5 Lies Job Interviewers Expects fromHospitality Jobs: Working For Family Owned Restaurant166271

Every restaurant manager has shared experiences working with the Family Owned Business. This restaurant is unique in the hospitality jobs. There are challenges you will not face anywhere else. There can be benefits, but it takes a unique set of skills to manage the entrepreneurial spirit in the restaurant owner as well as the management challenges of being responsible, but not in charge. Not every manager can thrive in the environment. Others are able to take control of the environment and use the situation to advance their management career. Restaurant Manager Job Description The questions ‘What does a restaurant manager do’ is easiest answered, ‘whatever needs to be done.’ Each small business has its own challenges, and problems. It is very important to ask all the right questions, and request a job description in writing. Make sure that everyone understands the responsibilities of each member of the restaurant team. It is very dangerous to enter a family owned restaurant without a solid, in writing, contract outlining your job.

The Job Hiring Process The family restaurant places a job advertisement in a hospitality website, or hires a hospitality recruiter to manage their Human Resources. But they do not approach the hiring task in the same way franchises would tackle the task. Family restaurants often offer lots of opportunity. They paint a family atmosphere where everyone is valued. Unfortunately this is rarely the case. Families squabble, and they have their petty differences. In any case, they rarely allow others to take control, even if their decisions are detrimental to the restaurant’s success. Career Advancement In a small kitchen the manager may end up doing everything. This can be a good learning experience, but may not prepare you for working in a larger restaurant. It is important to understand that the experience gained i n a family owned restaurant will not prepare you to work in a bigger restaurant. It may backfire and stall your career. Skill Set Career advancement isn’t a priority in smaller restaurants. There is very little coaching or mentoring. The skill set and mindset needed to run a small restaurant is different. There is no focus on improving skills or continuing education. The family restaurant is often viewed as a job which rewards the employees with nothing more than a paycheck. This can leave an ambitious restaurant manager frustrated. Hiring Process There are a few things you can do to make sure you do not regret being hired into a restaurant where the owners who want to be in charge, but do not take responsibility for the restaurant’s success. 1. Watch everyone’s emotions. Do not meet just one of the key players. Meet them all. Be cautious if they want to keep some people ‘out of view’ until after the hiring process is over. 2. Be careful if the restaurant is presented as ‘too good to be true.’ 3. The second point also applies to the owners. Are they too friendly, too amicable, or too forward? 4. Do the owners talk about the latest trends? What career advancement do they prepare you for. More important, how will they train you? Experience will only take you so far. If there are no courses, mentoring, or advancement explained ‘in detail’ then assume they are not skilled enough to offer these to you. 5. Get it in writing. Do not accept anything on a hand shake. 6. Ask why the last manager left. These are only a few of the ways to protect your career if you consider working in a family owned restaurant. They will help you pick the best one, with the best working atmosphere. m Management Candidates Restaurant managers try to give their best in a job interview. It is natural human behavior. You want the job, but trying to be too accommodating, or outright lying, can cost you the job. Here are some lies that Recruiters look for. They ask questions to see if they are going to get these answers. Instead of offering a vague answer – engage. Ask your own questions. Be honest. 1. I am a true ‘people person.’ A true people person has a specific personality. They are expressive, but have learned to control their drama. If you are a true ‘people person’ then it will show in your interview and resume. You don’t need to brag about it. Being a people person means that everyone likes you. That can suggest that you are the office gossip. It can suggest that you hold parties every Saturday night. Maybe everyone likes you because you are the ‘enabler’ and let everyone blame you for office problems. That is true. It is also true that no one gets along with everyone. If you are able too then you’ve learned to master the 6 communication styles. You are good at profiling human behavior. You also have some amazing negotiation skills. Make sure that you can back up your claim. A better answer might be ‘I’ve worked hard to appear like a true people person.’ And then explain what that means to you. 2. I wasn’t’ fired. If you were not fired then you need to give a reason why you left. Berating your last employer will not get you a new job. In fact, it might make you look like a problem person, someone who is difficult to work with, or someone who is ‘all hype’ and ‘no performance.’ 3. ________ won’t be any problem. All things are problems, whether it is relocating for the perfect hospitality job website, or a two hour commute. Do not be afraid to discuss problems. If a recruiter or hiring manager asks you about a commute or relocation they are testing to see if you’ve started thinking about solutions. A better answer might be ‘relocating won’t be a problem, I’ve been preparing for six months.’ Or, a 2 hour commute isn’t a problem, I’ve already ordered a college course on digital, and I’ve budgeted the cost of gas.’ The fact is, your gas bill will be high, you will break down on the highway some day, and your car will die and you’ll need a new one. All this costs money – which is a problem. The fact is, relocating and commuting cause stress, fatigue, and social issues. Let the hiring manager know that you have already started to solve the issues. 4. I’m very reliable. I’m never late. I don’t procrastinate. “Life happens.” Making broad blanket statements is a sign of carelessness. Manager’s know that jobs won’t be done on time, because the day to day work got in the way. Emergencies happen in any business. It is part of the manager’s job to prioritize. Stating that you never fail shows a lack of understanding for the manager’s position. 5. I never cause conflict. I never gossip. I don’t cause dissention in the work place. This is not human nature. Not doing these things makes you an outsider in the group. If you make this claim, be ready to back it up. But be realistic. The fact that you never gossip will cause conflict in the group. If you have an opinion, that will cause conflict. If you have no opinion then maybe you are the team member who sits back and lets everyone else do the work.