Job Responsibilities
Well, there is the obvious duties a bartender is required to do,
pour the perfect martini,shake a potent shot, blend saucy
Margarita's, but most importantly serve only the coldest of
beers and the wittiest remarks. I am required to do all of these
tasks as fast as you can snap your fingers, raise your hand,
call out the name of your local beer god or goddess although in
this line of work if you are at the top of your game the average
customer doesn't even need to know your name to receive his
poison of choice because a true professional can sense the need
of a parched patron before he or she needs to say a word their
refill is in the works. From the time my shift begins(7:00 p.m)
until the bell rings for last call(1:45 a.m.)your body does not
stop moving and your mind does not stop working. This job
requires strong organizational skills, strong math skills, a lot
of patients, and great customer service skills that will keep
them coming back and spending their money. The main
responsibilities of the job are collecting money, cash and
credit, checking identification for under age customers, making
sure to not over serve customers and if it becomes obvious they
have had to much to drink I need to find them a safe way home.
After my shift has ended I am required to make sure all the
money adds up basically what went out needs to go in and
everything is documented, once all the money is accounted for
then the clean up begins all the beer needs to be stocked(some
nights that can be up to 25 cases) everything wiped down floors
moped bathrooms cleaned and it is a mess every night, then after
everything is cleaned, counted and put away I set the alarm and
lock the door only to come back the next night and do it
again.
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Job Requirements
Most corporations require at least a high school education but
to get into any kind of manager position some kind of college
degree will help a great deal even a 2 year degree could really
help get your foot in the door. The best bartenders really just
come with hands on experience because all the classroom
education in the world can't prepare you for what skills are
needed to run an efficient, high volume bar it takes practice
and true skill this is not a career for everyone it is not as
easy as it may look, this job is physically and mentally
challenging.
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Uppers
Well, for most good bartenders the money is the most appealing upper in this
career but depending on your situation the hours can really work for people
women
with young children can benefit greatly because they don't have to put their
child in daycare and get to spend all day with them, and if they are married
their husband can stay with the child at night. Students are great candidates
for
this sort of job because they can make great pay and still have time to go to
college and another upper is this makes a great second job because it is cash in
your hand when you leave that night.
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Downers
Well, for some the type of hours just don't fit into their
lifestyle it can affect relationships due to conflicting hours,
it might be hard for singe mothers to find adequate childcare
during the late night hours but some of the biggest downers in
this career would be the lack of benefits from most of the
employers because most companies in the bartending industry do
not provide medical, dental, life or retirement to their
employees and sometimes these things are not easy to find on
your own through private companies, also due to the physical
responsibilities of this job age can play a huge factor and this
may not be a long term career for most bartenders.
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Lifestyle
The best advice I could give to job seekers considering this
field would be to not let the party atmosphere get to you always
be a professional and try to look for a company that has room
for advancement and benefits.
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Compensation
Compensation is not much for newcomers most corporations only
pay you a tip wage or three dollars an hour because your salary
is primarily tips.
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Advice to Jobseekers
The best advice I could give to job seekers considering this
field would be to not let the party atmosphere get to you always
be a professional and try to look for a company that has room
for advancement and benefits.
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