From the view of the casual observer, restaurant and hospitality management careers are pretty much organized in advanced and handed to you on a pre-fabricated career map it seems like wherever you end up, you know you will spend a good part of your life working in a hospitality environment. But professionals understand the weaknesses in that statement. They know about the many variables of the restaurant and hospitality industry. They know the restaurant/hospitality industry can be a truly unique and fun workplace, and diverse in the scope of responsibilities that one can attain. As well as being a source for a very respectful income. They know how many vocational choices there are in their business. They know that some of the highest paid people in the US work in their industry. And they know that restaurant and hospitality workplace environments vary dramatically from concept to concept, as do management methods, styles, and titles. A traditional Steakhouse restaurant is very different, as compared to a Dairy Queen type quick-serve-ice cream stand, in the way they operate and number of managers required to deal with their respective sales volumes - though both establishments are considered to be restaurants. Same for comparing a Biltmore hotel to a Motel 6 - yet both are lodging environments.

Let's continue reviewing career management choices in this industry - how about the experience at a large university or corporate cafeteria or catering department, or maybe as food buyer for a regional restaurant chain, or as Front-of-House or Back-of-House manager at a local fine-dining bistro, or as manager of several food concession trucks that support large construction sites and factories, or even managing a simple shopping mall style kiosk food stand; not to mention other non-food restaurant jobs, like regional and national level real estate and marketing titles, related accounting and finance positions, administration, merchandising, health and safety, human Resources, etc. It s obvious there are many career options in the hospitality/restaurant industry. Each person will know, in their own mind, which, if any, restaurant or hospitality career appeals to them. The ideas presented in this article will help guide you to consider a career strategy specifically designed to put you in the Restaurant/Hospitality career situation you seek, or improve the one you are in now.

There are 5 key influences that affect hiring managers and job supervisors when they consider someone for employment. These 5 key influences are so strong, whether in the boardroom or regional market area or at a local facility, if the 5 key influences are in order, the job candidate will usually move forward in the hiring process and find career advancement. If they are not in order, it usually ends the candidate s chances of getting hired and slows a career. So having these 5 key influences well organized and focused on the type of job you are pursuing - or advancement you seek - you improve your chances to get hired into, or advance into, the sort of restaurant/hospitality job you prefer.