Irit Golffed, Assistant Manager at the Regency Rambla Hotel and a graduate in Business Management, spoke about her professional experience and her time as a student.
-What does your job at one of the Regency hotels entail?
-I have been part of the Regency Hotels team for almost two years. I joined the company a few months before the opening of Regency Rambla, the fourth hotel in the chain, where I serve as Assistant Manager.
My work covers several areas. On the one hand, I am in charge of the administrative and accounting department, which includes planning, managing, and forecasting funds; negotiating payment terms for accounts receivable and accounts payable; preparing accounting data for reports to the Board of Directors; and preparing year-end financial statements.
In addition, I am in charge of human resources, overseeing the recruitment and management of hotel staff, conducting performance reviews, assessing staff training needs and coordinating training programs, and working daily to create a positive work environment where both individual employees’ goals and the organization’s overall objectives are met.
Finally, it is my responsibility, together with the hotel manager, to maintain an overview of everything that happens at the hotel—from annual planning to addressing conflicts or day-to-day issues that arise among staff or with guests—and to resolve them.
-How did you start working at one of the Regency hotels?
-I first came into contact with Regency after returning from a university exchange program. At the time, I had to finish a few courses and focus on finding a job. That’s when I heard about the opportunity at Regency Rambla, and after giving it some thought, I applied for the position.
Although I didn’t find this job through the university’s job board, it played a big role in my decision to apply for this position. Throughout my degree program, I’ve developed the tools and skills that gave me the confidence to apply for this job even before I’d finished my degree.
The practical approach and logical reasoning I developed over the years at ORT gave me the confidence to take on this challenge, knowing that I was well prepared and that the time had come to put all that knowledge into practice.
Although I had worked throughout my entire career, I had never faced the prospect of such a challenging and high-responsibility position, and my degree served as a key credential to validate the knowledge I brought to the table.
-Do you feel that the Bachelor’s degree in Management and Administration from the college gave you the tools you need to perform your current role?
-I think college has given me a lot of tools, but above all, it has taught me how to use them. We are often given theoretical tools that, while they help us follow a line of reasoning, aren’t very useful when we face various situations in our day-to-day work life.
Through the case method and required assignments, college served as a great training ground where I was able to practice using the tools I acquired throughout my degree program, and that gave me much more confidence as I took on my current responsibilities.
-What skills do you think you developed during your studies?
-I think that, above all else, my degree helped me develop the ability to ask myself the right questions, to not settle for the first answer that comes to mind, and to understand the importance of putting myself in someone else’s shoes when facing a situation, so that I can view it from all relevant perspectives.
-How would you describe the Bachelor's Degree in Management and Administration?
-It is a very enriching and comprehensive program that equips you with knowledge that will serve you well both personally and professionally. It is concrete and specific enough to help you understand and manage a business, yet broad enough to enable you to manage any type of business.