Illinois State Certifications.

Hi guys, I'm 20 yrs old, new here =).

Looking for information on all of the restaurant industry certifications out there I can get online or by visiting somewhere in the city.

I am already BASSET certified and atm I am looking at this "Illinois Food Safety for Handlers"...
http://www.rserving.com/web/pscc_state.php?siteid=251&pageid=&flag=food%20safe%20ty%20handlers&statecode=IL

A website listing everything available would really help, as of now I'm only aware of those two certs. Appreciate any help guys, thx. =)

sephiroth00352 wrote:Hi guys, I'm 20 yrs old, new here =).

Looking for information on all of the restaurant industry certifications out there I can get online or by visiting somewhere in the city.

I am already BASSET certified and atm I am looking at this "Illinois Food Safety for Handlers"...
http://www.rserving.com/web/pscc_state.php?siteid=251&pageid=&flag=food%20safe%20ty%20handlers&statecode=IL

A website listing everything available would really help, as of now I'm only aware of those two certs. Appreciate any help guys, thx. =)

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I saw your post over on City Data.

What are you trying to accomplish? If you are trying to get into the restaurant industry, you can get a job in most restaurants without ANY certification. The only thing that you will eventually need (depending on the municipality) is a food handlers license. And in some cities, the only requirement is a chest x-ray.

Generally, if an employer wants you to take a Food Sanitation class, they will generally send you to it at their expense.

I'm trying to get certifications to add to my "resume" because I have no experience working in a restaurant, and there are so many kids in the city already trying to get these types of jobs.

sephiroth00352 wrote:I'm trying to get certifications to add to my "resume" because I have no experience working in a restaurant, and there are so many kids in the city already trying to get these types of jobs.

There may be hundreds looking for a job in a restaurant these days. However, even when unemployment is in double digits, there are hundreds of restaurant managers looking for people. If it makes you feel better, I landed my first job at Big Boy when the unemployment rate was 12%.

The way you get hired is to hit the pavement and actually go to the restaurants you want to work at ... during the OFF-HOURS. 2PM is usually a good time. Show up in clean clothes, and with enthusiasm. Accept any position as you will start at the bottom. Start at the bottom as in most places, you will move up quite quickly if you impress.

I like this advice.

Should I go with my shirt tucked in or anything?

I'm sorry I can't direct you to the proper sites, as I'm not a part of the resto industry but I like the approach of being as prepared as possible. As an employer, I'd be much more likely to hire the most prepared person; the one who showed initiative by trying to get prepared in advance of employment. It's an employers' market right now and anything you can do to differentiate yourself from the rest of the pack seems quite wise to me.

Good luck to you,

=R=

sephiroth00352 wrote:I like this advice.

Should I go with my shirt tucked in or anything?

OK, be a smart ass.

I have interviewed several hundred applicants over the years. At least 25% lacked the proper grooming and at least a couple of women showed up with curlers in their hair.

jlawrence01 wrote:

sephiroth00352 wrote:I like this advice.

Should I go with my shirt tucked in or anything?

OK, be a smart ass.

I have interviewed several hundred applicants over the years. At least 25% lacked the proper grooming and at least a couple of women showed up with curlers in their hair.

I'll see you those applicants and raise you applicants who answered the query "sex" on the application form with "yes." (Guaranteeing the application went in the circular file. I did appreciate them saving me the interview time.)

jlawrence01 wrote:OK, be a smart ass.

I have interviewed several hundred applicants over the years. At least 25% lacked the proper grooming and at least a couple of women showed up with curlers in their hair.

Lol, I was actually being serious.

Mhays wrote:I'll see you those applicants and raise you applicants who answered the query "sex" on the application form with "yes." (Guaranteeing the application went in the circular file. I did appreciate them saving me the interview time.)

Actually, my first screen was to eliminate all of the high school graduates who could NOT spell the name of their high school correctly. In St. Louis, that eliminated 120 out of 215 applicants.

jlawrence01 wrote:

Mhays wrote:I'll see you those applicants and raise you applicants who answered the query "sex" on the application form with "yes." (Guaranteeing the application went in the circular file. I did appreciate them saving me the interview time.)

Actually, my first screen was to eliminate all of the high school graduates who could NOT spell the name of their high school correctly. In St. Louis, that eliminated 120 out of 215 applicants.

Ouch! That's utterly depressing.

=R=

Seph, I looked at the Illinois Department of Professional Regulation web site and saw nothing that looked like it applied to the restaurant industry. Then I googled "illinois food service certification," and found this web page; don't know if it's the kind of thing you're looking for or not. Possibly some useful information also on this Illinois Restaurant Association web page.

ronnie_suburban wrote:

jlawrence01 wrote:

Mhays wrote:I'll see you those applicants and raise you applicants who answered the query "sex" on the application form with "yes." (Guaranteeing the application went in the circular file. I did appreciate them saving me the interview time.)

Actually, my first screen was to eliminate all of the high school graduates who could NOT spell the name of their high school correctly. In St. Louis, that eliminated 120 out of 215 applicants.

Ouch! That's utterly depressing.

=R=

Depressing, yes.

What was more depressing was my next job. Utterly depressing was finding how many non-readers there were among NCAA "student"-athletes.

Katie wrote:Seph, I looked at the Illinois Department of Professional Regulation web site and saw nothing that looked like it applied to the restaurant industry. Then I googled "illinois food service certification," and found this web page; don't know if it's the kind of thing you're looking for or not. Possibly some useful information also on this Illinois Restaurant Association web page.

Thank you so much for these links. =D

Glad I was able to maybe help a bit.

You got some great advice for getting hired. I've hired a lot of people in my day, and an attentive attitude and direct eye contact are key to setting you apart.

I agree with most of the suggestions above.

I have built a rock-solid crew of about 30 out of approximately 300 I've hired and lost during the past year and a half that I've been growing my business.

Showing up is half the battle. Making the right impressions/decisions when working will ensure that you keep the opportunity you have before you and perhaps even open the door for other opportunities. It is an employers' economy, and you are replaceable, unless you make yourself otherwise. I've made it clear to my entire staff repeatedly, that the opportunity they have is theirs to either keep, or lose. That goes right up to my top-level Operations Manager.

Of course, in return for that underlying potential threat of job loss, I offer dignity and respect to all those in my company. The ones who don't offer that to their peers/superiors, remove their own opportunity from their grasp, and we find someone who will. Anything else, we can train. But attitude carries the game, once a staffer has proved that they'll show up.

My company places regular ads for new hires, and typically, we'll get 50-80 responses, half of which will answer the phone/return the call when we call to schedule the first group interview. Of those 25-40, about 3 quarters of them will commit to the interview. Of those 18-30, about half actually show up. Of those 9-15, about a third end up staying on our roster. So, out of 50-80 responses, we end up with 3-5 usable crew members. Then it still remains to be seen who will stay on longer than the first couple months.

A lot of people say that it's hard to find work, but it's my experience as an employer/entrepreneur who has made my own job, and a lot of them for others, that more people want to complain about not being able to find work than actually can't find it.

So if you want to work, and are willing to go as far as getting certifications to do so, that will make an impression. But also, just showing up, and making yourself useful for what is needed in the moment will more than likely carry you where you would like to go.

'Cutter