Need a Flexible Work Schedule? How to Find the Best Bartending Jobs

 A flexible schedule, the chance to instantly put all you learned into practice, the chance to meet the most fascinating individuals, and good money made up of mostly tips are the highlights of bartending. 

You have decided on a career as a bartender, you may even have a little bit of experience, but now you want to land the dream job. You want to bartend at the hottest clubs or that fancy restaurant with the big tippers. Well, just as bartending is an artform, so is finding the best bartending job. It may not be as simple as having lots of experience or the best resume, it takes strategy, networking and a bit of groundwork. 

Know your strengths 

Beyond experience, it is important to have certain characteristics of the bar you are applying for. Having cultural knowledge of the environment can mean more than experience in some places. Depending on where the bar is located, or what type of bar it is can have a big pull on whether you are the right fit to be behind the bar. For example, if you are passionate about sports and have an expansive knowledge about different teams and events, then a sports bar will value your knowledge and ability to hold conversations, cheer on teams and commiserate with the customers.  

This can hold true in many different situations, not just sports. Perhaps you want to work at the
bar in a club that promotes local musicians. Get to know local bands and their songs so you have something more to offer then just your bartending skills. Mixing drinks can be taught to just about anyone, but a real connection with the people who frequent the bar cannot. A potential employer may hire a foodie over someone with no real passion for cooking, because they will relate to the customers in their fine dining establishment more and enhance their overall experience.  

Get to know your own strengths and look for bartending jobs where those skills will make you stand above the rest. Make sure to emphasize your knowledge during the interview to show your potential employer how quickly you can become an integral part of the dining experience.  

Make a good impression 

Now that you have found your strengths and have a few places in mind to apply, don’t just walk in and ask for a job. Lay the groundwork first. Visit the bar as a customer. A good time to go is in the afternoon when it is not super busy. That will give you time to really speak with the bartender on duty. By really speak, I mean make small talk. Talk about the bar, the establishment, anything that will showcase your knowledge about the environment. Don’t overstay your welcome but stay long enough to make an impression. A few days later, come back. If the same bartender is not there, ask when they are working next and come back then.  

When you get a chance to speak with that same bartender, casually ask if they are hiring. It is
very likely that the bartender will put a good word in for you with the manager about how knowledgeable you are about sports, music or whatever the bar specializes in. The key is to make a good first impression but leave it at that. Don’t ask for a job that first meeting, that may come off as fake or
opportunist, which is a turn off. It is the second meeting that you can inquire.  

These tips do not guarantee you will land you that dream job, but they definitely give you a better chance than if you were to walk in off the street and ask for it.