Job Huntng 101
Establishment: All of them
Location: Everywhere
Location: All Over New York City
By now all everyone uses Craigslist to find a potential job. These days I’m sure that people are on everyday due to the scarcity of work.
My own experience with Craigslist has brought me to several dead end ,dreadful jobs as a server or bartender that I usually quit after a few months. I lost my regular gig last year due to the economy.
I take in a deep breath as I click on the food/ bev/ hosp link and let out a sigh as I feel my very Soul start to slip away as I scan the newest job listings. Then , I see them, those constant, postings that are are familiar to me as my favorite section in the newspaper. It makes me think, just for a minute, that my current job must not be that bad if, in the middle of the worst economy in 25 years, these same ole\’ familiar listings can\’t find SOMEONE to suck it up for more than a week or 2.
It cost $25 to run the ad.
Surely you have seen them, Nikos on Broadway,ANYTHING from the Patina Group (the same douche bags formerly known as Restaurant ASSociates , the mere mention of "RA\" to any veteran in the restaurant business gets snarls and tales of incompetent corporate BS). At least they bother to mention who they are,saving anyone who knows about them valuable time by NOT dealing with them. They prey on the innocent. Ditto for BR guest and the Glazier Group.
The other re-occuring postings are:
\"Barmaid\"-(who still uses that term?) wanted Full Time ect…. they may as well say \"Barrag\" because the apparently treat you like one if they have to run the ad every other day.
Bikini bartenders wanted in Inwood /Washington Heights….it speaks for itself.
Some nefarious entity at 27th and Fifth….come on, if you can\’t find people to work during the busy times, most likely,you are worse when it\’s slow.
Busy Irish/American Restaurant in Midtown seeks waiter-…The manager must suck in addition to the server NOT making money. Whatever it is, there is surely a good reason they post every week.
The list could go on but I would like to offer some pointers for Job Posters and Job Seekers.
JOB POSTERS
Please tell us who are. Many job posters ask for resume, references AND recent pictures yet say nothing about who you are. In this time of rampant identity theft and fraud, it is unwise to send too much information blindly over the internet. I have noticed many scammers and fraudsters using bogus ads and responses on Craigslist. Although I\’m sure that there is no shortage of dimwits who are gullible enough to send all and any information, job posters need to realize that people need work and will send you pictures that are not what they seem to be. By telling us who you are we both can avoid wasting time. If you are looking to \"clean house\" on the sly,at least tell potential job seekers if you offer:
Full or Part Time - You need to understand that most qualified, \"polished\" FOH people aren\’t in NYC to help make you millions by eroding the very youth and vitality that makes them valuable to you, by working their tail off 12 hours a day 5 days a week for more than a several months or a couple of years at most. Most \"polished\" people are aspiring to be in the entertainment business or students. You need to consider offering part time positions or you are going to be wasting valuable time and money training a new person every 2 weeks or months. I\’s sure that Mangers have many more important things to do.
Paid training - It\’s the law. But that aside, let people know if it\’s paid or not. If you carefully screen qualified applicants, unpaid training should take no more than two, 4 hour shifts.
Tipping Policies - It\’s ALL about the money. The most common reason that people leave a job is over tips or lack of. Tipped FOH staff should not pay your BOH or operation costs. Managers, especially those conveniently now labeled \"Maitre\’D or Captains\" should not get a cut of the tips because most of the time, you compensate them by paying them off the books and have the waitstaff and bartenders tips make up whatever salary you promised them. Disclose tipping policies at the interview. Don\’t worry, you grease too many palms to get busted.
Rules of the House - Is there a \"senior staff\" i.e pets, who have kissed your insecure ass to your liking enough to extract favors? Happens most everywhere and in every business. Let the newbies know what is expected of them, the hours of operation, specific job duties, shift start and end times, schedule changing policies, uniform, when and how they are being paid, deductions for \"staff meal\" on paychecks ect.
Most Owners are crooks and many Managers are idiots. Who in their right mind would want to work over 60 hours a week to make someone else MILLIONS of dollars by running someone else\’s business ,assume the most of the liability and all you get is anywhere from $55k to 100K a year in salary ,shitty benefits and have your friends can come in, eat and drink for free. GM\’s don\’t even get 10% of what an owners annual net profits are, yet if it weren\’t for them those profits wouldn\’t exist. This is probably why most GM\’s ,Mangers, and especially Assistant Managers are bitter, drink too much, cheat on their spouses, are coke heads,drug addicts, bitches or perverts. Ditto for Chef\’s.
JOB SEEKERS
MODIFY YOUR RESUME BEFORE YOU SEND YOUR INFO TO A JOB LISTING I have noticed an increasing number of scammers and fraudsters using Craigslist to extract personal info from people in a variety of ways . Since responding to ads on Craigslist I have noticed more spam and have gotten some text spam that I have to pay for. Your name, email and telephone number sufficient and no need for an address or anything else until you are hired.
DON\’T LIE Because of the urgent need for a job, most people over exaggerate about experience or lack of. As cute and ass kissy as you can be, it will only go so far when the restaurant is slammed and you are in the weeds because you don\’t know what mis en place or amuse buche means. You will no doubt piss off your fellow floor staff, the chef and become the target of a bitter and overworked manager\’s need to unleash stress. After you are fired, you will tell anyone who will listen that \"they were a bunch of assholes\".
ASK QUESTIONS I know that the rent is due and you have to pay your pot dealer, but realize that you should be interviewing too. Potential employers,especially the bad ones will never offer information unless you ask. Here are the basics. Is there paid training? What is the hourly rate? What is the tip out? How is the money divided? Who divides it? When do you get paid? What is the uniform? What are the scheduling rules? How long has the manager been there? Like the customers,there is a fine line between asking questions and being annoying so , use your judgement.
GO WITH YOUR GUT FEELINGS If it seems like a place doesn\’t feel right, then it\’s most likely not. By taking just any job, that leaves little time to find the right one. There is a do able situation for everyone.
BE REALISTIC It’s a restaurant, since before you were born the restaurant business has always been a stew of disfunction, desperation, passive aggression, shadyness, wandering souls and abuse in various degrees. Go in, be pleasant, polite, know your menu,wines beverages and house rules, stay under the radar as much as possible and NEVER LOOSE FOCUS OF YOUR GOALS. It’s a decent way to make money and a great way to network, you don’t get caught up in the wrongness.
Comments
I’ve owned restaurants for many years and where are my millions? Maybe I have to be meaner. Bottom line is that employees make the job of owning any business really difficult. Managing employees is the hardest job in the world.
Hey thoughtful, just wondering …
Tou’re not making escuses, are you? ‘Cause if you are, you need to know that there really is none to make. Times are tough, right? The understatement of the downturn. Greenspan “found a flaw”, Meriwether is still making billions while the rest of us on the other side are reeling — trying to either get on, or off UI — and a bunch of mindless drones are still going to vote for Blooberg and Corzine. But there is still no excuse for the type of sick arrogance that has trickled down into the restaurant management bussiness in NYC — zero excuses.
If hiring inexperienced employees at “two and three star” establishments makes management easier — and at the end of the day we all know that managing the restaurant is what brings in the cash, right? — if cute boys and girls from the burbs are the answer for all those poor owners and GMs and recently graduated AGMs, then we are all f’n screwed.
Talk to your owner friends who still have their toes in the water and tell them to get their shit together. And the next time you open a space, or manage one, hire experience AND personality; not cute, malleable know nothings.
This used to be a smart city. How ’bout we all try to figure out how to get it back to where it was.
Good luck to everyone who feels that they need to come to this site to try and sort through this disaster.
Amen Higher Standard!! Thoughtful, I read your other enlightening comments. Managing employees is difficult, but having someone like you as the head of operations, that’s down right impossible!! Do us all a favor, if you own a restaurant now, sell it, and if you don’t, stay out of the business!! There are enough bad people out there!
it’s weird…in the middle of this great financial mess i’m having pretty much the best year of my life. i feel very lucky that i hooked up with a good crew. being desperate for a job is no way to live.
my advice…if you consider yourself a pro at what you do fuck craigslist…research the places that best suit your skill set and track down the managers and try to get them to hire you. maybe one in every ten job listings on craigslist is legit these days for any number of reasons. theres are thousands of good places in this city that rarely advertise when they need help. If youre proficient in a foreign language find a restaurant that reflects your ethnicity or knowledge of food, if you’re good with kids go to a family oriented restaurant, if you only want to work mornings find a diner…it isn’t going to come to you. work with what you’ve been given. use your brains!
also…i’m the first person to call out bad management…but its just as bad having coworkers with really bad defeatist attitudes.
i find the best way to survive as a waiter is to understand the monster you’re working with. if you find yourself in a good spot the perks come nonstop and when the busy season is over i see people crying poverty. give up a bag of pot for a week, don’t take taxis everywhere and don’t go spending your tip money as soon as you make it. bank a little so when you find yourself looking for a new job you’ll have a little cushion to fall back on.
i’ll get flamed for this but a good, savvy experienced waiter in new york city should be able to find a job in a matter of days if that.
also if you’re going to show up at places to drop off resumes and ask about a job be sure to do it between service!
Re fourstars:
If you are as happy and content as you allege in your numerous postings, why waste your time here?
To feel better about yourself by reveling in the struggle others are going through?
Your condescending and sanctimonious postings have passed the point of amusement and reached annoying.
re: “thoughtful”
In response to,”I’ve owned restaurants for many years and where are my millions?”
Most likely up your nose,at the racetrack or Atlantic City,alimony and child support, your girlfriends/mistress’s boob job, some shady business deal that went wrong……
This list can go on and on, if there is anything I missed or if anyone else would like to help “thoughtful” find his allegedly missing millions after he allegedly “owned restaurants for many years” please feel free to add to the list.
Really thoughtful, the hardest job in the world is managing employees? What about holding on to your millions? Get a life dick, you sound like you’ve never stepped foot into a college, let alone a library.
Geez fourstars, us ASSume that I am not employed…WRONG.
You are surely the ass kissing,backstabbing one that those on the floor have to watch out for.
To aa,alcoholics anonymous I presume,what a very telling cybername.
If you have no people skills, then yes, “the hardest job in the world is managing employees”.
The rest of your post is indicative of your managerial style, so I can understand your frustration.
Your inablility to manage and to hold on to your millions (at the expense of your employees,hence, the existence of this website) is obvious.
Tell it to your bookie,ex wife,drug dealer,the Dept of Labor and the IRS.
I am man enought to aplogise to AA, for misreading and misunderstanding your response I thought was written by thoughtful.
I came out to miami with my boyfriend to “chase the season” and get a break from a NY winter. I’ve taken a job that is not flowing for me. (19 years experience). Your post reminded me that even though it is a slow economy, getting out of a bad situation to save your spirit doesn’t make you a bad person. Thank You!!