Career Tips Guides

To be an effective Dining Room Manager there are certain attributes you should have to run an efficient food and beverage operation each meal service. There are a lot of managers out there who are great at doing the paperwork as in making the schedules and calculating the food cost but if they do not know how to lead and build a team in the Dining Room they will soon find themselves unemployed very quickly.

First of all when you start in such a position you must know the reason you were hired in the first place. Were you told upon hiring what improvements or changes had to be made? What was going well? On one occasion in a very new restaurant I was specifically hired to train the inexperienced staff to serve
better, thereby making them more productive on the floor. This in turn positively affected labour cost. On another occasion hired as a Maitre’d on the ship the staff was experienced so my main goal was to get the different nationalities working together as a tight knit group within a system. Therefore in order to succeed know what it is you have to do. Don’t fix anything if it isn’t broke.

Now you know why you are there and what needs to be done. The next thing you have to do is work every shift. Yes you will lose some beauty rest at the beginning but I have seen a lot of managers who will only work one shift such as the evening and not have a clue what is happening during the breakfast shift until it is too late and the complaints are coming in. You have to be there every shift to watch and observe your staff , system in place , how the food comes out , teamwork , presentation , just to name a few things on the list. Of course take a day off but in the first 2 weeks work a lot. See what is going on.

During this inaugural couple of weeks help out in the dining room as well. Help with the expediting of service , table check with guests on how they are enjoying their dining experience. Never stop doing table checks. I believe in the hands on approach rather than the delegating approach. Even if it is doing something as simple as getting bread for a table or delivering some drinks to help a waiter who is in the weeds. Remember if a waiter gets swamped for a minute it is the guest who suffers. Put your ego aside and muck in and help.

Here is another gem to being a successful leader in the dining room. Understand a waiter will never admit to needing help even if they have 10 things to do , so if you step in when you see trouble before it happens and help out without being asked that waiter will be putty in your hands. Remember if you are observant and on the floor you can do this. Always be on the floor during service. This will eliminate all service problems and complaints. I know because that is the way I did it. Works like a charm.

Another downfall that occurs which causes failure is the human need to be one of the buddies. A lot of managers want to be liked rather than respected. To achieve respect do not socialize with your service personnel. If you want something done the next day and you have been socializing with that person you need to talk to , do not expect a good result. After all , last night you put yourself in a compromising position saying how great a person they are. You may get away with it once but do yourself a favour and keep your distance in a nice way. Your main concern is getting everyone to work together. Do not show favourites either or the others will see it and you are doomed to failure.

To develop teamwork you must talk to the group as a whole. Everybody has to be on the same page. Always if you want improvement explain how you want something done and why it should be done that way. People will want to know the why before they do anything different.

Heap praise on your staff. Even if you find very little at the beginning praise the good things so that they will listen to you when you ask them to do something better another way.

Assuming you are a people person , you should be sincerely interested in your staff. Find out what motivates them. Be interested in your guests. This is a people business. Work with your assistants and communicate with everyone. If you want to have people do things for you let them know what has to be done and show your appreciation. Be a people builder.

Train others by sharing your knowledge. People want to do a good job better if they could. People will beat a path to your door if you show them you care. Emphasize to your staff that it is all about the service.

In concluding , to be a leader of many in a restaurant demands your time , knowledge , and a fair dose of psychology but if you are willing to excel in all three the rewards can be great. Don’t just seek to be average , seek to be great.

His motivational speaking engagements are both funny and informative. Find out more about Steve Nicolle at his website which is at http://www.stevetalks.ca

It is a common occurrence for students to have jobs while working toward graduating college. Many have realized with the consistent increase in college tuition, jobs are the only way to afford postsecondary educations.

Holding down a job while enrolled in college can be very stressful for a student. College departments that offer student jobs tend to have a better understanding of the academic demands that are placed on the students that they hire. Since many of the college departments only hire for part time help, it is not hard for them to work around their schedules. Other employers, that are not part of the college environment, may not be as willing to work around class schedules.

Finding student jobs on campus can be beneficial. Students, who are able to help run the campus, are more likely to adjust to college life.. Jobs on campus are a great way for students to meet other students and get to know their peers and professors. Campus jobs are usually offered in many areas like the bookstore, cafeteria, and several administrative offices.

At most universities nationwide, those working student jobs account for nearly 25% of the universities non-professional staffing. Staff members hold important positions that contribute to the overall success of the universities.

Despite all the stress and grief that employment can cause to some, seeking employment during the academic school semesters may be inevitable. With the raising cost of college tuition, many students are finding that federal financial aid and or student loans are not capable of covering all tuition related expenses. For those that are able to get a free ride, employment is needed to cover the cost of expensive college textbooks and a little extra spending money.

It may seem that the more hours jobs take out of the students weekly schedules, the worse students will do in their classes. Studies have shown that this is not the case at all. It has been observed through several studies that students who are employed do as well and in some cases better than those who are not working jobs. The same studies found that grades tend to improve the more hours a student works during a week, but the improvement levels off if one works more than 20 hours per week.

Students who are employed during schooling are not only more likely to receive better grades, but are more likely to complete a degree program than their non working peers. Also, jobs are beneficial after graduation. When an employment position comes down to several candidates with the same educational qualifications, employers are more inclined to hire the graduate who has work place experience. Having a job while attending college shows the potential employer that you are able to manage your time, stay organized, work hard, and multi-task.

Even if their jobs are unrelated to the students career path, they will still develop work related competencies and many work place skills that are transferable to any career sector.

Making the decision to work toward a college degree may be the most important step in securing a bright future. Working, while attending college, may also be a step in the right direction. Remember whether its building good resumes, creating lists of good references, or learning important time management skills, student jobs are not only a source of money, but may be the main factor in getting great jobs after graduation.

FreeStudentListings.com is a school specific resource where you can buy and sell used textbooks to other students. Not only can you find used textbooks by school, you can locate internships, jobs for students, and graduates, and student housing. Visit us today for great student listings!

Do you enjoy the challenge of working with numbers on a daily basis? Then an accounting finance career is right for you. With the tools that were taught in school, you will be able to help a company or a business run efficiently.

What is a CPA - CPA is the statutory title of qualified accountants who have passed the Uniform Certified Public Accountant Examination and have met additional state education and experience requirements for certification as a CPA.

Primary Function of a CPA - CPA can attest to the validity of financial information. This means that they can audit financial statements and report on whether they are accurate or not. Certified Public Accountant (CPA) are licensed by law.A CPA attest to the reasonableness of disclosures, the freedom from material misstatement, and the adherence to the applicable generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) in financial statements.

Career Opportunities in Accounting and Finance - Career opportunities in accounting and finance are endless. You can earn a degree in accounting and become a general accountant, but this is just one of the options you can follow. Some of things that you can get into include actuaries, auditing, banking, chartered accounting, corporate finance, corporate recovery, stock broking and taxation management. There are also specialist areas you can pursue, such as auditing, management policy and taxation.

If you have either a CPA or CA license with you, it is possible for you to work for a large firm that has offices both here and abroad. Given that every company needs ones, it will not be that hard to find a job.

Career Prospects - One report shows that employments prospects for these professionals is quite high over the past 5 years and this is expected to continue until after 2010. You will also be handsomely rewarded with a good salary but long hours come with the territory especially when companies and individuals have to file their income taxes and towards the end of the financial year.

Average Annual Income - Just to give you an idea, newly grades who work in banks earn an average of $35,000 to $50,000 annually, while financial managers earn almost double that amount. Professionals who soon become partners for the bigger firms earn more than $100,000.

Career Development - In order for you to get a higher position, you will also need to go back to school. Most financial experts pursue an MBA after a few years in the corporate world. While some return to their employers, others apply elsewhere.

Before you can see yourself up there, you have to work from the bottom going up. While some decide to make it big in Wall Street, you too can also succeed wherever you decide to apply.

Market Research - The first thing to do is conduct some research. This will make you understand how things work and how news in business affects the industry, the country and the world as a whole.

Networking -If you want to get the job, aside from being knowledgeable, you need to have connections that are already there so you are given the position instead of someone else. This means building your network from school and then using it to your advantage. Associating yourself with those who have done well may give you pointers so you too can be just as successful as them.

Start Early - But you shouldn’t wait until graduate before you start looking at the various career opportunities in accounting and finance. The best way to get your foot in the door is to apply for a summer position or an internship because most companies hire those who have worked with them for a short period of time compared to those that sent in their resumes. Believe me; you already have an edge right there as you already have an idea about the internal workings of the company.

Prepare Your Resume - Just in case the company you worked for does not have an opening right now, you should prepare your resume and yourself for interviews with other companies that do similar activities with what you used to do during your internship.

The average professional who works in either accounting or finance leaves after 2 years. They may apply for reassignment to another department or find employment doing something else. When this happens, there are job openings around for fresh graduates as well as those who already have experience in this industry.

Indeed, there are career opportunities in accounting and finance. You just have to build your network and get it.

Paul Hata is active in various social and community programs aimed at providing equal access to education,health and jobs to all.Paul has over 10 years experience in managing a multi-million dollar advertising company.Paul can be reached at - TradePlanets.com