All comments welcome!!!I have been working internationally now for over 30 years. Starting as Executive Chef and have moved all through the ranks. (R&D Chef/Mgr., F&B Director, Manager, and currently Corporate Chef), all in 5* and higher hotels and restaurants being Michelin rated. I also have my Masters degree in Business Administration. Speak and read 5 languages. Stable and reliable person. Have been trying to return home for over a year now. Sending my CV to hundreds and hundreds of offers, the most I have ever gotten is a about 4 or 5 phone calls. The most answers I get is am either over qualified or because I have no US experience. Any advice on what or where to go from here??? From what I read you're an American working abroad? It sounds like you are doing too much online job searching and should just try picking up the phone and talking to your colleagues or meeting them for lunch in-person, rather than the cyber approach. With that much experience, I'm sure you have an amazing network of friends that can point to openings in their own restaurants or know someone that has one. I'd say "good luck" but for some reason I don't think you'll need any. Just a bit more personal contact and I am sure you're on your way.
Yes I am a US citizen, that part you have right... But after 30 + years of not being in the US ???? I have plenty of friends and people that can get me positions in a minute, but they are all international. That is what I am trying to get away from so I can return to the states. So that is why I have had to rely on the internet so much. Thanks for the comments and help, I really appreciate them. Oh, I misunderstood, I did not realize that you have been away for 30 years, but that doesn't matter anyway. If you have been in the industry of cuisine for that long, you are bound to know someone that knows somebody that works in the U.S. that has a job opening, or that can be helpful in your U.S. job search. Especially as global as the market is, and in the industry you are in. It's not like you are applying for a position in political consulting, where yes, if you haven't been in the U.S. for 30 years it wouldn't be a smooth transition. Get on the phone and start calling your colleagues up, go to lunch with them, put yourself out there and use your network. Don't put up false hurdles of your own thinking that you cannot possibly find a job back in the U.S, you most certainly can. Also, don't listen to folks that say that you are overqualified or that you don't have any U.S. experience. Use your network and you'll find something that you will like. I can't state that I am an expert in the restaurant industry, but I have a strong feeling that jobs in this field are filled by a lot of social interaction, rather than online searching.
I am going to just throw this out there too- if you are in a position to and are able to, why don't you just make a trip to the U.S. and visit some places (large cities of course) you'd like to work at? Set up appointments with the exective chefs or whomever is in charge, whether or not they have an opening. Face-to-face interaction can be extremely valuable for you. I can understand why folks may not feel comfortable with just an online resume from an international applicant- it is so impersonal, they have never met you, really don't know who you are, even with a resume. And especially in the restaurant business, they really need to see your personality and what you would be like to work with. Meet them in person so they can see your personality, get to know you, etc. Then even if they don't have a position, they can see your enthusiasm along with your vast experience and global skills and recommend you to a colleague, and then you can go from there. This is only a suggestion of course, you may not be able to do so but it certainly may be well worth the trip since it sounds like you are determined to work in the U.S. anyway, why not go for a vacation and a visit. You are in a field where it is totally going to be about who you know. Ask your friends who THEY know in the states that is looking for what you do. The follow up.
Tess I take it you want a chefs position? If so, why not look at major restaurants in the city you want to live in? I happen to work in Las Vegas which is a tourist destination and is known for its fantastic restaurants. I bet if you sent your CV (resume) to any of the major hote/casinos on the Strip, you would get offers so fast your head will spin. Hotels are always looking for great chefs. You can write your own check at some places too.
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Career Tips
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