#Poweredbyjobs: Employment Security Commissioner Suzi LeVine reflects on her career, which started in hospitality

Gov. Jay Inslee has declared May “Careers in Hospitality Month,” and for good reason. Nearly 50 percent of Americans have worked for the industry at some point in their lives. Customer service, teamwork, management: A career in hospitality teaches vital skills that workers can apply to any job, which is why hospitality is sometimes called the training ground for the American workforce. That’s what we call Powered by Jobs!

This week, Commissioner Suzi LeVine reflects on her career path — from her first restaurant job to U.S. ambassador — and how her hospitality experience helped shape her.

Here is Suzi’s story:

I’m Suzi LeVine, commissioner of the Employment Security Department. My very nonlinear career includes a number of hospitality jobs. My first job, where I cut my teeth and learned how to work with customers, was on the Atlantic City Boardwalk in New Jersey, making corn dogs at a walk-up restaurant called Dip Stix.

Later, I was vice-president of marketing and sales for luxury travel at Expedia, where I worked with top hospitality companies across the globe and learned to best match the needs of the customers with hospitality products.

More recently, as U.S. ambassador to Switzerland and Liechtenstein, much of my job was opening my home, receiving guests, hosting conversations and convening people, and working to understand and match the needs of different groups and individuals. The protocol applied to those engagements is the epitome of hospitality.

In other words, hospitality is my world and shapes how I work and engage others. And I’m not alone — nearly half of all Americans have worked for the hospitality industry at some point in their lives.

The industry provides a great foundation for any career. It teaches valuable customer service, teamwork and management skills, and provides a solid career ladder. Nine out of 10 restaurant managers and 50 percent of all hotel general managers started in entry-level positions. Workers needing flexible schedules or part-time work can find opportunities, and the job skills are transferable to many locations and professions.

This month, as the summer hiring season begins, we’re spotlighting careers in hospitality on WorksourceWA.com. It features not only entry-level jobs, but also jobs at all levels and across the industry. We hope you’ll check it out. Also visit WAHospitalityCareers.com to find jobs and career fairs near you.

As partners in Washington’s WorkSource system and the American Job Center Network, the Employment Security Department helps people — unemployed or not — find new jobs and learn new skills. We help them experience the life-changing power of a job. We also work with businesses to help them find employees because we know they are Powered by Jobs.