|
Working in tourism means different things to different people: flexible part time or seasonal jobs, full time positions, or rewarding careers. The right opportunity is waiting for you in one of Canada's fastest growing industries - Choose Tourism!
Explore Tourism Occupations
Banquet Server
A banquet server serves food and beverage to patrons and provides table maintenance and room setup and tear down. Food orders may or may not have to be taken depending on the menu selections for the event. Banquet servers may work in restaurants, hotels, banquet halls or private service companies. You may adopt your own serving style, but many establishments have their own requirements such as uniform, greeting, attitude etc. This position requires excellent customer service and ability to work under pressure.
Responsibilities:
- Greet patrons and familiarize them with the food and beverage menu
- May be required to present with food and beverage options, take orders, make recommendations, and answer questions regarding the food and beverage
- Act as the point of contact between the patron and bar and kitchen staff
- Make recommendations on wine selection with meals
- Serve food and beverages
- May require preparation of specialty food and beverage items at the table of the patrons
- May have to present bill and payment transaction of the patron
- Typically reports to a supervisor
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:
- Completion of secondary school may be required
- Serving It Right certification is required
- FOODSAFE certification is required
- Formal banquet servers may require completion of apprenticeship program
- Customer service skills
- Wine expertise may be required
- Ability to follow instruction and abide by guidelines
Possible Future Career Path:
- Bartender
- Sommelier
- Restaurant Manager
- Food and Beverage Manager
How to Prepare for a Job Fair
1. Be prepared to discuss what you like doing, what you’re looking for in a job, what your most relevant skills are, but keep it on a professional level, not personal.
2. Be assertive and show initiative - shake hands and introduce yourself to recruiters when you meet them (this is a necessary part of the job fair and is not to be confused with being bold).
3. Network - while you are waiting in line or at a refreshment table, talk to others.
4. Be enthusiastic and interested in what the employer is discussing with you.
5. Try to keep putting yourself out there as opposed to sitting down to chat with old friends.
6. Stay fresh. If you start feeling tired, go outside for fresh air or get a glass of water.
7. Use breath spray or mints, especially if you are a smoker. If at all possible, spend some time in the fresh air after your last cigarette before going indoors.
8. Indulge your curiosity - talk to companies you normally may not have thought of.
9. Have a good question for every interview/meeting. It can be the same question all day
long, if you want to compare employers.
10. Keep a journal of employers that you have spoken to and their names. This will help you remember who to follow up with after the job fair.
11. Keep a positive attitude and concentrate on the benefits of the experience.
12. If you are interested in a job, FOLLOW UP with that employer after the fair. This may feel uncomfortable, but if you don’t follow up with a phone call or request a meeting you will be forgotten.
Remember that success at a job fair is not necessarily landing a job, but it is taking advantage of a great opportunity to network and find out what you want to pursue. For current job postings in tourism on PEI, check Employment Opportunities at www.choosetourism.ca.
Follow Up Is Really Follow Through
A very typical networking question is: How do I follow up? Follow through is really a better term. Peter Walsh, household organization guru, explains follow through in a very visual way. “I think about doing a load of laundry. If you turn the machine off half way through the cycle and let the wet wash sit for a few days, we all know what we end up with--a smelly load of wet clothes. No one only does half the cycle with the wash."
The same is true with following up with someone. Who are the folks you have met who are your load of wet clothes? Why not make this the week to finish the cycle (even if it has been soaking for a while). Call them to touch base, email them the information you promised, or invite them to an event as your guest! But, the analogy only goes so far; remember this is only with folks you have connected with at some level, where you have established a threshold of rapport. Avoid the dreaded email blast to everyone you meet, not cool.
-- By Darcy Rezac with Judy Thomson and Gayle Hallgren-Rezac (WORK THE POND! No. 268- March 15, 2009)
|
