Employer's Hints and Tips
During the recent Career Fair, we spent the day talking to employers about you... and they were very impressed with your confidence, skills and experience. They said you looked great in your suits and chef's uniforms and many of them have already offered you jobs. We asked them what they were looking for in an employee and this is what they said...
Be
- enthusiastic - about working for the employer’s company, restaurant, hotel etc.
- full of initiative - by suggesting ways you could perform the duties faster, better, more efficiently
- up front about your availability and transport - if the job requires you to have a car and a license, and you don’t have either, tell the employer at the interview. They will not be happy to employ you and find out later that you can’t work where there is no public transport
Ask
- questions - to show you listened. After the employer explains the duties, ask further questions like: Are there any additional duties included in this role? What duties need to be performed daily? Who would be my supervisor?
- about tasks and duties – What level of skill and experience do they require? Would you work on the duties as part of a team? What’s your responsibility level?
- about the company - ask questions about their other outlets/hotels etc. Do they have any plans for expansion?
- for details and information – What time do the shifts begin and end? How many rooms in the hotel? What is the average time a new employee stays in a beginner role before they can move to the next step?
- Do not ask about the pay rate - until you’ve gone through all the aspects of the job. If you do ask right at the beginning of the interview, the employer will think you just want to work for money. They want to feel that you are passionate about working for them.
Look
- well groomed – so employers can see that you look neat and tidy, ready for work with their customers and clients
- professional – so they can imagine you in a management role, even if you have applied for an entry level role
- like a manager - wear a suit (Management students)
- like you’re already part of their kitchen team - wear a full chef’s uniform (Commercial Cookery students)
Tell
- career plans and pathways – they want to see that you are committed to a career in hospitality
- what you want to be – do you want to be an Executive Chef, or F& B Manager etc.
- where you want to work – e.g. in a commercial or boutique kitchen? a large hotel chain? a restaurant? what locations are you looking to work in?
Research
- before you speak to any employer - research, go on Google, go visit the hotel, restaurant or outlet