Finding a job?

Matthew_White

This is a two part post. First up, how does this sound as a header/intro to a resume. something to catch the owners eye, set me apart:

"Pasionate barista with GSOH seeks cafe for good times, view to full time relationship.
I am great with customers, but I come with no strings. I am presently in a relationship but I am willing to leave them for more pleasurable company.

I enjoy quiet piccolo lattes, with the odd ristretto esspresso to mix things up a bit.

You should be good looking and love the coffee you serve. I prefer older cafes as I think that they have more experience and can teach me a thing or two."

Any additions/suggestions/alterations?

Secondly, does anyone have any advice on how I can secure a position at a *good* cafe. By this I mean a place where they can teach me more about coffee and help me make a better cup, not just a place focused on pushing cups out as fast as possible.

My ideal spot would be a campos job, with the associated training. I need to have daytime hours (for health reasons). Anyone have a suggestion as to how I can break into the boutique scene?

As far as my experience, I have 7 months at Sheraton 4 points where I did coffee, bar, cocktails and floor work, plus my own cellering and stock managment; 6 months at the town hall hotel in Newtown where I think I was the only one who knew how to work the esspresso machine properly; 8 months at a bar in Coogee with no coffee work and latest is 4 months at a cafe in Glebe where I work the bar at nights.

I have requested day shift at my current workplace, but the manager has flat out said that she can't spare me from nights, but she has also said that she'll give me a reference if I decide to look elsewhere.

So can anyone help me?

admin

Hi Matthew - just a quick couple of thoughts from me: 1. often all it requires is a bit of persistence - usually in the form of 'knocking on the door' - even if you get a couple of temporary knock-backs. It's also a matter of keeping your eyes open, which brings me to the second point: 2. ...this relates specifically to your query - Campos had an ad on our Cafe scene industry site - 'situations vacant' for about six months - they have only just taken it off and have had numerous responses from it. Again though, this brings up the question (that I have, at least) as to why you wouldn't have looked there? Unfortunately they've just filled their positions, but I would be very interested Matthew, to know why you (and many others) don't automatically begin looking there...this is not a criticism, I'd just be interested to know! best Admin

BeanCounter

This is a two part post. First up, how does this sound as a header/intro to a resume. something to catch the owners eye, set me apart: "Pasionate barista with GSOH seeks cafe for good times, view to full time relationship. I am great with customers, but I come with no strings. I am presently in a relationship but I am willing to leave them for more pleasurable company. I enjoy quiet piccolo lattes, with the odd ristretto esspresso to mix things up a bit. You should be good looking and love the coffee you serve. I prefer older cafes as I think that they have more experience and can teach me a thing or two." Any additions/suggestions/alterations?

Matthew, A couple of typos: pasionate needs another 's' - which has found its way into esspresso. Should be 'passionate' and 'espresso'. I'm not sure how a resume of this type would be received by the industry. I'd guess some potential employers would be impressed, others not. You'd probably need to be selective in who to approach. Regards, Gary

Reschsmooth

Matthew, I tried to hold my pedantic tongue, but Gary has already brought it up. My personal view is that no matter how witty, artistic, bright, attention-grabbing, etc a resume or any other promotional document is, if there are typo's, particularly errors in the words which are important to the document, such as 'espresso', you immediately discount the impact your document would have otherwise had. Now, a busy cafe owner may not even notice the mistakes, but if they aren't there to begin with, you don't have to worry about it. You might be saying "settle down fellas, I quickly wrote this up after 15 espressos, and I was going to spell check". In that case, I'll shut up  8) Cheers P

Matthew_White

Admin: I have been checking the cafescene job listings, but to be honest there isn't much on there, which is a vicious cycle since if there's nothing there, no-one will check it, meaning no-one will advertise, meaning nothing is there. I didn't see the campos advert, and I would have thought that it wouldn't be relevant after 6 months. Gary: I know the spelling wasn't exceptional, I was writing this off the cuff, not so concerned about the spelling, more the feel of the passage. I think the "esspresso" gaff comes from the fact that a shop near me spells it that way, and I had it in my head since I wanted to mention it to you guys. The also offer a caffe late and mocha late. :P

admin

Actually Matthew - i'm not a cafe owner, but i'm not sure i agree with a couple of the comments you've received above - most cafe owners I know are more interested in your passion and skill on the machine rather than how your CV looks. With respect to Campos job, Will was happy to consider enthusiastic new applicants whenever they contacted him from the ad, and was looking at people over a reasonably long time-frame, although as I mentioned, he has recently withdrawn it. -A

mattyj

about this time last year, I was considering a career change (as you do). I spoke to Will from campos, and he said that they (and probably most cafes who care) prefer people coming in off the street asking about jobs, than people replying to an ad. I think he kinda meant people coming off the street as in people who frequent the cafe as regular customers, because people who frequent the cafe and then ask about jobs tend to be more 'into' coffee, and better at learning and absorbing knowledge and growth.

admin

Hi Matthew - you've got a point, and i guess this is where the rubber meets the road. To help fund this forum, and to provide a service to the cafe industry in Australia, we've started this site called cafescene, and i need to ask all members to help get the word around. If you get a chance, please check it out - www.cafescene.com.au [or simply click on 'Cafescene' on the menu bar on left]; there are four current barista jobs in the Sydney area: one in Concord, one in Berowra, one in Erskineville and one in Gladesville. Can you take a moment to think of anyone who might be interested and pass the word around. We believe this is potentially a great site (we're currently working on a new look) and it could be a good thing for the cafe industry in Australia. It would be a great help if you guys can 'spread the word'! cheers Admin