Career Lessons from Behind the Grill

Status is a funny thing. The entertainment industry tells us that success is posing for magazine covers, driving the highest, most ridiculously priced vehicles, and encrusting our iPods with diamonds. The reality is, worldwide, only a handful of our population actually reaches that level of celebrity. Perhaps perception then is an even funnier thing?

When we get ready to enter the workforce, more often than not peer pressure pushes us towards feeling the need to be part of the white collar, corner office career. Therefore, as we create our resumes we feel we have to hide a job that isn’t sexy enough in status or name alone to get us recognized. But like the old saying goes, it’s what’s on the inside that counts.

Like many college graduates, I didn’t go right into a job in my major (in fact, of all my friends from school only a few did, so take heart if you’re in this same situation). For the better part of two years after I graduated I was a cook, and I loved it. It was tough – long nights in high-temperature, unrelenting settings – but to this day I maintain that through those strenuous shifts I learned many skills that carry over to whatever job I may hold. And you don’t need to have a degree to realize this for yourself.

My station was short order, where I made sandwiches, burgers, pizzas, etc. Our staff included a cashier, a salad bar attendant, a dishwasher, and myself and every hour the four of us would turn out over 100 items on the menu. On top of that pace we had to get orders out quickly, make sure we weren’t contaminating other dishes after working with nuts or shellfish, ensure food was cooked to the proper temperatures, and maintain health and safety standards. We were always thinking two or three steps ahead of what we were working on while not losing focus and that’s where we excelled.

On my resume, I could say: “Worked as a cook creating dishes for customers.” Or I could say: “Worked in a high-capacity lead role, which included, but was not limited to:

• Collaboratively ensured all items ordered met customer and health and safety standards;
• Trained staff on properly recreating menu items;
• Maintained a high level of communication with staff throughout service, delivering an average of two items per minute to our customers;
• Addressed customer concerns to encourage repeat business; and
• Managed orders and staff to effectively deliver high quality food in a timely manner and avoid bottlenecking of service.”

Taking a step back and looking at these bullet points from a birds-eye view, they say that through being a cook I learned:

• Leadership
• Teamwork
• Training
• Communication skills
• Working effectively, under pressure, in a deadline-driven environment

What employers are looking for nowadays is a candidate who can most help their business. Don’t be afraid to take a birds-eye view at the elephant-in-the-room in your own work history. I have yet to be in the weeds in any job I’ve held since I was a cook, and being in the kitchen is the reason why I am able to handle similar situations now.