Transitioning to a Thriving Civilian Career
By Giselle Abritton, Director Hotel Support – CALA Region, Hilton
Ijoined the Navy in 1994, straight out of
high school in Puerto Rico. During my six
years in the military, I served as a Mess
Management Specialist where I was
responsible for the lodging and food
preparation for sailors in my duty station and
advance deployments. Without knowing it at
the time, this was the perfect experience for
my future career in hospitality. Many of the
skillsets and processes – such as checking
sailor
Veteran’s Perspective
sailors in and out of military barracks, running night
audit and property management systems - are
similar to running a hotel.
When I separated from Active Duty, I worked at
hotels starting at the front desk before being
promoted to Sales Manager, followed by Assistant
General Manager and General Manager. I am now a
Director in Hilton’s corporate office in Memphis where
I work closely with our Focused Service and All Suites
hotels and owners in Latin America and the Caribbean
to provide support with pre-opening, operations and
training to allow each hotel to perform at its best.
Hospitality is a great industry for veterans and
military spouses. At Hilton, there is such a strong
culture and the skills you learn in the military such as
communication, confidence, cultural awareness and
leadership are highly valued and transferrable to
hospitality. Regardless of the industry you’re
interested in, here are six tips that helped me
transition to a career journey and job that I love:
1. Prepare yourself for your civilian career
while still on active duty. I took advantage of all the
educational and training opportunities as well as
college credits that were offered while I was on
military duty.
2. Ready your resume. You will have enough
to think about when you retire from your military
career so it’s never too early to start thinking about
what’s next and begin the legwork. Start working on
your resume and seek out opportunities to network
or connect on LinkedIn with people in the industries
or companies you’re interested in.
3. Sign up for separation training. In addition
to transition assistance classes offered by your base,
there are many veteran service organizations that
offer individual resume and interview support. It can
be hard to translate many military skills – tangible as
well as the intangible skills like resilience, reliability
and problem solving – into a civilian resume.
Some companies, such as Hilton, have
dedicated military recruiters who can help you shape
your resume.
4. Scan your social media: Don’t forget to
update your LinkedIn and check that your other social
media accounts are professional.
5. Set realistic expectations: Don’t be afraid
to start at an entry-level position. When I began my
civilian career I was working the front desk of a hotel.
However, with my experience and passion for the
industry I was able to quickly work my way up.
6. Keep your papers: This is tactical though
often overlooked – make sure you keep copies of your
official paperwork so you can show you served in the
military.
Giselle with Reiner Sánchez, Brand Support
Manager for the Caribbean and Latin
America region. He is part of Giselle’s team.
Last year Hilton achieved its Operation
Opportunity target of hiring 30,000 veterans, military
spouses and caregivers across hotels, corporate
offices and work-from-home positions in the United
States. It has pledged to hire 25,000 additional
veterans, military spouses and caregivers by 2025.
For more information about joining the #1 Best
Company to Work For in the U.S. visit:
jobs.hilton.com/military.
LS
Giselle Albritton is an experienced
hospitality professional currently
working at Hilton where she is the
Director, Hotel Support for the
Caribbean and Latin America region
for Suites and Focused Service Brands.
She has also worked in hotels in roles
including General Manager and Sales
Director. Prior to Hilton, she spent six
years as a Mess Military Specialist
where she traveled as an advanced
planner to deployment locations.
A graduate of the University of
Alabama, she holds a Master’s Degree
in Hospitality Management and a
Bachelor’s Degree in Hospitality
Administration/Management.
Giselle stationed in Sabana Seca, Puerto
Rico in 1997.
Want to comment or have any questions on
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38 www.latinastyle.com LATINAStyle Vol. 26, No. 1, 2020
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