Four Ways to Get Noticed and Get Hired in Food and Hospitality

There’s a food or hospitality job you just have to have. Whether it’s your passion, the experience, or just to get your foot in the door of “that place,” you have to get noticed before you get hired.

Not sure how to get noticed? We’ve got you covered.

1. Register at arfoodjobs.com

Joining our job seeker community will establish yourself as ambitious, professional, and gosh darn it, good looking, too. You’ll be the first to know about job openings, local industry news and networking events. It’s the best first step to making your move in Arkansas’ culinary and hospitality industry.

2. Make Friends

It’s a fact of life; people hire other people they know, or those recommended to them. Networking isn’t just for the blue-suit set, and it can be especially important in a small but vibrant culinary market such as ours. Some ideas:

• Do a stage, or brief internship, at a few restaurants in town.
• Volunteer to help behind the scenes at culinary and hospitality events.
• Join the American Culinary Federation (local chapter information here) and attend meetings and events.
• Stay in touch with your culinary/hospitality school instructors.
• Attend Industry Night social events and educational panels hosted by arfoodjobs.com. Click here for upcoming event information.

3. Polish Your Skills

While most employers will train you in the intricacies of their particular craft, they’re looking for some basic skills, too. Knife skills and cleanliness rank at the top of employers’ wish lists. (Bonus points for a ServSafe certification, available through the Arkansas Hospitality Association.) Keep these and other basic skills sharp, and you’re well on your way to the food job of your dreams.

Need some training to get started, or want to refine the skills you’ve already got? Attend one of Arkansas’ culinary and hospitality college programs accredited by the American Culinary Federation. You’ll graduate in two short years (or less, if you choose a certificate option) with all the skills and then some to kick off your career with style.

• UA-Pulaski Tech Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management Institute (Little Rock)
• Brightwater (Northwest Arkansas Community College) (Bentonville)
• Ozarka College (Melbourne)

4. Write a Killer Resume

You may have the best skill set in Arkansas, but if you can’t present yourself well on paper, you’re poached. If this isn’t your strong suit, hire a resume professional to help. Save it as a PDF or Word file to send to employers here on arfoodjobs.com.

Some key things to remember:

• Keep it to one page.
• Specifically refer to the employer and position title.
• List your relevant experience without a lot of fluff.
• Show a proper mix of ambition and willingness to learn.
• NO MISSPELLED WORDS OR POOR GRAMMAR. (Please?)

Also be sure to fill out the resume form here on arfoodjobs.com. It makes your skills, certifications and experience searchable to employers looking for specific things. You can attach your one-page PDF or Word file as well…We highly recommend doing both.

With a little planning and a bit of good, old-fashioned hard work, you’ll land that Arkansas food job you’ve always wanted. And as always, we’re here to help.

Did we miss anything? Any suggestions for the newbies? Leave it in the comments below.