Webinar with Herman D’Costa: Career Prospects in F&B

May 26, 2020: The students of WGSHA were provided the opportunity to attend a webinar. The guest speaker for this session was Mr. Herman D’Costa, who is an Alumnus from the 15th Course BHM and was an ace student through all 4 years, graduating right at top of his class. This webinar is a part of the ongoing sessions initiated by our Principal, Chef Thiru.

He began his career by working with JW Marriott after graduation, after which he moved on to work with the Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines. He currently works as a Restaurant Manager at Palace Downtown Hotel in Dubai. Throughout his career he has found the key to satisfy a diverse set of clients with his excellent personal skills and ability to identify their needs and provide them with the appropriate resources. With a 15 year experience in his name, Mr. Costa enlightened the students of BHM and BACA on how to build a career in the F&B industry and the career prospects in F&B department.

Mr Costa showed us a very informative video on how we need to “Give ‘em the Pickle”. The video told us that the key to great customer service is – making service your top priority, having the right attitude, being consistent and working as a team.  With this, we’d be able to stand out from others. He explained the video further by saying how we need to go out of our way or do that one special thing for the customer. This way we’d be able to gain the trust and loyalty of our customers.

His information on how the industry will have to move ahead collectively to deal with the current situation and embrace the new normal due to the current ongoing pandemic was extremely helpful as a lot of students are about to begin their journey in the industry. He also shed light on how his journey working for the Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines was and how it was different from working in hotels and also informed us what compelled him to join the same. He explained that the job on the cruise lines worked on a contract basis, with each contract lasting for 6-6.5 months. Each job comes with challenges and we have to face this with a good attitude and a calm mind. We need to focus on what we expect to learn from the job and how it’ll be beneficial in the long run.

Mr. Costa’s informative presentation also told us about his journey after the cruise line working for the Emaar Group in Dubai.  He brushed upon how he had to go about applying for the new job and what he had in mind while doing the same. He mentioned his roles and responsibilities throughout his career and explained what the challenges he faced were and how he tackled them.

He concluded by focusing on what the students can expect from the industry in the coming years and the problems and challenges people will face in finding jobs, given the current condition. He advised the students that they should not lose hope, but focus on trusting oneself and working towards a goal with dedication which would guarantee success.

After the presentation, the session then proceeded into Mr. Costa humbly answering all the questions the students had for him, clearing everyone’s doubt with utmost enthusiasm and patience.  

It was a pleasure and a privilege to have him with us.