Restaurant Job Board Blog

Have you ever noticed the quality of service when you go to a fancy restaurant?  The restaurant staff all give an excellent level of service, and they are very polished in their manners and grooming.  Many staff members that we don’t even come into contact with a big contributors to a restaurant’s success.

Approximately one-third of adults have been employed in some type of restaurant at some time in their life.  The food and restaurant service sector grows approximately 12 percent each year providing about 1.9 million which 47,000 of those are management level positions.

Most people in the restaurant business get their skills through their own experience in the job but there is an advantage if you have formal training in the industry.  Restaurants do look for employees who do have the training and  experience and the financial benefits are better for those who do have the training in the restaurant business.

There are many areas to be employed in the food and restaurant industry such as human resources, marketing, food technology, customer relations or even in the business or accounting area.  Hospitality Management colleges or schools offer courses in any of these fields but someone with business education and management skills could also fit in. These courses run anywhere from 2 – 4 years which include the area you want to specialize in.  Some schools also offer interships and co-op courses.  Some people get their training from a particular restaurant’s own training courses. This is a great way to learn the skills and get the required experience at the same time.

There are many different areas to consider working in if you train in the restaurant and hotel industry such as administration, culinary services, hotel maintenance and marketing. A manager’s duties besides learning different functions of all the departments including the kitchen, bar and banquet services, also includes the hiring of employees and the overseeing of them. This industry also requires housekeeping staff who are usually required to work shifts which are suited to a person who can work under these conditions. There are also many important positions just in the kitchen in the restaurant such as the food and beverage manager, chef or overseeing the other kitchen staff.

When working in the hotel and restaurant industry, you need to be dedicated and give your best level of service whether you’re in management or working for management. Customer service requirements are always high when working with the public and this is why you should always be polite, clean and tidy.  Always give your best level of service and keep the customer happy so they want to return to the establishment and will tell others about its success.

Always show off your great personality if you’re working with the public. This will help to form a great relationship with your customers. If the hospitality industry appeals to you and are thinking about a career in it, there are many great schools to choose from and many great places to work which could be close to home or around the world. It could take you anywhere you would like to be!

This is a quick reference guide to how to get hired as a bartender and/or server in the restaurant industry.

In this quick reference guide you will learn:

• How to easily find the Restaurant job you want!
• How to ace your interview!
• How to get bigger tips once you score your dream restaurant job!
• And much, much more!

Applying

For those that have not worked in the restaurant industry before. NEVER and I mean NEVER apply for a restaurant job during peak restaurant hours. Do not submit your resume in during lunch and dinner hours. Managers are way too busy during these times and this shows your inexperience right away. Your resume will go straight to the trash can if you do this.

The best time to apply for a restaurant job is between the hours of 2:30pm and 4:30pm.

Who to give your resume to.

Number 1 mistake that many restaurant job seekers make is giving their resume to the wrong person.

ONLY EVER GIVE YOUR RESUME TO THE MANAGER.

Employees have different motivations than the manager. You never know, maybe the employee knows they are on thin ice and they see your resume as a threat. Or may it’s someone who has the Barback position and this person has been waiting all year to get the opportunity to tend bar, and they see you as another person to keep them from that position. If your resume goes to anyone but the Manager then you might as well have just put into the trash can. You get the message.

Resumes

Let’s talk resumes real quick. Your resume should be 1 page and only have related experience to the hospitality industry. Most manager and/or restaurant owners don’t care if you were the number 1 sales person at your local retail location or if you have a degree in business or whatever.

Most want to be able to scan your resume and quickly identify your restaurant experience. Also, have references available. Make it easy for the manager to want to give that job. Having a references is real bonus. This way they can verify your work habits with from another place of business.

If you have no restaurant experience you will want to get some or maybe back down your expectations of job position to start. Maybe apply for a bus person position or a food runner over applying for a server/bartender position.

It is very common to be quickly promoted in a restaurant if you are good worker. Someone who works hard and learns the job can go from bus person to head server in just a couple months. Taking a server and/or bartender course is always a great idea if you have zero experience. (Although there is nothing better then having ‘real life’ experience)

Here is a list of server/bartending schools:
http://budurl.com/BartenderSchools

Now if you want super fast training that is great and you can download right now… then check out:

http://budurl.com/MakeMoneyBartending

SIDENOTE: Sometimes having no experience can be a benefit. I know several managers who preferred to hire newbies than trying to undo bad habits from an experienced bartender/server.

Interviews

How to ACE your interview.

If you have zero experience and keep being turned down due to this. Offer to work a night for FREE. Offer to prove that you are the individual they are looking for. Often if the management takes you up on this offer you’ll usually still get paid and you’ll score yourself a job, assuming you worked hard.

TIPS

Now that you have some great tips to help you score that dream restaurant job, be sure to read how to increase your tips.

Let us know what you think of this quick reference guide to getting hired in the restaurant industry in the comment section below.

Way back when I use to server tables I never had any trouble scoring the job of my choice. I believe I did two things that other possible candidates probably did not do. Once I choose the establishment I wanted to work, I then made a it a point to put some of my P.I. skills to use.

I’d go by to the restaurant/bar before I applying and I basically ‘case the joint‘. I’d note what the other servers are wearing. I’d ask for a take-home menu and take notes on their bar drink list. I’d get familiar with the items they sold. So familiar, that basically if I was hired on the spot I could start working right away.

I’d then apply (make sure you never apply to a restaurant during peak serving hours). I would make sure when I applied I am wearing something that is similar to what the wait staff wears while serving, this way I subconsciously look like I could start right away. I’d also apply when I know the manager and/or owner was in, so often I received an interview on the spot.

Once I had the interview (whether it was on the spot or not), I was prepared and confident because I knew their menu(s). I would let them know that I knew their menu(s) and asked them ask me anything about it. Once they asked me a question or two they were usually impressed that I took the time to learn the menu in advance. (Most servers don’t know their own menu for months after working a restaurant, so this can be a real hot spot for most managers/owners.)

SIDENOTE: Now don’t do this unless you really are going to learn the menu(s). You’ll look like a real knob if you try this and really don’t do you homework.

Once I had shown that knew their menu(s) and noticed that I had built a little rapport. I let them know that I am serious about working at their restaurant and let them know I can start as soon as they need me to, but (very gently) let them know that I will not wait around to be hired. (This is key because it puts them in a spot of ‘fear of loss‘.)

You have to understand that Managers and Owners want the best staff. They want this because it usually makes their lives easier. They know that sharp people are hard to find. It doesn’t take much to stand out above the masses of other servers. Just go a little ‘beyond the call of duty‘ before getting hired and you would be surprised at how fast an restaurant employer will snatch you up.

The end result was… I almost always started the next day. Works like a charm!

So to summarize the two quick tips:

1. Dress similar to the existing staff does for your interview.
2. Know that restaurant’s menu(s) in advance.

Happy restaurant job hunting!

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