By Rieva Lesonsky
This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation for IZEA. All opinions are 100% mine.
Did you know that one in three Americans had their first job in the restaurant industry? I didn’t—but when you think about it, that stat makes a whole lot of sense, because working in the restaurant industry offers a real-life education in an incredible range of transferable job skills.
Just consider what’s involved in being part of the team in a typical restaurant operation. Employees must learn how to deal with the unexpected gracefully, remain focused on customer needs, and make constant critical thinking decisions on the fly. No wonder that the benefits of working in the restaurant industry aren’t limited to those who dream of careers in hospitality. In fact, restaurant training gives everyone a chance to learn vital employability skills such as professionalism, teamwork, leadership, self-motivation and time management.
All of these skills can be transferred not just within the restaurant industry, but to any job at any level in many industries. As the demand for qualified workers grows, companies of all sizes and in all industries are increasingly seeking employees with the kinds of skills workers gain every day in the restaurant industry.
Want to know more about what you can learn from working in the restaurant industry? The Food and Beverage Service Competency Model from the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (NRAEF) offers a guide to the skill sets that employees can gain from working in a restaurant. Take a look—you might be surprised at the heights to which a restaurant job can take you.
