This week in the office we have been busy making permanent placements. We are up to 5 already and they have been all over Scotland including Glasgow city centre, Fettercairn, Montrose, Nairn and the Isle of Skye. They have been mainly junior chefs but there has been one head chef placement as well. So it does seem that the availability of chefs is improving.
The availability of relief chefs also seems to be improving as we get into October. Johanna is away on holiday in Spain this week. (Have fun Jo!) So if you do have availability then please give the office a call and speak to myself or Michael.
We go through a number of CVs every day and they all vary. So it got me thinking about CVs and how people go about writing them. How many of us use templates or other google tools on how to write a CV? At Chefs In Scotland we are more than happy to help or advise on CV writing. When the CVs come in there a couple of things I look for.
These are just a few things that I look for. CVs don’t need to be complicated just a simple statement of where you have worked and where you intend to be in your career.
So if you want assistance in writing your CV give the office a call 01683 222 830.
For now I must push on with a bit of relief on this lovely sunny day.
Jessica
So now we are into the first week in autumn and it certainly feels like it. I could see my breath as I came out of the car this morning and now the rain is coming down too. At Chefs In Scotland this week we are progressing strongly with permanent placements. We are up to 4 now including one head chef at a 2 rosette restaurant near Edinburgh so it just goes to show that there are chefs available but it seems to be mainly down to location and working terms and conditions.
We keep trying to explain to employers that the era of working an 80 hour week and only being paid for 40 is now gone. However I wonder how true that is. When a permanent position is advertised with us we ask how many hours roughly the chef would be working and over how many days. Some are honest and say 60 hours and sometimes 6 days. However the average is 45-50 hours over 5 days out of 7 and I wonder how many places stick to this. If the chefs are being paid overtime after 48 hours or are on an hourly rate they probably wouldn’t mind working the extra hours as needed by the business. But if you are paying your chef de partie £18,000 for a 50 hour week it only works out to £6.92 an hour which is not very much for the skill of a chef.
Relief is busy at the moment with the jobs already piling in for October So Johanna is working hard on trying to get those jobs out while the availability in September remains quite tight.
We have received more adverts for the North of England last week for a 2AA rosette restaurant in a 14th century castle 34 miles from Carlisle. So we have bought a map of England so we can see where all of these lovely places are. If you are interested in chef de partie or sous chef jobs in the North of England please send your CV in to me at recruitment@chefsinscotland.co.uk and we can get you registered.
For now we must push on and get chefs placed. This afternoon I will be chasing up references which are a vital part of chef recruitment. I always like to get at least two references as sometimes one can be good – excellent and another one average – poor. So this is the reason we ask for details of references. I understand that sometimes employers and employees don’t always leave on the best of terms but references are 100% confidential and they do give us an insight into the chef at work.
For now on this rainy day in Moffat I must get back to chef recruitment.
Jessica
By Johanna
Relief is still busy and we have a few jobs already for October.
Michael George is working at The Dryfesdale Hotel in Lockerbie where Jason Keenan is Head Chef.
Lillian Clarkson is at The Grant Arms in Monymusk before she was at The Ramnee Hotel in Forres.
Rosie Robertson was over at Cromdale outdoor centre working for 3 days.
Glyn Musker is back at The Archiestown Hotel working until the end of October.
Allen Jack still over on Islay at The Islay Hotel and getting on very well.
Martin Nel is back at the Crusoe Hotel in Fife.
Steve Nye has taken the permanent head chef position at The Eglington Arms, thanks for all your hard work on relief Steve.
Ally Elder’s time is coming to an end at Kastille in Turriff and is back off to Thailand.
Andrew Bruce is still over in the Borders at The Dryburgh Abbey Hotel.
Max Nisbet managed to fit in 5 days work at Glenapp castle between shoots.
David Ironside’s time is also coming to an end at The Kinloch Hotel on Arran.
Lots of great work from our relief chefs.
Thanks again everyone.
So I have now been working as the permanent recruitment consultant here for 5 months. I enjoy the job although there is a lot more to placing a chef than I ever thought. There is so much than can go wrong such as chefs not turning up for interviews, un-contactable references and midnight flits to name a few. But when you hear that someone you have placed is getting on well it is all worthwhile. I am working hard on meeting my targets this week which were 30 CVs out 2 perm placements and 10 adverts. So far I am up to 32 CVs out, 1 perm placement and 4 adverts and it is only Wednesday so I am pretty happy with that.
Today I interviewed my first chef. It is interesting to meet the chefs but I had never interviewed before so it was a new experience. After having an informal chat with the chef regarding jobs, life plans and what their ideal job is I take them upstairs to meet the rest of the team, Michael, Johanna and Bentley who has already imposed his way into the interview room. My job now is to try and get the chef placed. After talking to them it seems easier to have a better picture of what the chef is looking for and having spoken to employers knowing which job suits which chef. So I do understand now why it is so important. I sent his CV and reference out to 6 places in the hope of getting him placed in the next two days.
We do have a number of highbrow jobs on the list at the moment, 2 and 3 rosette establishments and even a couple with Michelin-stars, it hasn’t been easy to find candidates for these jobs but they are both at interview stage now so fingers-crossed we can make some more placements this week.
For now it seems as though the availability of chefs is becoming slightly better; however it is finding the job that matches the chef and vice versa which seems to be the key in chef recruitment in my limited experience so far. So I go on to chase up some references, arrange some interviews and get some searches done on what I imagine to be one of the last sunny days in Moffat this year.
Jessica
Relief remain busy as we go into September.
I hope everyone has been enjoying the beautiful sunshine.
Alan MacPherson is back at The Pierhouse Hotel in Port Appin.
Also over in the West Coast is Jenny Quashie, Blair Mackay, Victor Garcia, Robert Birrell, Chris Roberti, Tom Williams, Mark Murray, Iain Scholes, Andre Burney, Paul Chlebek, Ryan Williamson, Derek Snedden and Mark Bellingham (sorry if I have forgotten anyone)
Sara-Jayne Moffat is working up at The Grant Arms Hotel in Grantown on Spey along with Obed Omwoma.
Ismail Kilicaslan is currently working in Montrose at The Links Hotel.
Peter Cullen is doing a 2 weeks stint at the Dores Inn in Inverness-shire.
Kai Stutzkeitz is working at The Torridon Inn while Sam Bernard is working at The Torridon Hotel.
David McConnachie has been extended at The Old Library Inn run by Alan Ritchie.
Over in the Islands – Kirsten Grant is at Harris Hotel, Michael Buchan at Hotel Hebrides, Marion Pohlman is in Orkney at The Albert Hotel, Don Craig, John Ferguson and Rene La Barre are all at The Lerwick Hotel on Shetland.
Lots of Chefs still out working all over Scotland.
Thank you for all your hard work ladies and gents.
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