If you’re dissatisfied with your current profession, maybe now is the time to consider changing your career. If you’re wondering if food service is suitable for you, you’re in the right place, as we have created a guide to help you change career paths and enter the food service industry!
Create the Best Resume
First, you need to ensure all of your professional documents are in order. And, of course, this includes a resume! Although you haven’t worked in the food service industry before, you will have transferable skills that must be included and tailored to food service requirements. You can use the ResumeHelp food service resume template to get you on the right track!
Find Your Area
Food service is a vast industry, ranging from roles as a host/hostess to a manager to a chef. So, you need to know which industry area appeals to you and which direction you would like to go in.
If you have no prior experience, you can look into entry-level positions such as cooks, wait staff, and customer service advisors. You may be surprised to find that roles, such as cooks, can be entry-level. But in big branches where the cooking isn’t so specific and recipes are easy to follow, cooks are considered entry-level. So, if you have a passion for cooking, you could step into a cooking role!
Perhaps, your dream is to open a restaurant? If you are ready to take the big jump to being a restaurant owner, you should read about the safety and account data for new investors in the food service industry!
Training
You don’t need to complete training before applying for food service jobs, but it may help you feel more confident in your abilities when receiving a food service job offer. You can complete a training program courtesy of The Culinary Institute of America to kick start your food service expertise!
If you don’t want to go to culinary school, your employer will usually provide training.
Required Skills
The food service industry is broad, making skills requirements vary from job to job. However, there are cross-over skills in many roles, with many being soft skills. Soft skills can be learned through life experience and previous jobs, so you don’t need food service experience to obtain all the skill requirements for the food service industry. Here are some of the standard skill requirements in food service:
- Communication skills
- Food handling
- Food preparation
- Teamwork
- Problem-solving skills
- Time management
- Experience using essential kitchen equipment
- Food and kitchen hygiene
- Ability to keep calm under pressure
You can add these skills to your resume if they apply to you, and pay close attention to the job description of each role you apply for, as you will be able to edit skills accordingly!
Apply for Jobs
When sending your resume to hiring managers, many food service job postings will be done online. However, you can also go into local cafes and restaurants to see if they have any positions.
Progression
You may start your food service career as a front-of-house or waiter/waitress and realize that you love the customer-oriented nature of this role. From here, you can carry on gaining experience to the point where you know your place of work like the back of your hand and have strong leadership and communication skills.
From here, you can go on to apply for senior and supervisor roles. These positions will give you more responsibilities and can be a great stepping stone to becoming a manager or finding the confidence to start your own business!
