You’ll probably need at least a year of experience as a shift supervisor if you want to become a restaurant assistant manager. Shift supervisors do the same work as other employees, but they are responsible for supervising them during their shifts. As long as his or her work quality remains consistent, a good restaurant shift supervisor is likely to be promoted to assistant management. Restaurant managers seek dependable assistants who are aware of their responsibilities and who can motivate and inspire others.
Leadership skills and a track record as a shift supervisor mean not only supervising employees but also increasing sales and decreasing complaints. To put it another way, if you want to be a restaurant assistant manager, you should be proactive in addressing current issues. Making the job of the restaurant manager easier demonstrates that you’d make an excellent assistant. While solving problems and learning new skills, you’ll need to follow company policy as well as your manager’s instructions.
You may be able to create a career development plan with your manager during a performance review after a year or more as a shift manager. During an excellent review, it’s best to mention your ambition to work as a restaurant assistant manager. If your boss has given you feedback on how to improve any aspect of your job performance, it’s critical that you act on it as soon as possible. This action will demonstrate to him or her that you are a quick learner who can adapt. Many employees will not admit that they have a problem with how they perform their job duties, so taking what your boss said and turning it into a positive change can put you ahead of the game.
If you want to work as an assistant manager in a restaurant where you’ve never worked before, such as by responding to a job ad in the newspaper, you’ll need to persuade the hiring personnel that you’re the best candidate for the job. Dress for the interview in a professional manner, including clean fingernails. Make sure your resume not only lists your experience, but also highlights specific achievements from your previous restaurant work. Tell the hiring manager about your experience as a shift supervisor and how you dealt with problems. Explain what you did when employees failed to show up for work or how you improved customer service and sales overall.
Do your homework by researching the restaurant you want to work in and making sure you understand the menu and customer base to make your interview stand out from the rest. The most important message to convey to the hiring manager is how well you would fit in at that particular restaurant. It’s also a good idea to prepare a list of questions to demonstrate your desire to work as a restaurant assistant manager at that specific establishment.