Dos, don'ts and basic tips for getting a hotel-casino job in Las Vegas
Thousands of people move to Las Vegas every month, and many of them find work in the city's core industry, hotel-casinos. But they're not just handing out jobs at the state line. The market is competitive and, surprisingly, some of the jobs with the simplest descriptions and least amount of experience required are the hardest to get.
So what's a newcomer or a career-changer to do? We've asked some of the city's top hotel-casino executives and hiring managers what it takes to get a job in Las Vegas. In addition to the job-specific advice you'll find in these guides, the executives we spoke with also offered general tips on applying and interviewing, work requirements, and what to expect from the process that you may not find in other cities.
Newcomer Tips
1. Start small, start local
If you're just starting out in gaming and hospitality, or you're new to Las Vegas, off-Strip and locals casinos are your best bet for breaking in. Most Strip casinos won't even consider applications from newcomers to the business, and they usually promote from within.
But companies with multiple properties, such as MGM-Mirage, often have smaller, satellite properties either off-Strip or out of town where they place inexperienced workers.
"We take a lot of first-time casino workers who have never worked in gaming before," said Hilary McClain, vice president of human resources for Primm Valley Casino Resorts. MGM-Mirage owns the group's three properties, which are located about 25 miles south of Las Vegas.
"They see us as an opportunity, if they do not have any experience, to get in the door."
For workers looking to make a career in the industry, patience and hard work on the "farm team" can pay off with a promotion to more lucrative jobs at a company's Strip properties. McClain said out of 2,800 total employees in Primm, 52 transferred to MGM-Mirage properties on the Strip in 2003, and another 340 were promoted or transferred departments within the Primm properties.
While working on the Strip may be the ultimate goal, some managers say it can be more challenging to work at a locals casino.
Stacy Stagg, director of food and beverage at Santa Fe Station, said Strip casinos see a new batch of guests every day, but locals' casinos draw a lot of regulars. She tells her employees, "We're waiting on people who do your job somewhere else.
" ... Our people come in every day. Our guests are in the industry. Our guests live here. We feel we need to be the best.
2. Work History
If you don't have any hotel-casino experience, a good work history is the next best thing. Almost all of the executives we spoke with said they can train workers to do most jobs - what they can't train is reliability, initiative and good attitude.
"The gaming and hotel industry is not that tough of an industry to learn or be taught. We can pretty much train people that have the right characteristics we're looking for," McClain said.
Some properties even prefer to bring in people as "clean slates" on which to imprint their own corporate culture and way of doing things.
"I've hired many people in my career who have no experience (on the) front desk who turn out to be the best receptionists," said Ninya Perna, hotel manager at Green Valley Ranch.
A good history also has few or no gaps in employment, and shows that you can hold down a job for some length of time, McClain said. Many companies prefer applicants who have held at least one job for at least one year.
If you're applying in person at a hotel-casino's employment center, it's best to bring a written version of your employment history and references, to ensure you don't leave anything important off your application or get it wrong.
3. Interviews & Auditions
At the Gaming Lab at the Community College of Southern Nevada's Cheyenne campus, which trains dealers, students are given a written guide to the job application and interview process. Lab manager Paul Flowers said several hiring executives have praised the guide and say every applicant should get the same advice. Some highlights:
- Be positive and smile - "Often dealers are hired on their personality"
- Be prepared to take a drug test (if you're taking any medication, bring the prescription to the test)
- Don't wear expensive or flashy jewelry
- Visit the employment center a few times a week after you have auditioned to check on openings, but don't telephone
"I tell them that the HR person (who's interviewing them) is not there to hire them but to get rid of those who don't fit," Flowers said.
Dealer applicants are expected to wear a clean, pressed white shirt and black pants, or skirts for women. For other positions, executives stressed the importance of dressing well - something a surprising number of applicants don't do.
"I look for someone who comes in well-dressed. It's becoming a lost art," said Stagg of Santa Fe Station.
Dawn LaGuardia, director of food and beverage at Green Valley Ranch, said whether you're interviewing to be a bus person or a vice president, you can never go wrong wearing a suit.
And don't be surprised if your interview doesn't take place in an office. Stagg said she always meets job candidates out in the casino or restaurants. "I like to watch them walk in. I look at their stride, because that's pretty much how they're going to be on the floor. Body language is big," she said.
4. Tipping Positions
The most sought-after jobs in town are usually the ones with potential for big tips - dealer, valet attendant, cocktail waitress, bartender, bellmen and more. But for those just starting out in these positions, it's important to realize that the big payoffs don't come right away, and they can be few and far between.
Most people who work for tips dream of being in the path of a happy high roller who's eager to share his wealth. But hotel-casino executives will tell you that employees are largely responsible for their own luck in landing big tips.
"They must be willing to do their job as if they're not getting paid," McClain said.
"They have control over the money they make, in the service they deliver."
Newcomers start out either on-call or part-time, working the off-peak hours and territories where it's harder to earn tips. Often people who are just getting started in tipping jobs will find it necessary to get a second job to make ends meet.
And that can make it difficult not to be offended when customers fail to reward you with anything. McClain said it's important to remember that "people are from all over. Tipping is not as typical everywhere else.
"We tell (employees) not to take it personally. A lot of guests or customers just don't know" who to tip or how much.
