To find work today, you have to be a "thinking job applicant", says Harry Barberian. You also have to polish your manners and call on good, old fashioned common sense.

Barberian is a Toronto restaurateur. He writes in response to an October column in which several readers complained of the rude treatment they had received in the work marketplace.

"You've chosen to take the job applicant's perspective on manners in seeking employment," Barberian says. "May I offer the employer's perspective. As the restaurant industry is by far the largest employer in North American and most noticeably, the largest entry-level employer, it's a good place as any to give an opposing view."

Barberian speaks with the voice of recent experience. In the past three years at Barberian's Steak House, he has reviewed hundreds of résumés and received "another hundred or so unsolicited telephone inquiries and dozens of uninvited and inappropriately timed visits."

Looking for work is a business proposition, Barberian maintains. And in business, "manners transcend language. From a casual glance, to how one dresses, to one's tone of voice...good manner's mean good business."

Here's a taste of Barberian's common sense approach to looking for work in the restaurant industry. With a little adaptation, his suggestions can be applied to industries of all kinds.
Target your sights on an appropriate employer. Says Barberian: "Don't apply for a job in a steak house if you're an adamant vegetarian."

When creating your résumé think about the subtle messages it sends. "Don't list hobbies and interests that conflict with the job you're applying for," he suggests. "Don't tell me you're an avid weekend skier or camper when elementary observation tells you that we do most of our business on weekends."

And if you're planning to drop into a restaurant hoping to talk to the owner or manager, pick the right time of day. "Don't phone or apply in person during the meal time rush. The best time is between breakfast and lunch and lunch and dinner."

The proper timing of your call is only one consideration. "Thinking applicants" consider a restaurant manager's other priorities. Don't block the entrance or the manager's view of the cash register or the customers, Barberian advises. At best, this shows "unfamiliarity, and at worst, disregard. In either case, you lose his (or her) interest in you."

Before an interview, prepare well. "Watch from the street (without being obvious) what the staff and customers look like, their manner of dress. In short, be sure that you fit in."

In other ways, as well, "size up the restaurant," Barberian adds. "Get a copy of the menu. Study it and the recipes. In the interview, drop a hint or two of your interest and familiarity with food of this kind."

And be careful how much you disclose during an interview. " Don't tell me you're an actor looking for any job until your big break comes along," he says. " Don't say your interests are elsewhere and you're only looking for a temporary job....Don't say you'll take any job, it sends the message that you're not that talented."

Whenever you talk to an employer, be curious and interested, always on the lookout for information to support your application. "Once while interviewing an applicant for management, I left to take an urgent phone call and purposefully left a copy of the menu and wine list," Barberian recalls. "I'd hoped he would familiarize himself. When I returned, I was disappointed to see him reading a 600 page novel he had brought. Needless to say, the interview came to abrupt end."

People looking for work often complain that employers hold all the power. Not necessarily so, according to Barberian. Employers are on the lookout for well skilled, well mannered "thinking" candidates with positive attitudes. When you carefully consider an employer's needs and think about the subtle messages between the lines of your written and personal presentation, some of that power reverts to you.