college in 2008. She started her career as a HR Coordinator for a hotel before she moved up to the HR Manager and Director of HR position. Very recently, she accepted an offer from The Widewaters Group and became the company’s Corporate HR Manager of Hospitality. Britney has such an impressive career path. I wonder: what are her secrets for success?

Coincidentally, Britney pointed out two important factors: professionalism and maturity. Accordingly to Britney, it is important to maintain a professional relationship with the co-workers at work and have the level of maturity when dealing with work-related issues. I remember that not long ago in my other guest speaker sessions, the Director of HR at the Sheraton Syracuse University suggested that “maturity,” “flexibility,” and “personal branding” could be vital to a person’s career; another HR professional working in a soft-drink and beverage company emphasized the importance of “professionalism” at work. Is it just so happened that everyone echoes each other? Or is it a testimonial that professionalism and maturity are crucial in the work place? I believe they are critical for anyone’s success. Do you agree?

Being a corporate HR manager, Britney is heavily involved in the recruiting and selection process for hotel executives. She mentioned that she received many applications and that many candidates seemed well-qualified for the positions based on what was written on their resumes. I then asked her what makes a candidate stand out from the crowd. She told me that she would look for “passion” and “leadership” in the interviewing process, i.e. the passion for the hospitality industry, the passion for what s/he is doing, being able to motivate others, and being able to motivate him/herself. Once again, I agree with her 100% because I also “coincidentally” discussed the importance of leadership skills and passion before.

The class and I truly enjoyed our conversation with Ms. Britney Bubrowski. As always, she presented some very useful information. Do you find today’s discussion helpful? According to your experience, what factors can contribute to a person’s success? What advice will you give for those who are preparing for a professional career?

Relevant discussions:

Comments

  1. I personally really enjoyed Ms. Bubrowski's guest speaker session. I thought it was very encouraging to see such a successful person in the field that I am interested in so close to my age. I was worried that many of the higher-ups in the Hospitality industry were much older. I do know that many times you have to start at the bottom of the ladder and work your way up. But at least for me, it was encouraging to see someone be able to start in the industry someway up that ladder already, and be able to move to the top so quickly. I also thought her information about how an applicant carries themselves in an interview setting was invaluable. We have all heard it before to show your passion and interest in the field but, her discussion on the topic really drove the fact home for me. I know that when I am in a class with a professor that is very passionate about what they teach, I tend to enjoy the class much more even if I don't enjoy the topic as much, than when I am in a class where the professor seems like they would be rather doing something else. It just shows all parties involved that you are being true and do really care about what you are doing. Overall, I really enjoyed this guest speaker session and will definitely take Ms. Bubrowski's advice for my future endeavors.
    Rachel Braun

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    Replies
    1. I am glad you enjoyed this session, Rachel. Keep up your good work. I believe you will have great success in the near future as well.

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  2. Being able to be a recruiter for a period of time, I had common thoughts like Britney and what Rachel as mentioned. " At this young age a lot of our speaking based on our past experience." Humble manner, passion, leadership style are the keys to interviews. A lot of times, personalities and values based on the value of the company affects a lot. therefore during interviews, it is a key to show your true self and style of your own personality are important. These all based on the interaction during the interview process.

    Personal branding is the key. Timing and opportunities all based on how well equipped are the candidates. Networking and referrals are always a "click" especially this competitive world.

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  3. I really enjoyed listening to Britney Bubrowski speak; she brought up a lot of interesting points about professionalism that I agree with. Another thing I found interesting was how successful she is at such a young age. Many people do not think it is possible to be promoted to authoritative positions so soon out of college but her story made it seem possible. She spoke about some of the challenges of being a young manager such as having older people respect and listen to you. I admire her ability to have control of people ten or twenty years older than her. I think that is closely tied with professionalism and maturity- two very important characteristics to have in mostly any job. It is important to separate your personal life from your professional life. Ms. Bubrowski discussed how sometimes it can be difficult to stay professional around co-workers of the same age; she also said how important it is not to share your personal Facebook account with coworkers because this combines your social life with your career. I found it encouraging when Ms. Bubrowski told us how important it is to be passionate about jobs you are interviewing for. When I was looking for internships a few months ago, my experience in the field was limited but I feel passionate about the Hospitality Industry and I think that showed in my interviews. It was refreshing to hear a young, successful person speak about their career path because it was easy to relate to her opposed to someone who has been in the field for twenty plus years.
    Jamie Greer

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  4. i found todays discussion very useful and helpful. I think that there are many factors that are able to contribute to a person success. One of the main factors is that a person needs to be hard working and if they are not hard working then they are going to have to go through live and a job learning the hard way. Another factor is that a person needs to be able to work efficiently with others and learn to work at a group. One last factor that with help a person success is that they need to have a drive to be better then any other person in the job community so that they are able to put great work forward and help the company overall. One main thing that I would tell people who are preparing for a professional career is that they should go into a job with an open mind and put their best foot forward.

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  5. I do agree with Britney that professionalism, maturity, passion and leadership are very important attributes to have to be successful in this industry, especially when it comes to Human Resource. Being in that position, one must have to make numerous very important decisions, such as hiring new employees and letting people go. They also are put in a lot of uncomfortable situations such as when they must teach or regulate friends, managers or those in higher positions than them. HR may also have to deal with vital situations such as lawsuits and how to deal with sticky scenarios. With all the tasks they have, it is very important to stay professional and mature. They must also be a leader to make sure what they need to get through, actually gets through to people. Some more attributes I believe one must have is drive (going along with passion). One will not go anywhere just sitting around and not trying. In order to be a successful professional must have passion and be focused to move up and be respected in the industry.
    E. Ricco
    HPM 314

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  6. Dr. Kwok-
    While professionalism definitely plays a huge role in any work place, I believe this specifically holds true as a Human Resource Manager. As a HR Manager you must be able to interact with all aspects of a company (i.e. from house keeper, to front-desk manager, to bellhop, to reservationist). Because you need to interact with so many different types of people you must be able maintain a professional relationship with everyone. Someone who earns less money or may not be seen as important as another employee still needs to be treated with the same respect and professionalism as the next person. Ms. Britney Bubrowski mentions two words, “professionalism” and “maturity” as being integral to a successful career in HR and I certainly agree.

    -Sam C.

    ReplyDelete

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