ShamelessRestaurants.com - Restaurant Industry Workers Stories

NYC Restaurant Job-Hunting
NYC is such a beautiful city that it's not unusual for people to come for a visit and discover they just can't leave. If that happens to you, or if you're planning to move to NYC for other reasons, these resources should make your job hunting easier.

If you're looking for employment in the restaurant industry in NYC, these topics can help you in your job search.

Where and how do I look for a job?

Resume rescue

Interview process

Leaving your job and References

The "must have experience" factor

Shamelessrestaurants.com look up

Where and how do I look for a job?

Pick a copy of the NY TIMES every Sunday, excellent source for FOH and BOH. If you know the guy at your local store, just ask him if you can get the job market section for $1 or something.

The Village Voice - an essential link

Craigslist.org - probably the best source out there, daily try hourly updates ,easy access, although restaurant employers are pissed off cause Craig's list went from free posting to $25 per each position.

(From our archives), someone happens to think this way.

Resume rescue
*Award-winning writer will help get you hired. Hospitality industry resumes is his specialty.
Free consultation/resume review. PayPal gladly accepted. Only $25. Contact ResumeRescue212@aol.com.
Oh and don't waste your time with those deceiving resume services advertised in the village voice, such as ($10-$35) resume services or resume writing (call Deb. For a free job placement), wrong prices and, no job placement, only rip off and unprofessional old ladies with bad attitude. Okay, now you know.

Interview process

You are at the interview because the employer wants you there, you've just overcome the first step!
Go into the interview, smile and shake the hands of the people who will be employing you. Be relaxed -and think of something interesting to ask them. If the establishment has been in the press recently, then ask about it, it shows that you're on the ball.
Sell yourself. You are offering them a service, which they will have to pay you for. They are your customers. Go get them tiger!

So, Why Don't You Tell Me about Yourself?
The most frequently asked interview question.
The key to answering this question is to offer a response that supports your career objective, as well as support your agenda. This is a question you should be prepared to answer Follow the four easy steps below to ensure your response will grab the interviewer's attention.

Provide a brief introduction. Introduce attributes that are key to the open position. Sample introduction: During my X number of years of experience as a bartender, I have mastered the ability to ЕЕ.,
Provide a career summary of your most recent work history. Your career summary is the "meat" of your response, so it must support your job objective and it must be compelling.
Tie your response to the needs of the hiring establishment. Don't assume that the interviewer will be able to connect all the dots. It is your job as the interviewee to make sure the interviewer understands how your experiences are transferable to the position they are seeking to fill.
Ask an insightful question. By asking a question you gain control of the interview. Don't ask a question for the sake of asking. Be sure that the question will engage the interviewer in a conversation. Doing so will alleviate the stress you may feel to perform.

The question, "So, tell me about yourself?" isn't overwhelming. In fact, answering the question effectively gives you the opportunity to talk about your strengths, achievements, and qualifications for the position. So take this golden opportunity and run with it!

References
With just a little pressure, most managers speak their mind to either help or hurt a candidate's chance at another job. You need to make sure what will your reference say about you to a prospective employer.
Who should I list as a reference?
When compiling a list of references, try to look at it from the prospective employer's shoes. First, you need responsive people that can confirm that you worked there, your title, reason for separation and other basics. Additionally, you need to list people who can vouch for your level of responsibility and performance.

Before you give the name of a reference to a potential employer, you need to contact the reference and:

Get permission to give out his or her name and number.
Find out if the reference would prefer to be contacted at work or home.
Find out the best times to reach her or him.
Discuss your job search goals and the specific employers who may be calling.

Besides providing a list of references, you can provide copies of letters of recommendation from former employers. Copies of written performance evaluations may also be helpful.

And one last advise if you are leaving your job - don't burn those bridges!
The time comes for everyone where their job isn't what it used to be (or perhaps it never was!). So you have to leave. So what's the best way to go about it?

Tie up loose ends!
You weren't thinking about just walking out were you?
It's a move lots of people make and can be a big mistake.

Should you give notice?
Well, yes - if you can.

Telling the boss.....
This can be the hardest part of leaving a job for most people and for many the response of your boss can be just as hard. Whether they say, "Oh, OK then... bye" or "Nooooo! Don't leave!", it is going to be an uncomfortable situation. You should be prepared to discuss your reasons for leaving (it may not be necessary), but do not expect your boss to turn around and offer you a pay increase and a better offer. In 9 times out of 10, if you quit, then you quit. Threatening to leave is not the way for you to get what you want!

Why do all this?
Hey, you're leaving right? What do you care if you rattle a few cages doing it?
Well, for one thing, most jobs require a reference from your previous employer and if you can't offer one then you will find it very hard to get a new job.
Another good reason to keep things amicable is that most people will be moving on to another job in the same industry. As years progress you will find out exactly how small a world it is we live in! The person you tell to shove their stinking job where the sun don't shine could, in a few years, be the person you have to deal with for that new job But again It's true that as one door closes, another opens and all that ,so......

Going for that new job can be the opportunity that changes your life. Just make sure you don't mess it up by saying the wrong thing! You don't know who your boss knows in the industry. You don't know how much influence they have. In an ideal world, each employer would take us all on our merits and capabilities. But we don't live in an ideal world.

The "must have experience" factor
We've all heard it: "You can't get a job if you don't have experience, but how do you get experience if no-one will give you a job? Doesn't seem fair, does it?
You walk into a restaurant, fill out an application, by the time you are done. They all say the same thing: "We'll let you know." only they don't. You never hear from them again. There is a way to beat the system. It's a pretty ingenious solution, too! But you've got to want it. What I wanted was to be a bartender, but my idea will work for almost any job.

It started when I signed up for a bartending school. The school gave me three job leads, I went to those bars and asked the managers if they'd hire someone who'd gone to this school. They all said no, not if the person didn't have any real-life job experience, so going to this school wasn't going to get me a bartending job, so I went back to square one.

They all wanted job experience. So I went back to all the managers I'd talked to about the bartending school, and asked them if they'd train me - for free. I offered a proposition: "I'll come in on my own time. You don't have to pay me. I will train for free. Train me, and if you like my work, then you can hire me with pay."
For them, it was a win-win situation. They didn't lose any money by giving me a chance. And if I did real well and showed an aptitude for the job, they could then hire me and we'd both make out. (HELPFUL HINT: Smaller businesses are the most likely to go for a deal like this.)I found one man willing to take me up on my deal. It was a small Italian restaurant with a tiny bar. He let his best bartender train me. She told me the drink ingredients, I wrote them down and took them home to memorize. She'd quiz me, and let me make drinks. After about three weeks, he put me on the payroll. I was a bartender!

It didn't take long for me to find out why he was so anxious to train me for free. It was such an awful place to work that everybody kept quitting on him. They had a complete staff turnover about once a month. He was desperate for employees. But that didn't matter. I got what I wanted - job training and job experience. And most importantly a NYC job experience, even if it was a crummy place to work. Sometimes you have to start out that way. I don't regret it, and I'll tell you why.

I worked there until I couldn't stand it anymore, which was longer than most of his employees stayed.
Remember, I needed that job experience, no matter how crummy it was to work there. After working there a few months, I went to several nicer bars, and told them I had job experience (which I did!) One of them hired me. It turned out to be one of the best jobs I ever had.

You get that by being:

A good worker who's willing and eager to learn and has a lot of enthusiasm for the job.
Be willing to do more than you are being paid to do. Help others in higher positions with their job, and you'll learn how to do their job. This is a great way to boost your experience.
A reliable employee who they can count on to be there every day and ON TIME.
An employee who gets along with his co-workers.
An honest employee who doesn't steal or lie to his employer.
An employee who knows that the customers of the business are where your paycheck really comes from and making sure to treat them with respect and enthusiasm.
And always try to leave a place of work on good terms, so that you can use them as a reference.
Treat the business as if it were your own, as if you had stock in the company, and you'll get the job experience and job skills you want. Potential employers can see that enthusiasm in you. They really can. So GO FOR IT, and good luck!

Shamelessrestaurants.com lookup
Finally before you start the new job, don't forget to read what others have to say about the working conditions at your new work place.

| |