A bartending job search can seem much more difficult than it needs to be. If you want to make you job search easy, then don’t believe in the myths below. In order to get a bartending job you will need to believe in yourself and have a positive attitude. Those are the only two requirements so don’t believe the lies below.
You can’t get a job without bartending experience. There are many situations in which a bar owner or manager would actually prefer to hire someone without bartending experience. If you can show that you are responsible and a good employee you have a chance to get the job. Many owners are tired of bartenders with a bad attitude and worse habits. Teaching the details of the job is easy compared with trying to teach a good attitude.
Bartenders need to know hundreds of drink recipes. This is a myth that bartenders love to perpetuate. The truth is that most bars only use 20-30 different drinks and if you don’t know how to make it you can refer to a recipe book behind the bar. The 20-30 drinks most often served in your bar you will need to memorize but serving them is the easiest way to do this. You don’t need to memorize a book. Most drinks are evolutions of an old classic, so if you know about 10 basic recipes you can build your knowledgebase of drinks off of that.
The money is in the Nightclubs. This one I truly don’t understand. I guess people think if a bar is real busy, the bartenders are making a killing. Truth is that in most nightclubs there are so many people splitting the tips that each individual bartender doesn’t really take home that much. Also, in a nightclub the bartenders don’t get the chance to chat with their customers so each individual customer usually tips less.
You have to be a barback or wait tables before you can bartend. You will almost always hear this one from an employed bartender. Maybe that’s how they got the job and their imagination doesn’t let then think of any other way. Or maybe they just like feeling important and irreplaceable. Either way, it is just a myth and you better off going straight for the gold of the bartending job.
You don’t need a cover letter for a bartending position. While you don’t absolutely need a cover letter, or even a resume, for a bartending job, you need to separate yourself from the crowd. A well crafted cover letter and resume will help you rise to the top of the application pile. Use them as a chance to introduce yourself and let your personality jump off the page. If they start to like you before they even meet you, the interview will be a piece of cake.
You have to go to bartending school and be certified to bartend. It absolutely drives me crazy when I hear people repeating this myth. It is almost always a recruiter for bartending schools. In my 15 years in the business I have to meet a bartender who went to bartending school. Truth is that most bartending schools are scams. They will teach you how to make drinks but you can learn that on your own for nothing but a little time. Bartending schools usually charge upwards of $800 on the promise of job placement after you complete the course. Before you register for a bartending school ask them for reference of former students. If they truly can place you in a job after graduation they should have hundreds of willing references. If they can’t provide the references then turn and run, they are trying to steal your money.
You need a friend in the business to get a bartending job. While a friend in the business certainly won’t hurt your chances it is no guarantee either. Getting a bartending job is about getting in front of the right people, as in bar owners, and charming them into hiring you. If you make them feel like a friend during the interview, your chances of getting the job go up exponentially. Don’t worry about who you know, just use your cover letter and resume to get an interview and get the owner to like you. It sounds really simple and you’re going to be surprised how simple it really is.
In order to finally get the bartending job of your dreams you need to stop believing the above myths. Bartenders like to perpetuate them because it gives them job security. I have hired and gotten hired hundreds of bartenders who didn’t have any experience at all. Their attitudes got them the job and they learned the rest after. You can do the same if stop believing the myths and start taking action.
