A great place to be at
After 3 months of internship at Sushi Fresh Restaurant, Lasma Balode received an attractive job offer. In the beginning, she was observing the waiting staff, reflecting, reviewing and assisting, and with a promotion, her tasks have changed. As she started to gain knowledge and some experience, she received more responsibilities like answering phone calls, taking orders, suggesting ideas for social media content and even taking part in decision-making processes.
Nowadays, she is responsible for analyzing the staff’s performance, supervising and training waiting staff, preparing shift schedules and tackling HR related minor issues. Lasma is managing the company’s Social Media profiles, creating content for both restaurants in Randers and Hobro on Facebook, and answering reviews on TripAdvisor. Updating the website is also one of her tasks. Everything must be working smoothly, reason why Lasma is doing a lot of research, gathering feedback and processing it, to ensure quality and great experience for Sushi Fresh’s guests.
‘’I enjoy working as an assistant in a small restaurant as I can take part in most of the operations, from marketing to menu re-design and re-calculation. I think it exceeds my expectations and I feel very lucky to have a job like this, in which I can use my creative skills and I can develop both professionally and personally. It is a great place to be at”, says Lasma.
Networking is vital
From the beginning, Lasma knew what she wanted to achieve through an internship. Consequently, she started looking for an internship in Denmark in a small-scale restaurant, where she could exercise her Danish language skills and have a direct communication with guests.
‘’Step 1: List your strengths and weaknesses. Step 2: Write down a list of requirements and expectations from your internship. Step 3: Start doing some research and see if you can find a match. Step 4: Go for it!’’, explains Lasma.
The search for an internship was not that easy, but it was worth the while. Lasma spent lots of time on Danish websites and used Dania Academy’s internship portal. In addition, she reached out to her LinkedIn community and visited several companies in Randers and Aarhus.
‘’I am very happy that I gained experience on how to manage a small-scale restaurant, how to serve guests and to improve their experience, how to fulfill their expectations regarding the menu, service, atmosphere and delivery. I feel like I learned the ins and outs of the restaurant business’’, explains Lasma.
Starting her career journey as a manager and being a bachelor student in Dania, it deemed to be a great option for Lasma, as she feels greatly guided in the direction of her professional development
Balancing work, school and spare time
When she is not working, Lasma shares her time between being an International Hospitality Management student, volunteering and her hobbies.
“I believe that being interested in different cultures and being a polyglot, studying abroad was the right thing for me to do. It all started with an AP degree in Service, Hospitality and Tourism and my desire to improve myself. Now, with a Bachelor Degree in International Hospitality Management I can combine my passion for business and customer service with having a challenging career. Although my schedule is full, it keeps me motivated”, says Lasma.
Volunteering played a big part
Since high school, Lasma was very determined and knew what career path to follow. Interested in multicultural diversity, she took part in multiple exchange projects in Germany and volunteered in a wide variety of international projects. Being fascinated by foreign languages, having a plan to study abroad, to travel and to expand her knowledge and skills, she considered Denmark to be the best option for her chosen career path.
‘’In Latvian we have a saying: “Katrs pats savas laimes kalējs” – every person is a blacksmith of their own happiness. If you want to find your dream job in Denmark, you must reflect upon yourself, to find out what really interests your, you must list your competencies and try to see how they can bring value to your future workplace. Be realistic about own professional goals and what competencies are needed on the market. Also, be patient’’, concludes Lasma.
