A job applicant this past week brought back memories of the many people who have pressed an application into my hands. In the restaurant business, you are always hiring. Learning which ones to spend your valuable time on is an acquired skill. Obviously, a skill they don't teach you in school, and one they should. If you are about to make the circuit to fill out those apps, a few words from the worldly wise:
If you show up with one of the following, that is strike one: shorts, flip-flops, dirty clothes, wrinkled clothes, mid-riffs, facial-piercings, cleavage-revealing tops (not every male manager is straight!), crazy-ass hair, jeans (yes, even jeans, I don't care if they're $200 jeans), dirty fingernails (my personal judge of people).
If you come in to fill out an application, bring a friggin writing appliance with you! If you ask me for a pen, that's strike two! 50% of you fail this oh-so-elementary step.
If you utter the word "dude", that's strike three. My name is "Sir", until I say otherwise. (I really don't like being called "sir", but this gives me an idea of how you will address our customers.) It also gives me a window into your parents' child-rearing skills.
If you show up with a four page resume, you killed a tree for no reason. There are a thousand free sites on the web that will tell you, "Keep it simple, stupid!". List where you worked and for how long. The details will be handled during the interview.
Anything I need to know will be found out during the interview. Be relaxed, look me in the eye while speaking to me, and smile where appropriate. Don't schmooze me, I'm schmooze-proof, and so are 95% of the people you interview with.
Don't keep calling back to see if you've been hired. In this business, if you're not immediately given a 2nd interview with the GM, or asked back within 2 days for a second interview, you are not what we're looking for. What we'd like to say is, "Don't call us, we'll call you", but some managers don't have the guts to say that, or our lawyers won't let us say that.
That being said, do not sweat applying for a job in the hospitality business. If they say they are not hiring, they are lying. If you are a clean-cut, responsible, mannered person, they will give you a chance. Even at restaurants where I was fully staffed, if I got a super-star applying, I'd give them a chance. There's plenty of flotsam to make way for.
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6 comments:
How about showing up at 12:30 p.m. or 7 p.m. to ask for an application? Hate that. I, personally, view the lack of a pen as Strike 1, but dirty fingernails...ugh.
When their Mom brings them in. Court Ordered Hours anyone? :)
My first day off from the restaurant in 8 days and I've ignored the litter box, the mail and entire TIVO of shows just to reasd your entire blog. I guess that means I enjoy it. :-)
As for the applicants, I agree, the "pen test" is always my tip off. If they don't have a pen, I send my service manager to "talk" to them. Rarely do they get the 2nd interview with me if they need a writing instrument.
Be well,
76
Also, I worked for the "LB" for almost 16 years..... :-)
Welcome Voodoo76, and thanks for the great comment, you made my day! That should keep me going for a few weeks, LOL. The best inspiration is feedback, and I appreciate it.
My boss said someone showed up for a job interview wearing a tank top and jeans. He took out his lunch and said, "Mind if I eat? I'm starving." He didn't get the hint when she said, "Um, it's going to be a short interview."
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