Hot Tip -- by Tim Sieben

Working in Alberta's food and beverage industry has some very noticeable benefits; work hours are flexible, gratuities can be quite profitable and it's a great way to initiate some networking opportunities. While most people enter the "industry" with these advantages in mind, the real "perks" may be the ones that are least obvious.

The perks I'm speaking of are the opportunities to pick up some excellent transferable skills. Restaurants, clubs and fast food chains are arguably some of the best places to acquire skills that will be marketable to future careers. Here's a few tips that you may want to consider:

Most common transferable skills:

• Written and verbal communication
• Customer service
• Interpersonal
• Time management
• Working under pressure
• Problem solving
• Planning and coordinating
• Accounting
• Stock and inventory
• Working with people of diverse cultures

Career sectors marketable to:

• Marketing and sales
• Public relations
• Accounting
• Business
• Tourism
• Management
• Human services

How to gain these skills:

• Take on management positions
• Look for opportunities to increase your interaction with the general public
• Learn and practice how to deal effectively with irate or unsatisfied customers
• Be aware of how you successfully manage many tasks at one time
• Volunteer to help plan seating arrangements
• Volunteer to help with the books
• Involve yourself with the opening and closing duties of the establishment

When selling these skills in your résumé, it's always important to use a functional or combination format. Such formats are useful to anyone who wants to highlight transferable skills that you have acquired from an unrelated field. Ensure that the "related skills" section in your resume is presented first and foremost. For more information on resume formats check out résumés and cover letters in nextSteps.org.