After watching the 2011 film ‘Chalet Girl’ it’s easy to think that ski seasons are just about raucous nights out with lots of drinking and an occasional snowboard competition. It’s easy to spot the applicants who think this via their cover letter. They’re the ones who solely write ‘I love skiing and I love meeting new people so I’m the perfect person for the job’. With a huge amount of applicants it’s my job to sift through and find the real gems.

We pride ourselves on providing a really personal service from that first email enquiring about a price to your child’s first ski school lesson with our instructors. So we look for a team who are ready to go the extra mile and make sure your holiday is great. Previous season experience isn’t always necessary (although it is helpful) as we know especially with younger applicants that they may want a future career in working with children but just need that first opportunity. We have a number of job roles available each season but with each one we expect the applicants to have a real love of working with children.

So what do we look for when employing the resort team?

Well it’s a number of qualities and characteristics which we look for and spot throughout the application process.

1. You HAVE to love children – We’re a small team and each member will be working with children on a day to day basis. We’re looking for applicants who have a genuine passion for working with children and have the energy to go the extra mile on every day of an 18 week season and make every child’s holiday a fantastic one.
2. Someone who’s polite – When someone first applies with a cover letter and their CV you can tell a lot with how and what they write. Polite and clear emails normally reflect a polite person.
3. A bubbly and friendly person – A mini phone interview is a great way to sift through the applicants as you can get a real sense of someone when you speak to them. We look for people who even on the phone are warm and friendly.
4. Easy to talk to – With us even when you’re off duty, you’re on duty, as it is a small resort and you’ll bump into guests. So we need people who are easy to talk to and will enjoy socializing with parents as well as entertaining their children.

The Interview

The main interview is our chance to tell applicants more about the job role and the company to see if we’re a good fit. We’re known for really looking after our staff so we’re the perfect company for the right person. By doing a face to face interview it’s the best way to start get to know someone. One of the best ways to help us make a decision is by taking references. A written and verbal reference helps hugely and you know that when someone tells you that ‘I know they sound too good to be true, but it’s because she’s truly great at what she does’, you know you’re onto a winner.

Our resort team is a reflection of us and as a family run business our team are just like an extended part of our family. What we want for our guests filters down to our resort team so that we all have the same aims for each family’s holiday. We’re a small company in this industry but our reputation for a great holiday and great service is what keeps pushing us to be better and a great resort team is key. So each year we try to find you the very best.

Top tips when applying for ski season jobs – it’s the little things that count!

1. When writing your cover letter, try to mention the company and job role you’re applying for. We can tell when you’re sending the same cover letter to each company.
2. Cover letters don’t need to be a long list of all your achievements. We don’t need to know that you won the art prize in Year 5 at primary school. Keep it short and simple highlighting the key facts you want us to know – any relevant qualifications, why you want the job and make sure it’s polite.
3. When emailing a recruiter – keep your emails professional and polite. I personally feel that all emails should be kept formal until you have the job.
4. Make sure to be quick when replying to any emails. If you’re slack in replying someone who’s quicker might nab the nearest interview date. We have limited spaces for our resort team so if you’re not quick you could lose your chance.
5. A phone interview isn’t scary – use this as your opportunity to sell yourself. Let the recruiter know everything you want them to know without being pushy.