Important Skills for Food Server Jobs

Important Skills for Food Server JobsImportant Skills for Food Server JobsBeing afood serveris not an easy job. The work can be physically demanding. You are on your feet for long shifts, often rushing from table to table, sometimes carrying heavy trays of food. Being a server requires diplomacy, a good memory, and the ability to interact with a wide variety of personalities, both as customers and coworkers. That said, food service can be lucrative, rewarding, and even fun. It can also be lucrative, depending on the clientele. Some servers rely primarily on minimum wage checks. Others take home thousands in tips each month. Whether you work at a high-end fine dining establishment, or a local diner, the skills listed below are fairly universal, and when applied well, will impact your income earning potential. What Kind of Skills Do Food Servers Need? While engaging customers with a pleasant attitude, you will need to be able to take orders, remember preferences, move quickly, and manage an entire room of diners. You are a key piece of the dining experience, and if you give customers the impression that they do not matter, they may take it personally. Some places might forgive a server for being slow if he or she has excellent people skills. Most employers prefer both. But in general, the required skill set for food servers is fairly consistent. The top skills listed below can be improved with practice. Types of Food Server Skills FriendlinessFood servers must becheerful and friendly, no matter how stressed, tired, or frustrated you may be. You may be responsible for fifteen tables at once. But your customers should feel that you care for them individually. Their dining experience depends on you staying positive and friendly. Likewise, kitchens can be stressful and tense. A demanding waiter can have a negative effect on the mood of the kitchen staff. Being pleasant and enjoyable to be around are important qualities in both the front and back of the house. EnthusiasmStress ToleranceResilienceAppearanceCourtesyHospitality Communication As a food server, you need to be able tocommunicate effectivelyand clearly, both with customers and with colleagues. You need to be able to listen attentively, understand customer concerns, and relay them to the cooks or management effectively. Likewise, you may need to memorize aspects of the menu or the restaurants history and convey those details to customers. Active ListeningVerbal CommunicationHumorEmotional IntelligenceNote TakingMemoryCollaborationTeamwork Attention to Detail Some orders are complicated, from food allergies to spice or garnish preferences. If you forget a detail, like leaving off a condiment or including croutons when a customer has a gluten-allergy, youll upset, disappoint, and possibly harm them. Paying attention to the details of orders is an important part of your job and one that matters to the overall quality of your work. AttentivenessMemoryActive ListeningMeal Ing redientsIntimate Knowledge of Menu Items Energy Shifts can be long and tough on your feet. You need to have significant energy reserves, or the shifts will just drag painfully for you. Naturally, high-energy people tend to thrive in food service. Physical EnduranceResilienceConfidenceFlexibilityMotivation harte nuss Solving Your manager will not always be around to help you deal with upset customers. You have to beable to problem-solveon the spot. If you cannot fix the problem, you still must make the customer feel heard and understood. Whether its taking off the cost of a meal or offering a free dessert, you need to be creative to save the situation. Decision MakingProactiveProblem SensitivityLogical ThinkingIntegrityEmpathy Focus As a food server, youll be surrounded by people and their demands. Its easy to get distracted by a loud or persistent customer. Conversely, an interesting conversation with a co-worker or a particularly friendly patron might lead you to neglec t your work. Communicating with co-workers, being friendly with patrons, and attending to high-priority demands are all part of your job, but you have to be able to balance these conflicting priorities to give good service. Your ability to keep yourself focused and on task is critical to your success as a food server. MultitaskingApproachabilityCircumstantial AwarenessDiligenceEfficiencyThoroughness More Food Server Skills PersistenceCustomer ServiceBar TendingOutgoingDeliver OrdersBus TablesComplianceMoney HandlingBasic MathSalesMultilingualDexterityPersonal EthicsJudgementPatienceDiplomacyPoiseFast LearningQuality AwarenessCalmObservationDesire to Exceed ExpectationsPresentationAgilityCentral Reservations Systems (CRS)Payment ProcessingTaking Reservations How to Make Your Skills Stand Out Add Relevant Skills to Your Resume Restaurants may accept resumes from applicants for food service positions, but many use ?application formsinstead. In either case, be sure to emphasize thos e skills your prospective employer is looking for.Highlight Skills in Your Cover Letter It is not likely that you will be asked to provide a titel letter for a food serving job. If you are, it would be beneficial to mention the extent of your experience using some of the skills listed above.Use Skill Words in Your Job Interview Employers will ask you questions prompting you to share specific scenarios where you used skills youve outlined in your resume and application.

Here are four secrets to developing a strong mind

Here are four secrets to developing a strong mindHere are four secrets to developing a strong mindMovies and television depict heroes who have a strong mind. We admire people who push the limits. Heroes and tough guys let us walk in their shoes, if only for a couple of hours. We feel what its like to have the mental toughness to break out of a seemingly boring existence, and enter into a much bigger world - one that is full of possibility.The reality is this you and I must also be strong-minded if we are to overcome the obstacles we meet every day. We know that it takes more than talent or skill to become a top performer. Research studies indicate that intelligence accounts for 30% of our achievement.So what does make a good leader, athlete, or parent? The answer is a strong mind that pushes through adversity. It is an hausintern quality that enables people to work hard and stick to their goals.The good news is that a strong mind is leid something you were born with. It is something that can be developed.What secret characteristics do heroes with a strong mind possess? They embody these elementsConfidencePersistenceDedicationControlOk - so maybe the characteristics of a hero are not-so-secret after all. But how can you and I harness their power? How can we create the strong mind that is the trademark of those who live large in a world full of possibilities?Here are the secrets I learned from my own life1. ConfidenceWhen I took the physical fitness (FIT) test at the FBI New Agents Academy, I was the bottom 1% that made the top 99% feel better about themselves. I failed miserably, so my challenge became twofold. First, I needed to maintain confidence in myself. Second, I needed to train so I could pass the rigid FIT test. I worked with a coach at the Academy, who taught me the secret to building confidence.When you improve a little each day, eventually bigger things will come. Not tomorrow, not the next day, but eventually a big gain is made. Dont worry about s hort, quick improvements. Seek out the small improvements, one day at a time. And when it happens - it lasts.Helping new agents boost their confidence is the primary goal of the Academy - before they send agents out with a gun and badge. There were days when my heart raced and my palms sweat just thinking about the new challenges that faced me. But I learned that success would not make me confident- rather, confidence in myself and my abilities would make me successful.The result? I passed the FIT test and worked as an FBI agent for twenty-four years.TIP Confidence is a belief in yourself and your ability to meet your goals. Push out of your comfort zone and expose yourself to different situations. Learn how to push through the uncomfortable. Once you have confidence in yourself, youll be amazed what you can accomplish.2. PersistenceWhen I interviewed with the FBI, they liked my grit and scrappiness. A hillbilly from a cattle ranch in Wyoming who had clawed her way through college . I sat in front of a panel of polished FBI agents and interviewed for a job as a special agent. If I wanted the job, Id need to learn how to Grit UpI grew up as an unsophisticated ranch girl, and believe me, it takes a while to put a shine on a sneaker. Each curveball thrown my way was met with determination and persistence. Grit was needed to make sacrifices and keep my eye on the larger goal.Every day at the FBI Academy involved some kind of physical activity. As a trainee, I put in extra training for the FIT test. On top of that, as a class, we boxed each other, engaged in arrest scenarios, and ran around the basketball court holding 5 lb medicine balls. I was tired, depressed, and under pressure. Yet I knew that if I gave up, I would regret it the rest of my life.So I straightened my back and dug deeper. A strong mind is not built on something slapped together on a shallow foundation. It needs solid rock.Like a skyscraper, the higher you want to go, the deeper you must go.TIP P ersistence is the tendency is to see lifes obstacles as challenges to be met, rather than as threats. Dont whine, point fingers, or blame others for your predicament. You can be the hero of your own life and choose your destiny.3. DedicationOn my first day at the FBI Academy, I didnt feel like a superhero. In fact, it wasnt until after four grueling months of being placed in dangerous and awkward situations that I felt I had what it takes to do the job.In the deepest part of me I knew that I would make the FBI my career. It was not a stepping-stone to something better that might come along. I was a disciple of my own deep values and beliefs. I had the will to subjugate my feelings to those values.In his book, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey writes, If you are an effective manager of your self, your discipline comes from within.TIP Strong-minded people have a dedication that comes from a purpose in alignment with their deepest values.4. ControlPush-ups were the most difficult aspect of the physical fitness test for me. After several of them failed to be counted, I began to psyche myself out, worrying whether I could do it allA strong mind shuts out feelings of fear and inadequacy. Instead, it focuses on how to reach the goal. Control your own emotions, thoughts, and behavior, rather than trying to control other people.The best way to control your situation is to invest energy into it so you understand all aspects. This allows you to pinpoint the soft underbelly of the challenge. Throw out preconceived ideas of what you can, and cannot do. If you put your shoulder to it, you will find that grit trumps talent every timeLife-long training is a fact of life for FBI agents. It starts the day we arrive at the FBI Academy and ends the day we sign our retirement papers.This constant training creates the sort of mentality that prepares for the worst and practices ahead of time to overcome it. Weve either gathered the evidence, slapped on the h andcuffs, or run the drills so we know what to do in case the sh*t hits the fan.TIP Control is having a certainty that you are able to shape your destiny and not passively accepting events as fate.Thisarticlefirst appeared onLaRaeQuy.com.

How to Pitch an Idea to Your Boss - The Muse

How to Pitch an Idea to Your Boss - The MuseHow to Pitch an Idea to Your Boss Depending on how you present your new idea to your anfhrer, you could be facing two very different reactions. If you want to nail that yes, you need to treat your pitch seriously- and outline solutions and a clear execution plan. Otherwise, your great idea may not see the light of day. Worse, it might end up on someone elses to-do list.With this in mind, we asked nine entrepreneurs from Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) to share which steps you should take before walking through that door.1. Reduce the RiskWhen you pitch a project, clearly lay out in advance how management should judge its success quickly. Whats the first milestone that will indicate the project is a success? Set a specific goal- 10 new customers in the first three months, perhaps. Plan step-wise goals instead of one huge long-term one. That means management just has to invest in the first stage of the project.- John Rood, Next Step Test Pre paration2. Prove You Can Handle ItBefore pitching your boss on leading a new project, you should be prepared to outline that your existing tasks and projects are in order. You have to show you have the time and resources to lead a new project before your boss will entertain the idea.- Phil Chen, Systems Watch3. Come in With a Clear PlanThis seems like a fairly obvious piece of advice, but I find that its not very often followed. Especially if you havent yet proven your leadership potential, an idea lacking a plan will likely be ignored. However, if you walk in with a polished plan, it will show youve put a good deal of thought into the problem, which will help convince your boss you can take dienstgrad and lead the project.- Brian Honigman, BrianHonigman.com4. Prepare to Defend Your IdeaIf Im asked to donate thousands of dollars to a company initiative, be prepared to counter my objections with reasons why we should do this. Ideas need to be able to withstand being knocked down. Be able to fight back.Kenny Nguyen, Big Fish Presentations5. Show EnthusiasmWhen it comes to speaking with your manager about leading a project, the most important tip is to be confident. Make sure to show a lot of honest enthusiasm about the project because it will demonstrate that you will be able to galvanize your team to success. Also, back up your enthusiasm with specific ideas on how you will make the project efficient and profitable for the organization.- Doreen Bloch, Poshly Inc.6. Focus on the Products PotentialMake it clear how the project will benefit the company- higher profits, an improved reputation, better contacts, etc. Be ready to answer the question What sales opportunities will your project lead to? Make sure you can demonstrate how to turn your idea into reality. Discuss the risks, and prepare a viable plan to show youre committed to the work and invested in its success.- Jyot Singh, RTS Labs7. Prepare 3 Lists of 3Bring your supervisor three lists of three items eac h to pitch a new project idea. The first list should include three reasons why this project would benefit the company, the second three reasons why youre perfect to lead the project, and the last should be the three obstacles you see getting in your way and how you would handle them. These lists display planning, forward thinking, and ambition- Kim Kaupe, ZinePak8. Emphasize ExecutionChances are your boss receives new project ideas daily. Separate yourself from the other pitches by not only offering an impressive value proposition, but by demonstrating how you will get it done. If you can show that the company has bandwidth for the project, that it will make the company better, and that youve thought critically about execution, you will set yourself up for success.- Shradha Agarwal, ContextMedia9. Create Visual AidsWhen you are pitching anyone on anything, dont underestimate the importance of visual aids. Visual aids are a more powerful communicative tool than anything you could say or write, because they allow your boss to imagine a world in which this already exists. They make your idea real and relatable.- Adam Stillman, SparkReelPhoto of man working courtesy of Shutterstock.