Restaurant managers looking for new jobs that tell us they’ve gone on zillions of interviews but just can’t find a job or can’t get hired. They ask us what they are doing wrong in their job search.

Unfortunately without actually being with the individual job seeker from the moment they start writing their resume and then every step of the way there after, its almost impossible to know what the issue(s) might be.

With this said, there are quite a few common reasons why people are consistently passed over for interviews and jobs, some of which are within a job seeker’s control and some are not.

Let’s start with…

Two of the biggest reasons that are NOT within a jobseeker’s control are:

• It’s the economy…. The last few years (2008-Present) have not been the ideal time to be looking for a job in the restaurant industry — or any other industry for that matter.

  Not only have there been a large number of restaurant bankruptcies and closures, new restaurant openings almost came to a dead stop, and business at restaurants that were still open had dropped to the point that the units no longer needed as many managers to run them as they once did.

  Now if it makes you feel any better, along with restaurant management jobs being reduced at the store level, companies big and small have also made major cuts at all levels including their Recruiting staff, multi-unit management positions and pretty much all other departments.

• It’s a “Buyers Market”… Hand in hand with the above, the job market is now full of highly qualified due to all the restaurants closings and cut backs.

  Generally speaking you may have GREAT experience under your belt but in today’s job market when a company is looking to hire a new Restaurant Manager for their team they already have a very specific set of skills, experience and pay range in mind. If a job seeker is lacking in any of the desired traits they will be quickly eliminated from contention.

  This is quite a change from a few years ago when the economy was running at full speed and restaurants were growing so fast it was a “Seller’s Market” — where pretty much if you had a pulse, good personal hygiene and could get to work on time you probably had a 50/50 shot of getting hired. (OK, OK… We might be exaggerating about this last little bit.)

  The days of quickly finding a job are pretty much gone for now so every Manager needs to be on top of their game, 24-7! There are a ton of highly qualified restaurant managers currently out in the job market and restaurant companies are ALWAYS looking to upgrade their store management staff.

  Now is not the time to be a slacker!

Lets move on to…

Twelve reasons THAT ARE within the candidates control:

• You don’t have the skills, experience mind set, energy level, work ethic, professional focus, people skills, personality, or ??? the company is looking.

  Companies know what they are looking for — you either have the “IT” factor they are looking for or you don’t. This is especially true now when recruiting budgets are extremely tight and there are plenty of qualified unemployed Restaurant Managers out in the job market.

  Make sure you are targeting restaurant management jobs and companies where you are a good match — and if a company is not interested in you at this time, get over it and move on.

  “Stalking” or repeatedly contacting (i.e. pestering) a company or recruiter about a job not only makes you look desperate, but it can also make you appear emotionally and professionally immature — and maybe even mentally unstable. None of these traits is going to do anything positive for your job prospects.

• You’re a “Job Hopper”… When asked why you left each of your previous jobs are most of your answers, “I got a better job offer” or something similar?

  How many jobs have you had in the last 5 years? 10 years? What’s your average tenure in each management position? If it is less than 2 years (at a minimum), you will be considered a Job Hopper!

  Major restaurant chains will have invested $10,000 to $25,000 (or more) in the hiring, training and development of each manager by the time they get them through the management development or MIT training program. Do you really think they want to spend all that money and effort on someone that has a consistent history of moving on within a short amount of time?

  You may be able to successfully “leapfrog” your management title hopping from job to job but your “career” will eventually stall after just a few years of this and you will be stuck with whatever (lame) jobs that comes along.

  A restaurant management career is not just a series of job titles or companies. Don’t treat it as such!

• You don’t come across as PROFESSIONAL… Do you reflect the image of the company you are interviewing for?

  How do you look at an interview? Clothes cleaned and pressed? Is your shirt/blouse tucked in? Shoes polished? No body odor or bad breath? Did you bring extra resumes, a notepad and a pen with you to the interview? Have you researched the company?

  Are you asking about vacation before the recruiter has even mentioned the benefits? Are you using slang or 4-letter words in your interview? Are you answering your cellphone or texting in the middle of an interview? Were you late to the interview? Did you have a “little drink” before you came to the interview “just to calm your nerves”?

  If you aren’t bringing your “A Game” to the interview, we can guarantee you others will. So who do you think the company will hire??? Enough said…

• You’ve got a poor attitude; are rude; show a lack of motivation or lack of effort; are or are not…

  If you aren’t on your best behavior when you are trying to impress the recruiter and get them to like you, then why should the interviewer think you are going to have a positive, “Can Do” attitude or be pleasant and gracious to your restaurant’s staff or guests once you are hired?!?!?

• You’re a “Know It All”… Generally speaking, restaurants companies want managers who will be able to adapt to their operations and run them according to the established rules and standards — NOT change things.

  People who “know what’s wrong” with a restaurant company’s operations and talk about how they’ll come in and fix things are not going to get hired. Would you want to get in to a relationship with someone that already thinks they know everything that’s wrong with you and tells you how they are going to fix you??? We didn’t think so…

  Quite often “Know It All’s” also fall in to the next category as well.

• You’re doing all the talking and won’t shut up or listen… Recruiters recognize that many people talk on out of nervousness, they understand this and will work at trying to put these people at ease.

  What we are referring to here are those overpowering people that just have to take control of every conversation and won’t let up (or shut up). They are WAY too busy talking about themselves and how wonderful they are to bother learning (or caring) anything about the job or the company.

  Jobs interviews are about the restaurant company, it’s needs and how you might be the best management candidate to fill those needs. It’s not about your ego.

• You’re not focused or interested… Have you actually been to or done any research on the restaurant you are interviewing with?

  Did you bother to visit the company’s website and read through it? Have you even been to one of their restaurants? When the recruiter asks why you want to work for their company are you able give them some specific answers — or do you respond, “Cuz I need a job“?

  The job interview is for selling yourself. You want to convey to the recruiter what you like about their restaurant company and why you want to work for them. Sell them on all the great skills, knowledge and capabilities you bring to the table and show them how these things makes you the best choice for the job.

• You’ve been out of Restaurant Management for more than 1-2 years… Let me repeat something that was said above, it is a Buyers Market.

  If you have been out of the restaurant/hospitality industry for longer than 1-2 years you are most likely trying to return to it because you have not been able to find employment in your most recent field of choice (Banking? Real estate? Sales?) and are trying to get back in to restaurants. Unfortunately recruiters know that the odds are you are just looking for a paycheck, will continue to seek out jobs in your preferred field on the side and then jump ship the minute you get an offer!

• You lack energy, personality, and/or people skills…

  Being a Restaurant Manager, requires that you manage, lead, motivate and interact with your staff and guests. Being energetic, outgoing and able to interact well with others are some of the key qualities that restaurant recruiters look for. Don’t be a bump on a log!

• You have way too many piercings, visible tattoos, or whatever…

  Dress codes are in place to reflect and maintain a restaurant’s image.We’ve never quite understood why some job seekers get so upset with this situation. Why would someone even want to work for a company that doesn’t match their own personal self image?

• You have a criminal record… Some companies deal with this on a case by case basis, others have a blanket policy of “NO“.

  If you have a criminal record it’s not the company’s fault you screwed up at some point in your life, so don’t get mad at them when they won’t interview or hire you! You want a career, find a way to fix it!

  If you want to change your situation, look in to the possibility of having your record expunged. In the mean time look at smaller restaurants, franchises and chains where they might be a bit more flexible than a big corporate restaurant chain.

  There is some good news though, some companies are starting to accept job seekers with felonies in their background based upon factors such as how long ago the conviction was, whether the conviction was for theft or was a crime of violence, etc.

• You might be saying stupid things… Sorry, but there’s just no other way to put it!

  This is the catch all category for all the crazy, idiotic, off-the-cuff, and poorly worded or thought out things that can come out of job seekers mouths at any point in the interview process.

  A Recruiter’s job is to bring good candidates in and filter bad ones out. MANY prospective restaurant managers make it easy for the recruiter to say “Nope, not this one” — including great, highly qualified managers who just say the wrong thing at the wrong time.

  Remember, the more you say during an interview the greater the chance something inappropriate will come out of your mouth. Learn to answer interview questions in a short, concise and positive manner while still being friendly and conversant.

  Also, be sure to keep your political, racial, religious, sexual, extraterrestrial, conspiracy and other non-business opinions/leanings/biases/ideologies/whatever to yourself. This means both in your interviews and on the job!

We’ll add to this list or create additional post as other reasons come to mind.