It’s a tough job market, but with persistence and some good tips, you can land your dream job as a kitchen manager.
The Right Attitude
The right attitude is the most important quality you can have in order to land your dream job as a kitchen manager. Here’s what we mean:
You must be able to work well with others. As a kitchen manager, it will be your job to take charge of your team and make sure they’re performing at their best. This includes getting along well with them, too!
You must be able to handle pressure. Being a kitchen manager means being in charge of all aspects of the business from purchasing supplies to managing staff members and dealing with issues that arise during service hours like accidents or customer complaints.
So if you’re easily stressed out by pressure situations (or if you lose control when faced with stress), then becoming a kitchen manager probably isn’t for you even if it’s something you want very badly!
You must be able to adapt easily when working with different personalities and people from different backgrounds as well as diverse experiences/expertise levels.
And still get results without losing sight of why those people are important: serving great food & drinks while maintaining high standards for guest satisfaction across all touch points.”
Follow Up
Following up is a crucial part of landing your dream job as a kitchen manager. It’s important to follow up after each interview, whether it went well or not so well.
The best way to follow up is via email, as it’s much easier for hiring managers to respond to emails than phone calls or handwritten letters (which are also acceptable).
If you’ve met with multiple hiring managers and/or your potential boss during the interview process, be sure to send them each an individualized message thanking them for their time and reiterating what impressed you most about their company or restaurant.
If they’d like any additional information from you before making a decision on who gets the job, let them know what else they can expect from you in terms of follow-up communication (e.g., one week after receiving an offer).
Network
Networking is a great way to meet people who know people. So, find out what your contacts like to do and whether they have any contacts that could help you in the kitchen management field.
For example, if you are looking for a job as a chef and your contact enjoys cooking and knows of any openings for cooks, he or she may be able to help connect you with someone who is hiring!
You can also network with others who share similar interests as yourself. If one of your passions is health food or organic cuisine, speak with other people who share this interest (for example: vegetarians).
You might be surprised at how many different types of professionals there are in this field! They may even have connections that could lead them straight into an interview room!
Another way to network is by meeting up with professionals from different industries than your people from branding agencies would definitely be interested in what goes on behind-the-scenes at restaurants; whereas restaurant owners might benefit from having access too much information about how best practices play out inside offices (and vice versa).
It’s always good idea keep an eye out for ways these two worlds collide since there might just be some overlap between them somewhere down the road.
And knowing where those intersections exist early on helps everyone involved stay ahead when it comes time make decisions later on down the line.”
Experience And Skills
If you want to land the job, it’s important to know that experience and skills are key. While skills alone won’t get you the job, they will help you get it if combined with experience.
The same goes for education: it’s not required for all positions (if there are any), but having a degree can give you an edge over other applicants who don’t have one.
However, no matter how strong your resume is or how impressive your credentials may be, or even if you have both the most important thing about landing any job is showing up for interviews prepared and ready to answer whatever questions come your way.
You’ll need to show confidence, professionalism and enthusiasm throughout the process!
Upsell Yourself On An App Or Resume Video
When you apply for a job, you’ll likely be asked to submit an application video or resume through the company website.
These types of applications are usually submitted with a webcam or smartphone camera, so it’s important to make sure your video looks professional. The key is to use these videos to showcase your personality as well as your skills and experience.
One way to do this is by making an app or resuming the video in which you talk about why you’re interested in working for the restaurant and what makes you unique compared to other applicants.
If possible, have a friend film/take photos while interviewing yourself this allows recruiters who see your materials later on in the process more insight into how passionate and motivated they can expect from their future employees when they come through doors first day on job site!
Create A Thorough List Of References
In addition to your resume and cover letter, it’s important to create a list of references. At the very least, this should include the names of at least three people who can speak to your strengths as a manager and leader in the kitchen.
It’s helpful if these are people who know you well enough that they’ve seen you in action people who’ve seen you lead teams and come up with solutions under pressure, for example.
It also helps if these individuals have had some experience working alongside managers like themselves at restaurants similar in size and scope.
Ideally, all of your potential employers will call all three members on your reference list; but even if they don’t call everyone on their list, having an extensive group of references can make it look like there were many more applicants than there actually were!
Be Willing To Start At The Bottom
Don’t be afraid to start at the bottom.
Don’t think that you have to wait for someone else to give you your dream job, or even a promotion.
You can get there on your own, and you should! The best way to learn everything there is about running a kitchen is by taking on new roles and responsibilities in your current position. If it takes being an expediter for a few months before moving up into management, so be it!
If you want something bad enough and are willing to work hard for it then nothing will stop you from achieving those goals.
That being said, however; don’t forget that regardless of how much experience or education someone has had in their career field they still may not qualify as good mentors/instructors because sometimes no matter how hard we try we just aren’t cut out for teaching others what we know.
That doesn’t mean though that there aren’t plenty other opportunities available where all sorts of professionals can share their knowledge (i.e., conferences).
Be Bilingual If Possible
Bilingualism is a skill that is highly sought after in the hospitality industry. Bilingualism can help you land your dream job in a new country, get a promotion or even earn you a raise.
There are many reasons why you should consider learning another language. One of them is getting ahead of the competition.
Being bilingual can be an advantage that gives you an edge over other applicants and makes you stand out from others who only speak English (or their native tongue).
You may think that there aren’t many jobs available for bilinguals but this isn’t true at all it’s actually quite the opposite: according to statistics from ManpowerGroup, there were 5 million job openings for bilinguals in 2018 alone!
That being said, don’t wait until it’s too late; start learning now! You’ll never know when your knowledge will come in handy or when someone might need your help with something important at work or elsewhere.”
Show That You’re A Team Player Through Volunteering Work
Volunteering is a great way to show that you’re a team player. By helping out at events, you can make connections with people who may be looking for staff in the future.
Volunteering at an event can also help you develop new skills that will boost your resume and increase your chances of landing an interview if you’re job searching.
For example, if you do volunteer work at a nonprofit organization, this could show on your resume as “instructional design for non-profit organization” or “communications for non-profit organization.”
By volunteering and networking with potential employers, it shows that:
- You are willing to help out even when no one asks—a trait coveted by most employers
- You have initiative and aren’t afraid to go above and beyond what’s asked of you!
Keep Food Safety Certificates Current
Food safety certificates are a vital part of your job as a kitchen manager. It’s important that you have all the necessary paperwork to prove that your restaurant is up to code and meets the standards of health inspectors.
If you don’t have these documents, or if they’re outdated, it will reflect poorly on your ability as a manager.
To get food safety certification for your restaurant:
Visit your local county health department website or call them directly to schedule an appointment with an inspector who can come in and inspect the kitchen in person.
In some places, this may be done electronically for example by sending photos of equipment and ingredients before and after inspection but mostly it will still require physical inspection by government officials.
If possible, try not to schedule inspections during peak hours when customers would likely be present (this is less important with smaller restaurants).
This is because most inspectors want full access throughout the business (they may even go into bathrooms or walk through employees’ break rooms), so scheduling an inspection during off hours reduces disruption for employees while still allowing them enough time for thoroughness.*
If You Don’t Have Experience, Stress Your Other Skills Instead
If you don’t have experience in a kitchen, that’s OK! Just be honest about it. You can still offer other skills and abilities that will allow you to contribute to the team.
A good example is leadership and mentoring; if there’s an experienced chef or sous chef on the team who could benefit from your guidance, that’s something worthwhile for them to know about you.
Also keep in mind that learning how to work in a restaurant is an ongoing process as long as you’re willing and open-minded about learning new things, there’s always room for improvement!
Lastly, despite not having years of experience under your belt yet, hopefully, it goes without saying that anyone working in this industry has some creative vision within them somewhere along their career path (or at least they should).
Sometimes just coming up with ideas or providing feedback on existing processes is as valuable as any other skill set when it comes down to it and if nothing else helps convince someone else otherwise then maybe add one more bullet point onto this list: “I’m interested.”
All-Around Work Experience Is Vital
All-around work experience is vital. The kitchen manager position requires its own set of skills, but it also asks for an understanding of the entire restaurant business.
You must be able to juggle many responsibilities at once, so you need to prove that you’ve been able to do this in other jobs before as well.
You’ll want to show that you have a variety of skills: from computer software training and customer service skills, to hands-on cooking knowledge (of course) and management experience.
Showing that you’re a team player will go a long way in helping your case, especially if there’s already another person running the kitchen who could potentially be your boss.
Demonstrating your willingness to learn new things is important too; managers are often asked for advice on how their staff can improve their performance or solve problems on their own time off work so showing them that they can trust you with challenging tasks will make them confident in hiring someone with potential like yours!
Finally and this one might sound obvious if there’s anything else about yourself that would make it easier for them (or more fun!) then definitely bring it up!
For example: if commuting from one side of town takes forever each day but traveling into downtown would save at least 30 minutes every morning…tell them! If working late nights isn’t usually an issue for you…mention it!
If making sure everything gets done before going home sounds good…communicate this fact too!
You don’t want any surprises later down the line when things get busy; having open communication early on gives everyone involved peace of mind knowing exactly what needs doing before getting started each day.”
Conclusion
If you want to become a kitchen manager, remember that your experience is vital. But even if you don’t have any work experience yet, there are still ways for you to show off your skills and demonstrate your commitment to this career path.
If possible, volunteer at a restaurant that offers some of the same duties as being a kitchen manager like managing inventory or setting up tables.
The more often you can show what you know about food safety and hospitality management in an environment outside school or home kitchens, the better off you will be when looking for jobs later on down the road!
