Starting a new job is nerve-wracking whether you have experience or not, but we all have to go through it at one point or another. Here are a few first-day tips to follow that will boost your confidence from the get-go and impress your new boss, managers, and coworkers.
1) Come Prepared
Before starting your shift, make sure you’re both mentally and physically prepared to work. Don’t go out or stay up late the night before and be ready to do a lot of listening and learning. Get your clothes/uniform and anything else you’ll need (like a notebook) for work organized the day before you start. This will decrease pre-shift stress, plus it will save you time. This is key because, more than anything else, be on time, or even better, 10-15 minutes early. Showing up late to your first day of work doesn’t exactly send a great message to either your boss or new co-workers.
2) Make the first move
Whether it’s when you first walk in the door or in the middle of your shift during a slow period, ask what you can do to help. Being proactive will not only impress the higher ups, but it will also speed up the learning process, so you can go from training to tips that much faster.
3) Pay close attention
Even if you’re experienced and highly qualified for the position, there will be differences between past and present employers. From operations to expectations, you’ll have a whole new set of rules to play by, so listen to your trainer to get a lay of the land. Also, to help you remember the important details and also give you a resource to reference, take a lot of notes. Bonus: this will also show your trainer that you’re dedicated to learning the work-flow and getting in the swing of things.
4) Get your hustle on
Whether your new job is slower or faster paced than what you’re used to, make sure to work quickly and efficiently. Strolling around the establishment won’t help you excel at your job, nor will it do anything for your bank account. Commission and tips don’t grow on trees. Even if your paycheck isn’t directly tied to how many customers you have, hustling at work, during and post training, will impress your boss and make your coworkers happy that you joined the team.
5) Be friendly and polite
This applies to all parties: trainer, coworkers, and customers. With your trainer and coworkers, don’t talk back. Make sure you have your facts straight before calling someone out, which means having at least a few shifts under your belt. If nothing else, keep smiling, even if you’re not really feeling it. Not only will this keep your morale up, it will also have the same effect on those around you.
6) Ask questions
There are such things as stupid questions, but you should still ask them because it’s better than making stupid mistakes. Asking questions will only help your cause. You’ll learn more, avoid making errors in the future, and also show that you’re engaged in the experience and on point when it comes to training. So if you don’t know something or are confused, speak up so it doesn’t come back to bite you in the butt.
The Denver Business Journal recently published the article Hunt gets harder for restaurant help in metro Denver, describing the “borderline crisis” state of staffing shortages in Denver restaurants. As the “bright-white age of Denver restaurant expansion” continues with no end in sight, restaurant employers are having difficulty retaining and recruiting staff.
The reason, as Adam Schlegel, part-owner of Snooze and executive director of EatDenver, puts it, “there are far more restaurant jobs than people who can fill them.” And, this “crisis” is not just a local phenomenon. Similar accounts of hiring strife in Chicago, Boston, and Houston, to name a few, have hit the airways in recent months.
While restaurant owners are feeling the pressure, this increasingly high demand for staff has opened the treasure chest for the people working in the restaurant industry “who suddenly seem to hold the power.” It’s good to be a restaurant employee, and it’s getting even better.
Lots o’ job
In 2014 alone, the restaurant industry added more than 400,000 jobs nationally, making it the fastest growing industry in terms of workforce and there are no signs of slowing. More than 150,00 restaurant jobs have been created so far this year, keeping the industry on track to add the projected 300,000 jobs in 2015.
In Colorado, restaurant jobs have grown twice as fast any other industry in the state thanks to Denver’s restaurant boom. To give you an idea of just how big the boom is, restaurant consultant Jon Imbergamo estimates that for every Denver restaurant that closes, 4-6 new ones open.
Needless to say, there are positions available all over town. In fact, Schlegal estimates that a job seeker with service industry experience can get “five to 10 immediate expressions of interest after posting their resume.” The opportunities aren’t just limited to seasoned restaurant workers either as staffing shortages include host/hostess and other entry level positions.
Given the hiring hardships, restaurants are growing ever-more competitive when it comes to maintaining staff, which means growing incentives to keep people around. According to the DBJ’s Hunt Gets Harder article, employee wages, including starting pay, have increased by 15-20% over the last 18 months, with some restaurants going up by 40%.
But that’s not enough. As the choices of where to work grow, employees are becoming extremely selective to the point that they are looking for additional things besides a higher paycheck. Restaurants across the state, and nationwide, are offering new or increased benefits. From 401k plans to paid gym memberships to “kick-ass staff parties”, owners and operators are doing basically anything and everything to keep staff at their establishment.
Some restaurateurs are going out-of-the-box (literally) to solve their staffing woes by going outside of the heart of the city. Both Snooze and Steuban’s have ventured outside of Downtown Denver and opened locations in the surrounding suburbs. Not only does this enable restaurant owners and operators to tap into a new talent pool, but it also provides new job opportunities to the people who live in the area. No longer does working at a top restaurant mean commuting to and from the Denver metro area. Especially now that traffic is getting worse by the day.
The Takeaway
The restaurant industry is growing. So much so that the workforce as it is now cannot accommodate. That means that there are jobs available for the taking plus more money and benefits to those who seize the opportunity. Like I said before, whether you’re a veteran or just getting started, it’s good to be a restaurant employee.
To all those who work in the Service Industry: this one’s for you. Welcome to NATIV Industry Night, the Tuesday night party dedicated to the Service Industry.
NATIV Industry Night is a weekly celebration that kicked off in early July as a way to say thanks to the people who feed us, cloth us, beautify us, pamper us, etc. day in and day out.
Now’s your chance to get special treatment: live music, food & drink specials and the occasional surprise giveaway!
The party starts at 7 pm at Pourtions Keg + Kitchen, NATIV Hotel’s on-site bar and restaurant with a 20-tap, self-pour beer wall. Start the night off with $3 sliders, $5 wines, and $5 specialty cocktails, while grooving to an acoustic set from 7-9 pm.
Then it’s on to the main event at The Lobby Bar, where there’s more live music and more specials! Drink up with $3 domestics, $4 imports, $4 wells, and $100 bottles all night long. And, you’ll never know what other awesome surprises may be in store for you throughout the night.
So come get some much-needed R&R tonight at NATIV Industry Night! You deserve it.
Pilot study published by the Center on Policy Initiatives and San Diego State University uncovers wage theft, discrimination, and break violations among restaurants in San Diego County.
“Overwhelming numbers of restaurant workers reported they had been cheated out of money they were owed in wages and tips, as well as their break time.”
Professor Jill Esbenshade, quoted above, is the principle investigator of recently published study Shorted: Wage Theft, Time Theft and Discrimination in San Diego County Restaurant Jobs, which includes results from a survey of 337 employees working in more than 160 distinct dining establishments in San Diego County, as well as 30 in-depth interviews and observational data collected at 40 top local restaurants.
The findings reveal disturbing numbers of labor laws violations and other exploitive workplace practices at restaurants of all kinds, from fast food to fine dining:
More than 75% of employees surveyed reported that their employers had illegally shorted them on wages or tips during the past year.
25% of respondents said that wage theft is a regular part of their jobs.
84% reported violations of rights to meal breaks and rest breaks, and 23% said restaurant managers made them falsely record unpaid meal breaks although having worked through the break.
Wage theft was found to most oftentarget women, Latinos, and back-of-house staff.
This study’s findings replicate what has been reported in other studies conducted throughout the country; the violation of employee rights is far too commonplace in the restaurant industry and warrant further exploration as well as the development of policy solutions.
You’ve probably seen quite a few Now Hiring signs since summer started, and whether you’re looking for a summer gig or something more permanent, here’s why you need to capitalize ASAP.
Employment on the rise. The job market isn’t as bleak as it was once was with job growth reaching a 15-year high in 2014, and projections of stable or even increased growth throughout 2015. And it’s looking like the economists are going to be right! According to the Manpower Group nearly 25% of U.S. employers expect to add to their workforces during the upcoming months, which evens out to about 16% after adjusting for seasonal variations.
Even more so when it comes to summer jobs. Looking for some extra cash this summer? If so, the time is right with 80% of employers expecting to hire the same, or more, seasonal employees as 2014. The industries expected to add the most summer positions are hospitality and retail, with eating and drinking establishments alone projected to add at least 500,000 jobs this summer season.
Competitive pay. If you’re worried about getting stiffed at your summer job when it comes to your paycheck, think again. Summer employers are expected to pay an average hourly wage of $11.52, up from last year’s $10.39. In fact, 53% of employers plan to pay summer works $15 per hour or more.
Potential for long-term. On average, employers are expected to fill at least 35% of their summer positions with previously hired workers. That means that landing a job this summer could mean you’re set for the next few if need be. Not to mention, work experience is a valuable commodity these days and goes a long way in either turning your summer gig into a full-time job or securing your next position.
Flexible work schedule. Summer means vacation for many whether it’s getting outdoors more often than not or going on trips with friends and family. Since most summer positions are part-time, averaging 27 hours per week, you can still find time for both work and play!
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