Resumes For Servers

 

What I meant by "Head Trainer" was "Head Trainer of Dishwashers."

“You should never write your own resume, personal ad, or obituary.  In all three cases it is better to show your humility by letting someone else lie for you.”

-David Hayden

Every since picking up a copy of Peter’s Quotations in high school it has been a personal goal of mine to quote myself in something I wrote.  I can now check that one of the bucket list.  Contrary to the impression I give writing this blog, I am actually a pretty humble guy.  I consider humility an attribute.  In most cases it serves a person well.  Writing a resume is not one of those cases.

Writing a successful resume requires the writer to place the most positive spin on their achievements possible.  This does not mean lying, but rather fully accentuating the positive.  There is no room for humility in resume writing.  It is assumed by the reader that a resume contains a fair amount of exaggeration.  If you do not include that exaggeration, your humility will be mistaken for it.

I recently was asked by a friend to take a look at her resume.  She had a big interview coming up and wanted to have a fresh set of eyes to take a look over it.  I determined at this point there are two types of people in this world: those who edit and those who write.  I write, but am not so strong on the editing side (as many of you who read regularly have gathered).  I returned to her what I consider a very strong server resume.  She gave me permission to share parts of it with you and I think it can provide some inspiration for anyone writing their own.

Read the full post at Tips For Improving Your Tips

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Job Hunting: The Do’s and Don’ts

Job hunting is like going to the dentist.  Nobody really likes it, but if you avoid it long enough eating becomes difficult.  Filling out a pile of applications asking the same questions in hopes that one of them will land you a job can be a real pain in the neck.  Unfortunately, this is still the way most restaurant jobs are landed.  With the economy still lagging, it is more important than ever to show you are serious about landing the job with how you approach the interview.

Today I was closing the lunch shift in our lounge and watched six or seven applicants come in to fill out applications.  One really stood out.  She first sat herself at a patio table and called over the server outside to bring her an ashtray.  Then she came inside and sat at my table to wait for her interview.  I went by to offer her a drink and she shooed me away somewhat rudely.  She sat there for about 30 minutes as the manager looked for her application.  Not only did she not have an interview scheduled, she had never even filled out an application.  Her demeanor and posture showed annoyance from across the room.  After an hour or so she grabbed a server and asked, “How much longer am I going to wait for an interview?”  Needless to say, her chances of getting a job are as likely as me getting asked out on a date by my celebrity crush Rachel Maddow.

So in honor of the person you should most hope you are competing with for a job, here are some helpful job hunting tips.  This list is by no means complete and will be updated as time goes by.

Read the full post at Tips For Improving Your Tips