Bartending Jobs

The Bartending Doctor will now give the correct remedy for basic job interviewing as a bartender with experience. For those without experience the Doctor recommends you attend your local bartending school that has job placement included in the program.

Q. How do I get started looking for a bartending job?

A. Pick the local street in your town that has the most amount of bars. Then go from side to side filling out applications and asking for a bartending position. Remember this very important statement from the bartending doctor: "The more you go, the more you show and the more you are heard, the better chance of getting a job. However, the less you go and the less you show, the less chance you have at getting a bartending job." If you only go out on 1 interview a week then how many people are honestly going to know that you're looking for work? If you go out on 20 job interviews per week, then the percentages will speak for themselves. Again, get the most amount of job interviews in the least amount of time!

Q. Where do I look for work?

A. Everyday you should look in your local newspaper classifieds (under restaurant/hospitality jobs), on the internet, and/or in your local yellow pages under the same categories (also look under hotels/nightclubs/caterers/cocktail lounges/fraternal organizations). You can now begin to set up an itinerary of listings and potential interviews from the types of operations you would like to work at. Remember that you must go in person, do not just call. Employers in the bar business don't hold job interviews over the phone.

Bartending schools also offer placement departments that help give new bartenders job leads. Keep in mind that some are better than others and one wants to judge these schools on how long they have been in the area and how good their track record is for getting bartenders jobs. Check out this list of licensed schools to find a good one in your area.

Q. Doc, what time do I go out on interviews?

A. Well, as far as times go, there are many different types of establishments, all with different hours of operations. Here are some suggestions:

 

Places	Mornings	Afternoons	Evenings
a. Restaurants	10 - 11:30 am	2-4pm	--
b. Hotels (HR dept)	9 - 11:00 am	2-4pm	--
c. Catering co.	9 - 11:00 am	2-4pm	--
d. Fraternal Organization	9 - 11:30 am	2-4pm	--
e. Nightclub	--	2-4pm	--
f. Country Clubs	9 - 11:00 am	2-4pm	7-9pm
g. Cocktail Lounges	--	2-4pm	7-9pm

If you're going out on daytime interviews, go before lunch or after lunch hours. If you're going out on nighttime interviews, go after happy hours and before they get their late night crowd. You want the manager you'll be interviewing with to have plenty of time to focus on you without distractions.

Q. Where do I look on the internet, Doc?

A. Go to websites like careerbuilder.com, hcareers.com, and jobing.com. Always be careful of job ads you see on the web that ask you for your credit card information, since these are usually scams. Simply type in "bartending" or "bartender" with your city and state and listings will be provided. It's free, quick, and easy.

Q. Who do I talk to, Doc?

A. Only talk to the owner or manager. Remember, the bartender is not going to give you his or her job.

Q. How do I dress, Doc?

A. I always tell my patients to wear black and whites or simply all black for these are the most common colors and dress style of employees in the hospitality industry. Don't over dress and make sure your appearance is clean and neat. Remember what the bartending doctor says - "look the part to get the part."

In closing, let's always remember: "'It is a job to get a job." If you were working for a paycheck, would you only go to work for 1 hour a day or would you work for 8 hours a day for a bigger check? The same theory applies to job interviewing, Follow the doctor's advice here and remember- you can't fail as long as you keep on trying!