Happy New Year!

Happy New Year.

I had been working during the national holidays from 2010 to 2011... As you know, a hotel doesn't stop its work. So I worked for them. um...  Not for them. For serving our guests!

It was snowy and stormy between the end of 2010 and the start of 2011. Many guests lost their destination because of these weather conditions. There were so many changes on schedules and we helped their extension of stay and cancellation of stay as long as we could.

Usually, a hotel such like a business type is not so busy during these seasons. However, it was sadistically different from usual days. We got tons of FAX and phone call from agents to change their customer's schedules and new bookings. Especially, it was terrible for South Korea. All flights were cancelled, all ships are cancelled, and all Japanese  Highways are closed due to snow. So they perfectly lost their destination.

Fortunately, we had some available rooms, we could accept their requests and also we could get extra income.

Now I'm studying about room control and revenue control as a night manager.
It is very difficult but fun.

I have a dream.

Whether I will get a new job as a regular employee at other industry or not, I will master all night manager skills by the end of this March.

I'll try!!

Bye.

New year is coming!!

I started a new job at a new position!
I certainly became a Night Manager of my hotel.
I can't believe it yet, though...

There are too much things to do for a Night Manager.
We have 286 rooms as a total. Most of rooms are single room for business users. However, we also have double and twin. There are 33 double rooms, and 44 twin rooms. Twin rooms can be used as triple room if only set an extra bed. Occupancy is not so good, bud not so bad...

We are promoting new action plans for the new year!

We also are trying to welcome a lot of individual guests from overseas, not only from Asia, but also from all over the world. But there is a big problem... We have approx. 14 regular front stuff, but only 3 stuff, including me, can speak English as business level.

If you are considering to travel around of Japan, and visit Fukuoka, please check our hotel's web site.

Chisun Hotel Hakata

You can find this hotel with AGODA, Expedia, Orbitz, Travelocity, and Wotif.
When you find this hotel and find the rate, I think that you will be moved.
We provide very low rate almost everyday.

Please find out!!

It's 4:30 AM, now.
I have to wake up around 2:00 PM.
Then I'll go to the office by 5:30 PM.
My day will start at 6:00 PM.
AND finish at 12:00 PM of the next day...=(


Anyway, I'll do my best, as usual!

Please have good holidays!!!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

I completely forgot the Western Holidays, because I have been in office during these holidays. It is natural that I work on holidays because I am an hotelier.

Anyway, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone.

I'll be a Night Manager tomorrow night, December 26th, 2010.
It will be my first day as a Night Manager for me since I became an hotelier.

Night Manager has a lot of important role in the front desk and front office.
I'm afraid that I could be a good Manager or not.

However, I'll do my best!

See you.

Half year as a Hotelier

6 months have past since I have been the hotelier in Fukuoka, Japan.

Although I have been a part time worker, I have been entrusted with a position of Assistant Night Manager. This position is the hardest position physically. My daily work starts at 17:00 and finish at 11:00 of the next day. However, I have never been released at 11:00. Because of many works, I usually finish my work around 14:00. Further, the employer don't pay me any allowance for my overtime work. It's so terrible.

I am fully satisfied with my job and the position as an Assistant Night Manager certainly, but I am not satisfied with other environment such as allowance, monthly income, and the possibility of the promotion.

I've been looking for a new position as a regular employee, but it has been a hard situation.

I'll leave present position as soon as I find a new position.

Recently, I enthusiastically listening to the music by So Nyeo Shi Dae (SNSD), a 9-person young girls sing and dance group of South Korea. Their song and dance are awesome.

Let's watch a music video of "Tell me your wish (Genie)".

Yeah!!

Well, I'll enjoy my 2 days off.

Hotelier

Almost 4 months have past since I became a part time worker at a small hotel in Fukuoka as a Front Clerk, a hotelier.

I had passed the face to face interview with a supervisor of the front office on March, and I have been hired as a part time front clerk. Between the first 2 weeks, I had participated in the basic skill training, which had included house keeping, confirming reservations, and basic skills for serving guests. After these training, I passed the basic training standard and became a Front Clerk.

In the first month, I mostly have been on the late shift, and learned Checking-in, dealing with various claims, and so on.

What a surprise! I mastered most of serving skills as Front Clerk only in a month, and I recognized as an Assistant Night Manager. So, I've mostly been on night shift since third month, June.

The assistant night manager has a lot of jobs. For example, Checking-in as usual, making indications for bed making for next day, printing bills of voucher, coupon, cash later accounts, and so on. Furthermore, when I (we) are doing these activities, air-conditioner for public spaces are perfectly stopped. So these jobs are not only hard but also bearing the hot air.

In Japanese hotels, we charges 10% of service charge on each room rates. So according to the basic manual, we cant's receive any cash or other materials.

However, it is human to human communication. I have received 1 cash tips from Japanese guest due to my polite serving and concierge service, and have received 3 packed alcohol, JINRO Chamisul, from Korean guest due to my prompt and accurate advise of getting a shuttle bus to their destinations.

Unfortunately, these honorable behavior will not have been reported to managers or general managers, because those occurred at midnight, and none of managers or general manager had not been there...

But, I'm so glad to receive guests hearts myself.

It might Hotelier be just a hotel stuff, but I don't think so.
As I usually do, serving our guests thoughtfully, answering guests questions promptly, and although there is a front desk but making eye contacts and listening to guests voices, then making advices for them, I believe that they will be able to stay with us comfortably.
I think that this is the best hospitality.



Anyway, I'll be 39 years old by July 24.
But I've never found a regular employee position...
What should I do???

This is my best/worst confusion...

Waiting a feedback

I've been just waiting a feedback from the company which I went to take the exam/video conference on Wednesday March 17th. I've not been able to sleep well, because it takes quite a long time to make their decision whether hiring me or not.

When I had the phone interview with their Asia-Pacific HR specialist and took the vocational aptitude test on the internet, I got the feedback from them next day. But this time, I think their decision making takes pretty a long time. I've been thinking that they've been considering various conditions for hiring a person seriously, because they are Japanese.

Due to this situation, I can't take any other actions for getting a new position. Further, there is no chance to make some money to live. If only they would advise my agent or me about when they will make their decision, I could work during I have been waiting their feedback as a part time staff in some companies.

ummm...

What should I do?
How long should I wait for?

I hope they will come to the end as soon as possible.

Days of seeking a new position

As I wrote before, I retired from the life insurance company by the end of February.

And now, I'm seeking a new position.

I have already applied more than 20 companies and completely been rejected from them. However, there is a hope for only one company. I got a private offer from a recruiting agent for this company at the beginning of March. And I passed the 1st resume screening stage and the phone interview with HR specialist of Asia-Pacific region on March 9th. Then I passed the vocational aptitude test next day. And today, I went to the 2nd interview, which was a video conference, with an area director of this company.

This company is the famous and leading company in the real estate outsourcing/ rental & virtual offices industry around the world. Most of readers may be know the name of this company.

The position is General Manager of their Fukuoka Business Centre.

To tell the truth, I didn't know not only this industry but also the name of company until I had heard this position from my agent. However, as I kept searching about this company, I gradually found that this company was the fantastic one, and that the position as General Manager was a great opportunity for me because its responsibility was relatively focused on B to B sales.

Although most of my business experiences were built in the pharmaceutical industry, I believed that my sales, marketing, and communication skills were transferable to those business model. Then I decided to apply to this company.

The 2nd interview was not an easy one, but I believe that I will get a good news from them soon.

Last Day

Well, it was the last day to go to the office.

As you know, I really had been wondering whether I should stay or leave the office; I should say that I should stay or leave the major life insurance company. And finally, at the end of January, I decided to leave, and claim my boss to quit my job by the end of February.

As soon as I claimed my decision to my boss, I was taken my laptop PC, all materials for consulting, and my daily jobs away. So I have spent one month with full vacation without salary.

Why I decided to quit the job? It was because I thought and felt that I would get into debt if I would continue the job.
Some successes say that the patience and the steady working will be the key of success in the life insurance industry. Yes it is true. But they never have mentioned about their expenses or overworks. It is because most of successes are American people, but not Japanese people.

Some may know that Japanese business customs are significantly different from American and European countries. In Japan, we have to spend many expenses to attract customers, and they do need it. On the other hand, most of these expenses never lead us to the success.

I spent really a tons of expenses for customers and candidates, but the results were same as the examples above.

I know that the life insurance industry is a very important economical fundamental. Face to face business model is a very good way of selling insurance products.
But on the other hand, I also know that the life insurance industry which depends on the internet. There are many websites where customers can compare similar products and its prices. And most of younger generations prefer internet business model in Japan. The reason is clear. They don't need to understand the essential of provided products. They do need to reduce their costs for insurance products.

In these circumstances, we don't need to provide face to face business model at all.
Because the final decision is in the customer's hand.

Well, this article looks like a marketing analysis.

I change the topic.
Although I have strong sales, marketing, and communication skills, I can't get next position at the moment.
This is due to the significant economical depressions in Japan.
The job less rates rise every month, and there are tons of job seekers around the country.
However, the government do nothing.
They are talking about their own funds in the congress.
I think that they should think about not their life but their fellow citizens.

I am a job seeker now.
This will be a really hard way to overcome, but I will do my best and surely get a great job.

Thank you for reading.
If you have comments, please post your thoughts.
I look forward to hearing various voices.

I can't believe...

It was a first day to go to the office after the new year holiday today.

I got up 6 am and arrived at the office around 7:30 am.

I said "Happy New Year and Good Morning." to my manager and started my desk work.

There was a morning assembly from 8:50 to 9:10.

After the assembly, a man came up to my desk.

He was a mentoring support director of Kyushu region where I belonged to.

Then he said, "How was your holiday? Did you enjoy it?"

I answered and asked "Sure. By the way, why you are here today?"

He said, "How many contracts will you make this month? You must make less than 15 contracts, and build less than 300,000 yen conversion result. Otherwise you will be fired."

I couldn't say anything.

Further, he asked me "How many rushes will you do? Please answer it now!"

I answered achievable but vague targets to his question.

It is true that my result of last 4 months was not so good, but I have made good relationships with unknown and likelihood customers, and they will be my new customers this month. It is also true that he is the one of my mentoring support director, but he never experienced sales at all.

Why he knows the way to build good results in this industry?

Why he knows the way to rush into unknown enterprises or individual likelihood customers?

Does he really know my daily works? (I have not taken any offs since last September including Saturday and Sunday.)

I can't believe not only him but also ALICO itself.

Re-opened this blog

Hi everyone!

Long time, no see.

I hope that you all have been doing well.

In the sudden, I decided to re-open this blog.

The reason is clear.

Since I became a member of ALICO Japan as a consultant in Fukuoka, I perfectly lost chances to use English in my daily life. It will be a big help for me to write something in English to keep my language level.

I've been busy with my job, so the frequency of my writing this blog will not be so often.

However, I hope that some of my readers will enjoy it.

Have great days!