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What is a night manager and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
Quoted experts
Steve Wages Ph.D.,
Kerem Cakirer Ph.D.
introduction image

A night manager is a hospitality specialist who works at a hotel and sees to the smooth running of things during the night shift. He/She manages and monitors the activities of all employees to the maintenance of a holistic, professional, and high-quality service-oriented environment at all times.

This includes coaching, training and correcting employees where necessary, managing timesheets, ensuring the smooth running of affairs such as ensuring employees do their duties, dealing with complaints, solving problems and disturbances. It also involves seeing to special requests by clients and other issues that may arise.

This is a career in the hospitality industry that requires excellent leadership and communication skills because it is 100% customer service oriented. You would need to be polite, helpful, with a genuine desire to help the client, direct them and see to their needs while making them feel at home. It also involves an aspect in management and leadership roles, so you have to manage and lead a team.

A high school diploma is all you need by rising through the ranks with experience, although a college degree in any hospitality field might be preferred by some employers. Depending on the level of experience and size of the hotel, the average salary is $23 per hour, which is $49,000 per year. There is expected to be a 6% growth in the career by 2028, creating 150600 new jobs. So if you love working with people, this might be right for you.

What general advice would you give to a night manager?

Steve Wages Ph.D.Steve Wages Ph.D. LinkedIn profile

Director, Cloverdale Center for Youth and Family, Faulkner University

As soon as possible, establish a formal mentoring relationship with someone who is seasoned in pastoral counseling. Generally, the research demonstrates that the performance of employees with mentors is of a higher quality, they advance in their responsibilities and careers faster, and they avoid common mistakes exhibited by other employees. Establish short-term goals (6 months) for your position and a plan for overcoming obstacles; then ask your mentor to hold you accountable for implementing your plan. As part of your self-care. you also need to be proactive in developing a few close friendships, perhaps including colleagues, who can be a source of emotional support and encouragement to you personally.

You should be confident in your training while also being realistic and transparent about your limitations. There is still a lot that you do not know and much you will learn with experience. Until then, be willing to say "I don't know" when faced with problems you have not addressed before. Then commit to learning more about the issue through personal study and/or consulting with a more experienced colleague or mentor. In some cases, you may need to invite a more experienced counselor to meet with a client or where appropriate refer them to someone else.

You need to equip yourself to address structural changes to the delivery of pastoral care and counseling as a consequence of the pandemic. You will need to adapt to providing pastoral counseling virtually perhaps via Zoom sessions. Give thought as to how the virtual context impacts the counseling process and the spiritual resources you employ. For example, if you are comfortable praying with a client in your office, will you be equally inclined to pray with them online or over a phone. In light of the pandemic, Dr. Chuck Lawless noted, "Good pastoral care has required being more proactive than reactive." Ordinarily, pastoral counselors are reactive in that they respond to needs when they hear about them or when they are
ScoreNight ManagerUS Average
Salary
3.3

Avg. Salary $41,998

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level
9.6

Growth rate 6%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity
3.5
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.47%

Asian 6.42%

Black or African American 6.24%

Hispanic or Latino 15.40%

Unknown 4.35%

White 67.13%

Gender

female 41.39%

male 58.61%

Age - 44
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 44
Stress level
9.6

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level
9.2

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance
3.6

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Night manager career paths

Key steps to become a night manager

  1. Explore night manager education requirements

    Most common night manager degrees

    Bachelor's

    38.0 %

    High School Diploma

    26.1 %

    Associate

    22.4 %
  2. Start to develop specific night manager skills

    SkillsPercentages
    Cash Handling20.80%
    Customer Service17.52%
    Safety Procedures8.08%
    Front Desk5.68%
    Payroll4.92%
  3. Complete relevant night manager training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New night managers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a night manager based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real night manager resumes.
  4. Gain additional night manager certifications

    Night manager certifications can show employers you have a baseline of knowledge expected for the position. Certifications can also make you a more competitive candidate. Even if employers don't require a specific night manager certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.

    The most common certifications for night managers include OSHA Safety Certificate and Certified Management Accountant (CMA).

    More About Certifications
  5. Research night manager duties and responsibilities

    • Master point of sale (POS) computer system for placing orders quickly and accurately.
    • Count the drawer, greet and seat guests, check orders on POS system, provide customer service.
    • Assist in all aspects of the business - leadership, inventory control, merchandising, cleanliness and vendor relations.
    • Operate power jacks and Hi/low lifts to stack and move pallets in the back room area of the store.
  6. Prepare your night manager resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your night manager resume.

    You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a night manager resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

    Choose from 10+ customizable night manager resume templates

    Build a professional night manager resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your night manager resume.
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  7. Apply for night manager jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a night manager job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How did you land your first night manager job

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Average night manager salary

The average night manager salary in the United States is $41,998 per year or $20 per hour. Night manager salaries range between $29,000 and $59,000 per year.

Average night manager salary
$41,998 Yearly
$20.19 hourly

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How do night managers rate their job?

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Night manager reviews

profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Apr 2022
Pros

I have leadership skills I always hire employees who like to work in a team I like to see sales increase and love to see the best customer service is given

Cons

In reality, i do not complain as its who i am


profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Jun 2020
Pros

Educating employees and getting everyone on the same mindset about what it takes for a company to succeed.

Cons

I don't like it when moral is low and nothing seems to perk employees up to become more productive at work.


profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Mar 2020
Pros

I love the problem solving aspect. Helping my team work through problems and training new employees to perform to their best.

Cons

Disciplining my team for mistakes they can prevent, such as attendance.


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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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