Wang Xiaodan is an outstanding alumnus of Hainan Open University (Hainan OU) and a National Model Worker from Sanya, a seaside city.
Persevering, and Striving for Self-improvement
Wang Xiaodan's motto is, "Living an extraordinary life in ordinary circumstances." In this spirit, she has advanced from waitress to operations manager, and continues to move forward.
In 2011, at age 20, she began working in the catering department of Sanya Yintai Sunshine Resort as a waitress. She took every aspect of the job seriously, whether appearance management, hygiene, equipment inspection, table layout, and meal preparations. She could memorise room and table numbers, the characteristics of dishes, and which ingredients were matched to which cooking methods, as well as the habits and preferences of guests in order to serve them with skill and warmth day after day for as long as ten hours.
Holidays are busy for hotels, and Wang Xiaodan volunteered to work every family-reunion day. With many guests from Hubei province quarantined in the hotel during an outbreak of Covid-19 in 2020, she even gave up returning home for the Spring Festival, and led the young staff to serve these customers.
Despite the intense workload, she always feels her efforts are worthwhile.
Striving to Meet the Highest Standards
She also never neglects to work on enhancing her professional skills.
For a waiter in a five-star hotel, these include holding trays, pouring wine, setting tables, folding napkins, and serving and dividing dishes. Setting a table may seem easy, but can involve a hundred large and small tableware, such as bowls, chopsticks, spoons, cups and plates, which must be placed according to standards and with grace and good humour. Wang Xiaodan frequently practices this in her spare time, sometimes hundreds of times a day.
In 2014, while still working, Wang Xiaodan enrolled in International Tourism Management at the Sanya branch of Hainan OU. She obtained a college diploma, and in 2019 a bachelor's degree in Administration from the Open University of China. Meanwhile, she taught herself English and Russian online, and became able to provide better assistance to foreign guests at the hotel. All in all, her studies prepared her to assume a management position.
Pushing Forward, and Leading her Team in Good Deeds
Her progress has also been accompanied by honours, including National Model Woker, Hainan Provincial Model Worker, May 1st Medal for Units Directly under Hunan Province, Pacesetter for Meritorious Service by Women in Sanya City, and Craftsman Spirit Award of the 2nd Hunan Tourism Industry of the Hunan Tourism Association. She has demonstrated excellent business skills and passed many tests as part of service-skills competitions at the municipal and provincial levels.
Today, besides working as operations manager and technical expert for the catering department, Wang Xiaodan is responsible for the training of catering staff. Her professionalism has been praised by the trainees, and, famed for the high standards of her service, she is often invited to local vocational and technical schools to provide training and teach catering practices.
Ability is always in demand, and Wang Xiaodan also serves as Secretary of the hotel's Youth League branch, handling its basic affairs while leading members in cleaning the beach in front of the hotel every month, inspiring them to selfless service while maintaining the hotel environment.
For her achievements, Wang Xiaodan often credits her team. She says it is possible to work hard and achieve extraordinary things even in an ordinary role.
By OUC News Network