TRANSITION ASSESSMENT

Transition Assessment

Transition Assessment

A) A CookAll successful cooks have many qualities or commonalities, but the two things that come out the most are their dedication to improve their culinary skills and the tenacity to stay the course even in highly stressful situations. People skills are one very important asset in your toolbox as a cook. You will have to sell yourself to employers, customers and coworkers for the rest of your career. A person that is social, open minded, giving and out going is often a good candidate for a culinary career. It is absolutely crucial to be able to say you screwed up when you do, because you will screw up, trust me. Knife skills are extremely important because you won't be able to go very fast unless you know how to use your knives. When I left school and for the next few years, every time I would start a new job, I would always slash one of my fingers on my first day and have to look for a Band-Aid.Speed of execution is going to be your second best quality. Just get things done and move on to the next thing - employers will love that attitude.A word of advice: If you ever end up with a huge mise-en-place list, a cranky Chef, and not so much time, the best place to gain time is on the kitchen floor, not on your cutting board. What I mean by that is, once you are already cutting as fast as you can, it's pretty hard to go even faster without chopping one of your fingers off. So between jobs, you can walk faster to get the food from the fridge for example, and/or always carry food back once you go pick something up. Don't work harder, work smarter!A sense of humor will come in handy for the cook when the Chef starts laughing at you because you forgot the basic ingredients of a classic Mornay sauce. At the beginning of your career, you will be laughed at a lot, so grow a thick skin and learn to laugh at yourself. Everyone makes mistakes - just learn from them.Initiative is a great quality to have in the kitchen. If you can foresee problems, you will always be ahead of your competition. Don't be shy to make a decision; employers should support you, as long as you don't burn the building down. Making decisions is something that you get good at once you practice, so be the decision maker every time you can.Flexibility, and I don't mean to be able to touch your toes! The ability to adapt to your team's needs at any specific time is priceless. From the grill to the pastry station, or from the saucier to the dishwasher, be the one to save the day, and you should have a prosperous career.Listening and concentration skills will be very important. If you concentrate on your work, and listen to what is happening around you, you will ...