JobActs

The two biggest decisions we make in our lives are:

1. Choosing a partner, and

2. Choosing a job.

While making either of these decisions, it is necessary to gather all resources – knowledge, experience, instinct, advice – before taking the final plunge. Mistakes may still happen, but definitely at a far lower frequency than they would have otherwise.

If the food industry is your line of choice, here are a few tips that will show you what to expect and offer suggestions:

1. The major subdivisions of the food industry are: food management, food technology, food production, and food distribution. Food distribution includes food service, which is the aspect of food jobs that we are most familiar with.

2. Enter a course from a reputed institution. Pick a field you would like to specialise in, and make sure to do at least a certificate course in that so that you can apply for a well-paying job once you’re finished. If you are pressed for time or money, you can apply for e-learning – a method that has become highly popular with employers as well as trainers worldwide.

3. In food service, your tips are the bulk of your income. This is why there is cut-throat competition for the best restaurants, and then again for the best tables at those restaurants.

4. Stick with a company that will treat you well. Find out companies who treat their staff well, and have the best HR policies.

5. No job is “perfect”. Choose your job based on salary and job hours as well as the job description and your aptitude for it. At the entry level, it is best not to hunt for the “perfect” job – instead, pick a job that will let you branch out into more interesting lines later on.

6. Smiling is part of your job description The most painful thing about a career involving public interaction is that you will be expected to smile, even when you’ve had a very hard day. Even if you interact only with your employees, they will respond much better to a good-humoured manager than to a surly one. So prepare to plaster on a real-looking fake smile, and have it ready before you jump into a career in food service, hospitality or management.

7. Pick the brand that agrees with your values. If you are a health-food enthusiast, you’ll probably be happier working with an organic food company than with the local fast food chain

8. Negotiate your salary, based on the job, your qualifications and experience, geographical location, hours and the going rate.

9. Look at job portals specifically for the food industry. Other than the general job portals, every industry tends to have job boards specifically for itself. This is especially true for the food industry, which is a huge and constantly growing commercial space.

10. You don’t need to be a chef to work in the food industry. Just like every industry, the food industry needs workers of all capacities.

11. The food industry is expected to grow till at least 2018, and food trends are now changing rapidly. Therefore, this is an excellent time for people seeking jobs in this line.

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