Management Tips Archives - Page 4 of 5

17Aug

2012

A Tribute to Food and Restaurant Managers Everywhere!

We like food. We need Food. We appreciate those who provide it!

Chances were that during the first week of your life, people gave gifts of food to your parents. Every birthday you had involved food like cake and ice cream. When you went on a date, you went to a restaurant to eat food. Important occasions of celebration (graduation, wedding, job promotion, etc.) were surrounded by the sharing of food. When you were recovering from a surgery, food was brought to your home as a way to help you rest and heal. And even when your loved-one died, food was a part of family and friends gathering around as support during a time of loss. How long would it take us to create a complete list of times when food is a part of our lives? Well, since it is daily, perhaps it might be best to quote a very famous toy spaceman, “…to infinity and beyond!”

This is why restaurants are in business – to provide food options for you when you want to eat for a basic daily need, during celebrations, times of healing, and time of loss. Food sustains us, entertains us, rewards us, and comforts us. We are fortunate to have so many opportunities to eat with so many food options and places that offer delectable delights to the taste buds.

Food is a basic thing, and quite frankly, the ultimate consumable! More food is constantly needed. Our bodies cannot preserve it for long; our organs process it for energy and nutrition, we eliminate the waste, and then we have to eat again. The food industry is really a great one to be in, isn’t it? Guaranteed demand for it will always exist!

We want to dedicate this blog entry to all food-industry professionals – especially those who prepare our food and serve it to us in restaurants!

Restaurant Managers are very near-and-dear to our hearts because of their huge responsibilities in making sure the food is safe and satisfying to us. Their responsibilities extend inward to run the operations management side that includes human resources, inventory, accounting, customer service, and work/safety standards. The work is physically hard and intellectually demanding. We also know that dedicated Restaurant Managers are there because they truly want to be there. They like people. Their self-worth is high because they know they are providing an essential part of human life – food. Happy repeat-customers prove that they are doing things right.

Talk to the Restaurant Manager

The next time you are in a restaurant, make a point to speak to the Restaurant Manager. Tell him or her that you notice the great work they are doing for the company, their staff, and the patrons. Remind them that their devotion and enthusiasm is appreciated, and tell them why you will come and dine there again. They work many hours to make sure you have a pleasant dining experience, so why not spend a minute or two expressing your appreciation for their labor? Your good words will create a positive ripple-effect of good things for everyone!

Share your comments with us!

Image Source: www.freedigitalphotos.net

TAGS: AGI Hospitality Recruiting, Restaurant, Restaurant Management, Restaurant Managers

14Aug

2012

Management Tips

Have a Sinking Feeling? Let’s Change That to an In-Sync Feeling!

Career Advice about Sinking and Syncing

Why sink when you can be in-sync instead? It’s all about how you hear and feel that homonym!

Homonyms are really interesting – two (and three) words can sound the same when spoken, and even spelled the same at times; but sounding and spelling alike doesn’t always guarantee they have the same meaning. For example, will I sale a boat, or will I sail a boat? My sail boat can be for sale, but my sale of the sail boat doesn’t have to be a good sale on the sail. I can sell the boat, but I cannot cell the boat. The heel of my foot is not the same as how my foot’s heel will heal if I hurt it. Should I ax or ask my brother about how he acts at my friend’s house? See how interesting homonyms can be?

Now let’s think about the words sink and sync. If you through or threw (witch or which one?) your sink in the ocean, it certainly would sink to the bottom! You can wash your hands in the sink, but not in the sync. However, you can wash your hands in-sync with your friend who is also washing his hands in the sink if you both do every motion together exactly the same – like a shadow is in-sync with you, or synchronized dancers are doing the same motions simultaneously as one body is performing. By now, you are probably wondering why we are talking about homonyms here, right? Well, we have a reason for this, so keep reading:

Many Restaurant Managers who are job seekers today feel like they are sinking rather than being in-sync with the job market. If you are unsure about the future of the hospitality industry, hesitant to take action that will direct you to a better job with an improved quality of life, and trying to survive in an environment that isn’t your best-fit. These aspects are certainly the culprit to why you feel as if your career path is sinking.

Instead, you would rather be in-sync with your career path. What would that mean to you? Perhaps it

Be in-Sync!

means that you want to network with others who know Restaurant Hiring Managers and their hiring needs for new managers; perhaps it comes in the form of relieving you of the pressures of knowing the best way to get your foot in the door and then knowing how to follow-through with each advancing step; and perhaps it feels like you are in control of your career-path’s destiny and your quality of life improves beyond your current circumstances.

In short, you will feel as if you are sinking when you are not in-synch with who is looking for someone like you with your skills to manager their restaurant. Yes, you are being sought after for your skillsets and experience – the problem is that you don’t know who is looking for you, and they don’t know that you are looking for them!

If you have identified yourself as one whose career path appears to be sinking, we can offer you some hope! We can help that sinking feeling reverse itself by serving as the bridge between you and your next career opportunity as a Restaurant Manager! We are able to do this because we have successful partnerships with great companies that are looking for talented management professionals who can join their team and hit the ground running. Smooth transitions like this are important so operations can still move efficiently without any hick-ups when a new manager is hired. When restaurant patrons are unaware that a new manager has been brought on board, it’s really quite an achievement because there are no noticeable cracks that disrupt or threaten the dining experience. While it’s very true that you can find your new job on your own without the help of a Restaurant Management recruiting agency, there are opportunities that you are missing because they are not posted to the general public. Working with a recruiting agency, particularly one that specializes in an industry, will boost your resources for finding that best-fit job that belongs on your career path.

Let us know how we can help you get in-sync with what you need as a Restaurant Manager on the move!

Image Source: www.freedigitalphotos.com

TAGS: hiring manager, job seekers, Restaurant Manager

30Jul

2012

Keep an Eye on Your Online Reputation – You Have One Whether You Realize This or Not

Yes, You Have an Online Reputation!

Are you aware that Hiring Managers are learning about you through your online-presence reputation? Is your online activity conducted in a responsible way that does not smear your professional credentials, education, or personal values? Do you feel comfortable about what they will find if your name is searched on the internet? If you are raising an eyebrow, then it’s likely that you need to read further!

When you are involved as a participant in social media networking outlets such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Google+, and Twitter, you are creating an online reputation that is easily searchable. It can be a positive additional tool that reinforces your effective communication skills, knowledge base, and overview of your general attitude. But on the flip-side of that, your online reputation could direct others to believe that you are insensitive, indignant, and/or irresponsible. If you were a Hiring Manager, what side would you prefer to see? Just as your real-world reputation matters, so does your virtual online reputation count as being an indicator of the type of employee you currently are or could become.

To be able to fairly judge your own online presence, let’s walk through this list of five online reputation guideposts. Afterward, you’ll be better equipped to evaluate how you are viewed online:

Type your name (in its various forms) into more than one search engine and see what results you find. Read about yourself. What kinds of images are attached to your name? Do you appear to be a positive or a negative person based on your social media comments? Are you helpful to others, or hurtful to others in your posts?
Google-Alert your name so you can be emailed about others who are writing about you or using your image via the internet. While you may think that certain things are in your control because you authored them, others can forward them to others without your knowledge. For example, Facebook has a feature where your friends can “tag” your picture and share with others. Your permission is not needed for this, which means that if your fiend Bill sent a picture of your to his friend Bob, then Bob can “tag” that picture with your name on it and pass it around to Jack, Sara, and who-knows-who-else. Your name can be connected to an unfavorable image and passed along where the distribution grows exponentially: 2 x 2 = 4, 4 x 4 = 16, 16 x 16 = 256, 256 x 256 = 65,536, etc. That’s how “viral” happens. This is a good idea when you want this to occur – but when you don’t, it can become a nightmare! Years from now, you might still be judged by what you did last night when Bill took your picture and… (start reading again from the word “Bill”).
Mention your personal values and beliefs in a way that uplifts others without insulting or offending those who see things differently. Avoid cyber-bullying for your own job-seeking sake!
Be the “authentic you” rather than an imposter. If the online-you speaks Shakespearian, but the in-person-you doesn’t know one fact about Shakespeare, then the phony-you is revealed. Interviewers are very good at pulling back the curtain to see who is really there.
Healthy debates are welcomed; but if your online postings ignite agitation and aggression in others, your potential new boss can discern between the occasional playing as the devil’s advocate and unnecessarily causing anxieties.

Start from this point forward to be more mindful about how you appear online. Incorporate the things that will present a more polished online presence, and stop doing the things that are damaging your reputation. Hiring Managers are using your online presence as a factor when considering you for employment, so take charge before you are misjudged by what you say and do online.

If you have a concern about your online reputation and need to repair it, there are several tools and services that can empower you to change some of the negative aspects that have become part of the online-you. Go to a web browser and search for help. These two strings of keywords will launch you in the right direction: “online reputation management services,” and “online presence management.”

Image Source: www.freedigitalphotos.com

TAGS: hiring manager, job seeker

25Jul

2012

Interview Tips, Management Tips, Resume Tips

When Interviewing, Ambitious Statements Can Be Dangerous

Why Ambitious Interview Statements Can be Dangerous

Ambition is defined as, “an earnest desire for some type of achievement or distinction as power, honor, fame, or wealth, and the willingness to strive for its attainment” (www.dictionaryreference.com). If we use this description relative to your career path, then we can clearly see how ambition would be a very positive trait to have. Without it, you’ll have a career, but minus the path or journey that will advance you to higher levels. For those who do have career-path goals, you have to do a bit of a balancing act during the interview to make sure you are expressing your ambition in a humble and realistic way; otherwise, you risk being passed over as the candidate who is considered a “flight risk” if the career advancement isn’t achieved within a specific timeframe.

Isn’t it a good thing during the interview to express how you would like to grow with the company? Doesn’t that show initiative and a sincere commitment to stay employed with them? How could something positive like ambitions jeopardize a job offer?

Let’s explore five downsides of ambition that could go awry:

You say, “I want to be a manager within five years here.” The Hiring Manager thinks, “But we don’t have a protocol for advancement in that short timeframe.”
You say, “I’m very ambitious, and I want a company that is ambitious too.” The Hiring Manager thinks, “Sounds like you haven’t done your research about our company yet, because we have grown very slowly over the past two decades.”
You say, “I left company xyz because, after three years, I was turned down for every promotion, and I only saw others advancing instead of me.” The Hiring Manager thinks, “Little patience with high expectations equals disappointment and short-term employment.”
You say, “I have a lot of ideas that this company could use.” The Hiring Manager thinks, “The job opening is for a tax accountant, and we have all kinds of regulations that creativity cannot change.”
You say, “I need to make more and more money each year because I have a growing family.” The Hiring Manager thinks, “We only give a standard 3.2% annual raise, so maybe that won’t be enough for you and your family’s budget.”

You should now be able to notice some patterns in how a Hiring Manager might be thinking about your ambitious statements. While demonstrating that you actually have a career path in mind, it’s all about how you express and assert your views on what that means to you. Remember, the Hiring Manager is always thinking how you will “fit” with the company and not about how they can “fit” into your life plan. This mindset is really important for Generations X and Y to understand because these generations are very aware of the value of competitiveness. Being the first and being the best are elements that rule the day, and being shy about talent never wins prizes.

We suggest that, along with bringing a big basket of confidence to the interview, moderation and discernment must be included in the mix to help balance the ambitious statements. Career advancements and promotions take time and merit. Proof of results can only come from your time, energy, and skills you invest in each work day. It’s not a race for it, but rather a marathon for it. Pace yourself wisely so you don’t run out of steam too early. Show the Hiring Manager that you have done your research and understand their company culture. Help them discover that you are the best “fit” because your ambition is well-balanced and centered in reality.

If you slightly harness how you’re voicing your drive, the company will feel assured in your longevity with them, and you’ll find that your hard will help you advance in a reasonable amount of time.

Do you want to explore this issue more deeply? Drop us a note at www.agi.jobs/contact and let us know how we can help.

Image Source: www.freedigitalphotos.net

TAGS: Interview

17Jul

2012

Interview Tips, Management Tips, Resume Tips

As a Job Seeker, Are You a Bowler or an Archer?

Two Sports of Job Seekers (Resume Techniques)

Here are two compelling questions to seriously contemplate: When you send out your resume during your job search, 1) are you using the approach of a bowler who hopes to knock down as many pins as possible, and 2) are you aiming very carefully as an archer would do to hit the Bullseye?

The bowler’s approach is what most job seekers do. By striking multiple targets (like individual pins), the logic is that you are bound to make several good “hits” out of the effort. The archer’s method, on the other hand, is very precise with all of the energy focused on the exact center of the target. Both systems have the potential for a maximum of ten points per effort. So why does it matter which method is used when you’re looking for your best-fit new job?

Job seeking bowlers, as it turns out, experience more disappointments and discouragement than the job-seeking archer experiences. When a bowler calculates that the weekly “game” had a potential to hit 300 pins (or companies), but doesn’t receive any inquiries about their resume, self-doubt lingers overhead like a dark cloud that never parts to show the sun. Archers tend to have a different mindset about their efforts because they know that they’ve honed their skill to aim very carefully and only release the bow’s tension so the arrow shoots straight and dead-center. Archers usually have more confidence in their single deliberate effort than the bowler who is calculating a probability of the odds.

We highly endorse the archer method when looking for your best-fit job. When you understand that employers want that near-100% match for their open position, is it wisely using your time to “bowl” your way to your next job? It works if you just want a job right now – but if you want that best-fit job where you can grow and truly find professional satisfaction in what you’re contributing to the company, you should be carefully aiming and customizing your resume to be as near to 100% match as you legitimately can accomplish. Hiring managers look at bowler “hit-them-all” resumes constantly; they are looking for those resumes that are from archers who took the time to aim carefully so the one shot really hits the target.

Do you want some career coaching about this? Call us at 573.731.1359, and we’ll talk about your strategy.

Image Source: www.freedigitalphoto.net

TAGS: job seeker

CATEGORY ARCHIVES

MANAGEMENT TIPS

A Tribute to Food and Restaurant Managers Everywhere!

We like food. We need Food. We appreciate those who provide it!

Have a Sinking Feeling? Let’s Change That to an In-Sync Feeling!

Career Advice about Sinking and Syncing

Keep an Eye on Your Online Reputation – You Have One Whether You Realize This or Not

Yes, You Have an Online Reputation!

When Interviewing, Ambitious Statements Can Be Dangerous

Why Ambitious Interview Statements Can be Dangerous

As a Job Seeker, Are You a Bowler or an Archer?

Two Sports of Job Seekers (Resume Techniques)