Another One Bites the Dust

I have sent out more resumes than I can count with, sadly, few responses. Over qualified, under qualified, getting lost in the shuffle . . . don’t know what the deal is but I suspect some have something to do with managers who just don’t want the competition. My resume is pretty good, if I say so myself, and my cover letters are always thoughtful and well written so why can’t I even get a call back in most instances? Well, I got a call yesterday for a server position and, after selling myself over the phone, (apparently I had screwed up and not attached a resume – so I got the call simply off the cover letter) I managed to get an interview that same day.

A few hours later I meet with the chef and the interview went well. There is always room for improvement but it went well enough that he passes me onto round two with a FOH manager. She and I didn’t hit it off.

The first thing out of her mouth: she insults my hand shake. I make a joke. She scoffs at my resume.

This version of my resume is scaled down to one page simply noting my employer, position and dates of employment. Next line of attack: longevity.

I don’t happen to think stints of 1 – 3 ½ years a piece plus having owned and operated my own business since 2000 is a “problem with longevity.” Restaurants are a pretty volatile industry and a year here, a year there is no big deal where I’m from, in fact it’s better than many with 6 month stints. Apparently, according to her, things aren’t done like that here. Sure, I’d love to stick around longer if I had a job that was challenging enough to stick around for; or maybe some upward opportunities presented themselves but generally my “job jumping” is the result of 1.the business itself changing (i.e., partner litigation, lay-offs, etc) or 2. I receive an offer of more money and/or more responsibility elsewhere. As I see, it’s just sound decision making on my part. But I digress.

I heard this lady yelling at the staff just prior to meeting with me. No big deal, I’ve been in her shoes, and sometimes someone’s behavior warrants a firm conversation but why was she taking this posture with me? We argued. All she wanted to hear was me agreeing with her. What was it to me? A job, that’s what; so I did, I agreed. The meeting was brief; she basically made fun of my responses. She was pinched. She seemed threatened – especially every time she minimized my experience. She made a point of reiterating on like 4 occasions that it was likely I wouldn’t “work the floor” (you start as a busser, expo, take some tests, suck up to the floor manager – I know the drill) for what could be months.

Yeah, I get it. I go through the hoops and hopefully make some good money when you’re through. At the end, however, I wasn’t sure if I’d hear back or, if I did, if I’d even make any money being there. There were only 4 front servers, and not a lot of covers, but the menu is smart, the chef seemed to have it together and the press had, thus far, been positive.

I do the right thing. I send the chef a thank you e-mail. 20 minutes later she, the FOH manager, calls me back and schedules a 2nd interview. We’ll see how this one goes.