Serving Tables for Tuition

Serving Tables for Tuition

by | May 11, 2016 | Career

Finding a job that gives you the flexibility you need to make it to class on time and get your school work done is challenging in and of itself. Add getting paid enough to cover tuition and/or living expenses, groceries, and still have a little fun money left over, well that’s near impossible…unless you land a job as a server.

Serving tables is a great way to make some extra cash while you’re in college. Plus, you can learn some important business skills that will be an asset when you graduate and move on to a job in your field (or another job in the restaurant industry). Here are some things you need to know about serving tables for tuition so you can make the most of your time in the restaurant industry.

Scheduling ⌚

A tough thing about being a college student is that your schedule changes every few months. If you’re really concerned about finding a place to work in between your schedule from semester to semester, consider looking at 24/7 dining establishments.

These are great because they need employees at all hours of the day, so it’s easy to work around a class schedule.

Another perk of the 24/7 restaurants is that they’re few and far between and a hot commodity on college campuses, so you’ll be busy for the majority of your shift.

Living off tips ?

We’ve all heard horror stories of large tables that barely leave a tip after taking up a couple hours of a server’s time. While there’s no guarantee that you won’t experience this type of behavior, know that customers who stiff their servers are not the norm.

According to an article in the Atlantic, while the median tip amount varies based on location and gender, on average servers make between $7 and $13 per hour in tips.

Get to know your customers ?

Get to know your customers, especially your regulars. Working in the restaurant industry is a fantastic way to network, even though that’s rarely talked about.

Think about it: people from all walks of life go out to eat, which means you’ll have the chance to rub elbows with those who work in all types of industries.

You might make a connection with someone in the field in which you’ll someday work.

Secondly, you may make a great friend or even meet your future husband or wife while serving. Especially in college when you may have fewer close by friends than in the past, working in a restaurant is a great place to meet new people!

Fine-tune your people skills ?

You may think you understand people, but working in a restaurant is one of the best ways to interact with people from all walks of life. You’ll be serving the most polite and generous people along with the rudest (and cheapest). And you’ll have to do it all with a smile on your face and in a calm tone of voice.

During those rough shifts, keep in mind that all of this interpersonal experience will help you in your future career. It’s inevitable that you’ll work with a wide variety of clients, co-workers and managers, and being able to handle their personalities and quirks will lead to higher job satisfaction and make you an invaluable asset.

It could pan out to a career you love ?

You may not have dreamt of being a server as a little kid, but there are a lot of great career options within the restaurant industry. From Marketing to Management, a graduate degree combined with restaurant experience can turn into a lucrative, long-term career.

Keep an open mind and it may lead to something extraordinary.

When you can, take on extra responsibilities. You might end up with a promotion, which would mean extra cash in your pocket along with a new world of career opportunities available after graduation!

Working in a restaurant can be a lot of fun, especially if you like your co-workers and are able to work around your school schedule. Along with making enough money to cover your tuition, living expenses, and/or entertainment, you’ll be gaining valuable career skills that will help you after you graduate.

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How Skype & Digital Technology are Advancing Hospitality Hiring

How Skype & Digital Technology are Advancing Hospitality Hiring

by | May 9, 2016 | Business Toolkit, Management

Choosing hospitality as a career has some great benefits, but, in the past, the hiring process and HR in general has not been a strong point. However, that’s all changing with the advancement of digital technology specifically made for the industry.

Take Skype for example, which is being utilized to conduct interviews remotely helping job seekers to apply for more jobs and allowing businesses to expand their talent network.

Skype is the most accessible video communications technology on the market and it’s making interviews possible from any distance. One of the benefits of working in the restaurant and hospitality industry is the ability to find work in any city across the world. In any given month,

In any given month, workers who are willing to relocate are looking for these job openings, but the holdup is not being able to get in front of managers.

Skype is changing that by making it possible for hiring managers to conduct interviews with prospective applicants at any time and from anywhere.

The interview is critical in any industry, but especially in hospitality, where workers not only have to get along with co-workers but also interact with patrons.

Skype enables decision makers to assess potential hires in real-time. Not to mention, it can be used from a desktop, laptop, smartphone, or tablet.

As Skype is creating an innovative solution for interviewing, Sirvo is using technology to streamline the application process.

Sirvo is a premium recruitment service for the hospitality industry, where finding qualified applicants and choice companies to work for has never been easier. If you’re interested in learning more about our service, please contact us today at [email protected].

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The Highest Paid Restaurant and Hospitality Jobs

The Highest Paid Restaurant and Hospitality Jobs

by | Apr 4, 2016 | Career

One of the biggest misconceptions of the restaurant and hospitality industry is that the pay is low across the board. However, there are several high-paying industry jobs that are worth looking into, especially if you’re working toward a long-term career in the business, rather than a short-term layover in between jobs. Just to give you an idea, here are the highest paid jobs in the world of restaurants and hospitality.

The Regional Chef

Median salary: $125,000 per year

Just as the title suggests, Regional Chefs oversee the kitchens of a number of hotels and resort properties in one region. You’ll mostly find Regional Chefs in the hospitality industry (resorts, hotels and large chains) rather than the restaurant industry proper, but the job itself is similar to any other culinary management position.

Regional Chefs are responsible for all operational aspects, from product to staff. Specific responsibilities include menu planning, food purchasing/budgeting, inventory management, and training chefs in each location. In order to qualify for being a Regional Chef, you’ll need a minimum of a bachelor’s degree and at least 10 years of experience as a chef.

The Restaurant Manager

Median salary: $49,912 per year + overtime + bonuses

From fine dining to fast casual, when it comes to restaurant jobs, managers are at the top of the line, not only in terms of responsibility but also salary. Combining strategic planning and day-to-day management activities, the role is both business-like and creative, particularly in terms of marketing and business development.

Restaurant managers must coordinate a variety of activities, whatever the size or type of the outlet; and are responsible for the business performance, quality standards and health and safety of the restaurant. There is no single route into restaurant management; a degree is not necessarily required as it is possible to work your way up through the ranks. What’s really important is that you are qualified and have a combination of experience, interpersonal skills and are willing to work the often long and odd hours required.

The Casino Shift Manager

Median salary: $68,000 per year

Casinos are a huge player in the hospitality industry, and, as more and more cities legalize gambling, they only promise to continue to grow. What does this mean for you? Lots and lots of exciting opportunities, one of which being the casino Shift Manager.

Falling under the broader career category of Gaming Supervisor, responsibilities include overseeing operations on the gaming floor, managing workers in assigned gaming areas, and addressing customer service issues. Shift Managers can either be hired outright if they demonstrate that they have at least five years of experience in a casino setting, or they can work their way through the echelons of backend management.

The Housekeeping Director

Median salary: $77,000 per year

When it comes to lucrative careers, most people wouldn’t think of housekeeping. Wrong! One of the best-paying jobs in hotels belongs to the Housekeeping Director! You’ll mostly find Housekeeping Directors as employees of a hotel chain or in a resort-style setting, but they may also work for an independent company and contracted out to businesses, rather than as an immediate employee of the hotel or resort.

In addition to having top-notch communication skills and a strong understanding of finance, they need to travel to the different hotels and/or resorts to make sure that cleanliness is being held up to the highest of standards. While this position doesn’t require any formal schooling per se, it does require a strong background in housekeeping and management, especially at the hospitality level.

What are some tips & tricks for getting these high-paying jobs?

Not everyone in the restaurant and hospitality industry qualifies for these high-paying jobs, of course. So, how do you get a chance to get a crack at these jobs?

First, and foremost, get some experience under your belt. If you truly want to be in the restaurant and hospitality industries for the long haul, you need to pay your dues. Second, make sure that you remain as professional and cordial as possible in each and every job, so that you can be assured of getting a good letter of recommendation each time you leave.

Finally, but certainly no less importantly, make sure that you foster as many industry connections as possible and stay up-to-date on professional opportunities.

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The Best Cities for Restaurant Jobs May Surprise You

The Best Cities for Restaurant Jobs May Surprise You

by | Mar 14, 2016 | Career

When it comes to finding jobs in the restaurant industry, the grass is always greener in the next city over. However, the places you think of as restaurant meccas may not be the ones you want to pack up and move to.

We’ve compiled a list of cities that we think are the best places for various career paths, factoring in the local restaurant scene, job market, rent, regional economy, state minimum wage for tipped workers, and the average resident’s spending habits. The results included some unexpected winners…

Best city for Servers: Seattle, WA.

Minimum wage for tipped workers in Washington is a staggering $9.47. That’s more than you would earn in California or New York, and, unlike both cities, in Seattle you might find a decent apartment for under $1000 a month! Seattle also has a vibrant restaurant and bar scene; it’s famous for its seafood, but every kind of cuisine is represented.

Best city for Bartenders: Las Vegas, NV.

This one is probably less of a surprise. Minimum wage in Nevada is above average – $7.25 for those who claim health benefits, $8.25 for those who don’t- and in the tourist haven of Las Vegas, you can expect generous tips.

The median amount a Bartender takes home $22 an hour in Sin City.

That goes pretty far in a town where a fair-sized one-bedroom apartment might cost $700 a month. Between its thriving bar scene and its famous casinos, Las Vegas always needs Bartenders, so landing a job, at least, isn’t much of a gamble.

Best city for Cooks and Chefs: Boston, MA.

Minimum wage is only $3.00 in Massachusetts, but the job market favors Chefs and Cooks in the foodie hub of Boston. The median cook can expect to take home $14.40 an hour. In Boston, as in most cities, Cooks make less than a dollar an hour in tips.

Boston’s rent, more than that of most cities, varies wildly by neighborhood, but generally stays under $1000 for a one-bedroom apartment.

Best city to find your first restaurant job: Austin, TX.

It’s true that Texas’ minimum wage is a measly $2.80. However, with unemployment at 3%, Austin’s job market couldn’t be much tighter, driving wages up along with beginning workers’ prospects.

In fact, Austin’s restaurant industry is the fastest-growing in the city.

The city is known for Tex-Mex and southern barbecue, but fine dining and international cuisines are on the rise. Best of all, rent is fairly low, usually around $800 or $900 for a one-bedroom apartment.

Best city to start a restaurant: Buffalo, NY.

If you’ve never been to Buffalo, you might picture it as a crumbling ex-factory town under several feet of snow. You would be right about the snow, but in recent years the former shipping hub has been going through an economic boom, beginning with its restaurants.

One in seventeen Buffalonians works in a restaurant and the city boasts no fewer than five farmers markets, but wages and property values are still relatively low. So if you want the lowest possible starting cost with the largest possible clientele, perhaps you want to learn to make beef on weck.

 

 

LOOKING FOR A JOB IN THE RESTAURANT INDUSTRY?

Find top industry jobs on Sirvo →

 

 

DiningOut, Sirvo Debut Local Restaurant Job Postings

DiningOut, Sirvo Debut Local Restaurant Job Postings

by | Mar 8, 2016 | Sirvo Stories

We’re very excited to announce DiningOut as our new media partner! This partnership will allow us to provide our users with even more news and updates about the restaurant industry, and give DiningOut readers easy access to open jobs in the industry. With our new public API and WordPress plugin, all of Sirvo’s job postings are displayed and searchable directly on DiningOut.com. We think this is a double win for those looking for restaurant jobs in the Denver/Boulder area and businesses hiring on Sirvo.

As of Tuesday, March 1st, restaurant job postings based in the Denver-Boulder area appear on DiningOut’s site here: http://diningout.com/denverboulder/sirvo-job-search/#/

We’re also collaborating with DiningOut to create more content for members of the industry, such as posts about the best local restaurant companies to work for, round-ups of awesome Denver restaurant jobs, and insider tips and tricks. Stay tuned for this content on our site under “IndiNews”

For more information, visit http://diningout.com/denverboulder/denver-restaurant-jobs/.

 

sirvo-diningout-jobs

 

About DiningOut

Since 1998, DiningOut has been bringing you the best of the Denver/Boulder culinary scene with stories, interviews, and recipes from the best restaurants in Denver, Boulder, and beyond. DiningOut publishes two issues annually in the winter and early summer, and tracks breaking news on its website (diningout.com/denverboulder) daily.

 

About Sirvo

Sirvo, named “Best New Startup 2015,” is a modern web app for hospitality recruitment. Sirvo helps better connect employers and job seekers by providing easy access to business and talent profiles, powerful search, as well as collaborative hiring tools for a smooth, streamlined hiring process.