CREATING YOUR OWN LUCK\Culinary School Graduates in Demand
By: Mohit Chawla
Tags: Career Advice, Career

Photo by Roberto Cortese on UnsplashCREATING YOUR OWN LUCK

Title:

CREATING YOUR OWN LUCK

Summary:

Losing my job in the last recession of the last century, I discovered first hand the power of creating your own luck. A week later, I decided to locate an interim position while I looked for a “real” one. Accepting a temporary position at minimum wage in an industry I knew little about, I decided … winning, working, career, success, luck, determination, initiative

Photo by Gabriel Gheorghe on Unsplash

Article Body:

Losing my job in the last recession of the last century, I discovered first hand the power of creating your own luck. A week later, I decided to locate an interim position while I looked for a “real” one. Accepting a temporary position at minimum wage in an industry I knew little about, I decided the way to enjoy the position was to learn everything I could and contribution all that I could. I poured over manuals in my down time, developed processes to expedite the work, trained new employees, volunteered for additional assignments, and did anything that needed to be done. Four weeks into a ten week job, I was unexpectedly offered my first management position.

If I had listened to my friends cautioning me that taking a minimum wage position was career suicide, if I had been concerned about accepting a job “beneath” my education or experience level, or if I had only done what was expected, I would have missed an opportunity that led to five promotions in the next seven years.

It has been my experience over the years, while climbing the corporate ladder to Vice President of a multi-billion dollar company, that opportunity is everywhere and anywhere. Often, itís in unexpected places for those who differentiate themselves in the workplace. People who do what is expected of them, do it very well, “and then some” have opportunities arise that others never do. And people who set their ego aside, contributing everything they can to the task at hand, often create their own luck. Thatís because initiative is a powerful commodity in the workplace.

People offering to do extra work only if they get paid for it, or take on extra responsibility only if their salary is increased first, have it backwards in my book. My advice: do the work, do it well, and then do it even better. Higher pay, greater responsibilities and increased opportunities follow individuals who are contributors. Anytime I looked to hire people, offer permanent positions to temporary employees or interns, start up new departments or businesses, or promote individuals, I looked for people doing their job well … “and then some”.

Photo by CDC on Unsplash

Title:

Culinary School Graduates in Demand

Summary:

In uncertain economic times, there a few things that will always remain constant. One of the constants, without question, is a person’s need to eat. Surprisingly, even fine dining establishments do well in both inclement and prosperous times, rarely feeling the crunch of economic uncertainty. This affects not only their availability for patrons, but for employees as well.

Keywords:

seach for classes, search for colleges, inline education, online degrees

Article Body:

In uncertain economic times, there a few things that will always remain constant. One of the constants, without question, is a person’s need to eat. Surprisingly, even fine dining establishments do well in both inclement and prosperous times, rarely feeling the crunch of economic uncertainty. This affects not only their availability for patrons, but for employees as well. From wait staff to hosts, expediters to managers, fine dining establishments keep quite a few people gainfully employed. Lately, however, they are encountering a problem of a different nature, namely, finding and keeping a head chef.

According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, “Job openings for chefs, cooks, and food preparation workers are expected to be plentiful through 2014”. While positions in well known eateries will always be competitive and highly coveted, there are several options available for those with the culinary know how to put together a menu that can define an establishment. Those who have graduated from culinary training schools are quickly learning that there are more choices than ever when it comes to where they wish to hone their skills. In fact, it’s not at all uncommon for recent culinary school graduates to receive job offers from restaurants they have never heard of prior to graduation, some of which may be located overseas.

Because there are so few culinary training institutes around the globe, restaurant owners and managers often find that the easiest way to find the right personnel is by going straight to the source. Local, regional or national advertising may yield a qualified candidate, but with competition for head chefs at at all time high, soliciting soon to be graduates can be a wise strategy. Considering how few experienced chefs there are who are not currently holding a position, it’s no wonder that demand is eclipsing supply and forcing restaurateurs to snatch up chefs as they are receiving their diplomas.

For the immediate future, job openings should be plentiful for those with the proper training. If the world’s penchant for palate pleasing fair continues unabated as it has since the invention of fire, this is one trend that is always likely to continue.