Thursday, February 25, 2010

Staying Positive in my Search for a Chef Position

A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort. ~Herm Albright


The hardest part of being out of work for an extended period of time for me is keeping a positive attitude.

When my job search turned from weeks into over a month I found myself applying for any culinary related job I could find from line cook to management....for most I was overqualified and some I was under. Not having been a line cook in 5 years really hurt me because the speed needed for the line is not something you keep....you have to stay at it and you can loose it which means I did not fare so well in the first couple places I worked! LOL What I run into alot of the time is "why are you applying for this job when you have so much experience?" ...my answer was "I just need a job" ...and that or course is not the right approach!

I realize I need a job but the right job matters as well and it's imperative that I keep a positive attitude, both for my own well-being as well as for the impression I give to potential employers.

Thinking outside of the box:

The notion 'thinking outside the box' is far more than just another management cliché. It is a very powerful concept worthy of deeper consideration.
Being out of work means that I have some serious extra time on my hands to market myself in ways that might have been too labor intensive if I were employed. However outside of the traditional resume and cover letter, how you can I differentiate myself from the competition?

My resume is short and concise with bullet points highlighting accomplishments and everything else I was taught in school yet I don't use that as my focal point. Instead my focus is on the cover letter. I make the cover letter personalized to each application so it looks like I researched that company in-depth (which is something I do anyway) I have had moderate success with this and am thinking of including some of my portfolio with what I send to recruiters and am putting all that together now.

Do not take the first job unless you are %100 sure! I found this out first hand and it's not fun to drag yourself halfway across the country for a job only to find out the place serves terrible food and there attitude bites! Be choosy if you can and take your time...I know I will this time.

Action is the foundational key to all success.
Pablo Picasso


I have found out through trial and error I simply have to have a positive attitude to be successful. I have alot of energy when I am positive and quite the opposite when not. As researchers have discovered, this also holds true in sports. You have to go into a game believing sincerely that you can succeed at it, or your performance will be less than optimal. Creating an internal image of doing what you need to do and then making it happen physically is what good athletes do and as professionals in the culinary industry we need to do that as well.

Adopt a positive attitude … Think positively … These words have been said so many times -- they don’t have much impact any more, which is a shame because it is so terribly important to have that mind-set. So much has been said and written about maintaining a positive attitude that the words often fall on deaf ears.

In job-hunting, I believe, keeping a positive attitude can’t be stressed enough. It is absolutely necessary to build and maintain a positive, forward-looking frame of mind because:

• It keeps me motivated in the face of constant rejection.
• If I have a negative attitude, it distorts my outlook and affects everyone around me.
• A negative attitude cuts me off from avenues that I might otherwise explore.
• Negativity comes across subtly in interviews, often without being aware of it, and it counts heavily against you.
• A negative attitude slows you down, encourages you to do less, the end result being that you see fewer people and make fewer contacts and thereby begin limiting our chances of finding a new job.
• A negative attitude undermines our feeling of confidence and belief in yourself.
• A positive attitude, conversely, makes the hard work of looking for a job easier or at least more pleasant.


Look outside your market!

Be open to relocation.
I live in one of the boni-fide culinary capitals of the world and I am sure I am not the first tell you Las Vegas indeed has some of the best chefs in the world. What I have found is that this is not the only place to look for a great chef position....Chicago, Seattle,NYC,Portland,San Diego, Los Angeles just to name a few and all have great restaurants so I am not limiting myself to Vegas instead I am sending out my resume to everyone in the hope I land at a decent place.

I am writing this not only to describe how I am approaching my job search but to help anyone else in there search if I can. I know how it feels to be rejected and what it feels like when the phone doesn't ring for interviews but I am not letting that stop me! I would love to hear from you if you are searching as well or if you have any positive advice for me.