My unconventional career path to HR Chapter 1: transferable skills from the restaurant industry.

1. RESTAURANT INDUSTRY
FRONT-LINE MANAGER
RESPONSIBILITIES
AN
UNCONVENTIONAL
PATH TO HUMAN
RESOURCES -
CHAPTER 1
Part 2 of 5

2. Chapter 1 – Restaurant industry as a front-line manager - an
incredible amount of transferable skills
So let’s drill down and explore the transferable skills from the
restaurant industry.
The restaurant industry is where many of us get our start, from fast
food to fast casual, or a corner mom and pop site. Some stay for a
short time while others hang in there and make it a career, but the
one common denominator is that we all learn skills that are valuable
in life and business.
It is hard to find a restaurant location with an onsite HR team. As
restaurant managers, we are tasked with a myriad of responsibilities
that are transferable to any career and many directly related to HR.
Let’s break them down to understand the impact and lasting value
they have on our careers.

3. Leadership skills:
As “managers” we need to lead our teams of exempt and non-
exempt employees. We need to promote teamwork and empower
our teams. These types of experiences prepare one with the skills
needed for any role leading people.
Financial skills:
As a front-line manager I was responsible for projecting, reconciling
and managing the profit and loss statement for a site that was doing
more than three and a half million dollars taking into account
inflation.
We had to craft and implement strategies to bring out of spec line
items like food and/or beverage costs back into spec. It was crucial
to include assistant managers in the strategic planning process to
get their buy-in. This experience has been instrumental in crafting
successful HR strategies to reach HR department budgets and
empowering my direct reports.

4. Coaching/Employee Relations/Discipline/Recognition Skills:
We were responsible for coaching, employee relations, discipline and
recognition.
Recruiting/Onboarding/Retention/Training:
Sourcing, hiring, firing, and training all employees onsite was our
responsibility. I remember going to the Salvation Army, High Schools,
Universities and contacting churches to name a few to recruit.
Retention was key and is more valuable today. In fast food, we
recruited many candidates who were young and green with busy lives
that included family responsibilities, sports, school and homework.
Many times they thought nothing of calling off at the last minute
which hurt the entire team. Our coaching and communication skills
were very important to instill responsibility and build character.
Payroll/Time and Attendance:
Confirming time and attendance and fielding payroll question as they
arose was a daily task.

5. Customer Services: we interacted woith hudreds of guests per day.
It is eye opening how many transferable skills are in our toolboxes
that we might not even realize.As jo seekers, it is important that we
identify and communicate them in our story to make our carer pivot
easier for the hiring manager to understand.
As HR professionals we need to recognize that candidates have a
treasure trove of transferable skills that are relative to the role and
can make their transition easier than one might think at first glance.
Stay tuned for future chapters. Join in the conversation, create
community and become an ally for personal and professional growth.
What previous responsibilities did you have that you found
surprisingly or perhaps not so surprisingly transferable? Please share
them in a comment.