Being a Fish Out of Water

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A SWOT Analysis for Working Internationally in the Recession.

Life is not easy these days, and regardless of your ‘belief’ in a recession, there is one.
There are lots of cutbacks, delayed openings, abandoned projects and more, and this is a global thing – not a local one.

The situation for established business is also tense, with many looking to cut costs and overheads, delay expansion, and to re-assess their current levels of staffing.

For the chef who wants to work overseas, what does this mean?

For many of us, it means the possibility of being laid off, or the reduced chance of finding a new job.

There are silver linings to this cloud though.

Strengths:

Performing well in this climate is a great way to get noticed. While many are using hardline tactics to slash staff and cut costs, other approaches can be managing holidays and using unpaid leave as a way to save costs while retaining key staff.

Increasing productivity is also a great way to do more with less.
Rather than moving to convenience foods and reducing quality, consider reducing the size and scope of the menu – so you can reduce stock on hand, and staffing needs and actually increase turnover.

Travelling is great right now – Everybody is chasing your business and cutting their prices.
There has never been a better time for getting around with low airfares, cheap accom, and lots of choices wooing you towards their front doors.

The closure of businesses is sad on a personal level – and tragic for staff and their families.

On the bright side, it is a much needed correction, and many bad concepts, poor operators and inexperienced business people will be forced out – leaving a much stronger, leaner, more competitive bunch of hotels and restaurants remaining.

There is an oversupply in many places, leading to price wars, bad quality and lowest common denominator bandwagons to be jumped on.

The good thing is that good operators will emerge leaner, stronger and more profitable than before, with less competition – and competition of a higher standard.

It is a little easier to make an impact right now. There are many businesses cutting back on marketing, advertising and promotion. Even more are failing to respond to their customer’s wants and needs.

Many hotels and restaurants are being deserted by guests. They ARE going somewhere!
Being a smart operator means looking at the best way to attract the AWOL punters from your competition.

Weaknesses:

Don’t sell yourself short.

A hotel on a large international hotelier’s website got lambasted about 8 months ago by large quantities of chefs on the site for offering $3000 a month for an Executive chef in a five star hotel.

Recently I saw an ad somewhere online offering $1800 for a similar role.

It IS supply and demand – but remember – people will “try it on”.

It IS easy to lose self confidence when out of work – so market yourself on your strengths and abilities – and like a chef does with costing recipes – cost appropriately – competitively enough to attract customers (employers) but enough to be profitable (for you).

You will get fewer responses, quicker rejections, and many “no replies.”

It isn’t you. Half of the HR departments you are applying to have probably been downsized too, and they have 10 times more applicants to go through.

Stay positive, and don’t apply for everything and everything. You will regret it if you do, and you end up with something unsuitable.

Target positions and companies that you are best suited to, and put time into learning more about improving your interview and application skills – including your CV.

Lots of pressure to cut. Cut everything!

Try and make a conscious decision to cut frills and extras – and be smart about the core business – taking care not to impact perception of quality, timeliness, consistency or service.

DO expect packages to be tighter than in the past – which may mean fewer or no bonuses, less benefits and sometimes lower salary – but negotiate with the long term in mind, not the short term.

DON’T be forced into joining an unethical employer, or living at subsistence level.

DO be flexible though. If your salary is a problem, tie the increase to a measurable benchmark that suits the employer and yourself.

Opportunities:

Many companies are looking to get rid of poor performers right now – the economy is a good excuse. Equally, they are looking to retain key performers, and pick up good people with little effort due to the much larger pool of available candidates. A good chance to pick up some great key staff yourself as the number of chefs looking for work has never been higher.

Answer your applications, and demonstrate your values via your actions.

It will pay off as you develop a reputation as an ethical employer of choice.

Niche marketing to the “new economy” – re pricing, re positioning, and taking advantage of new trends in spending are all smart moves.

Many restaurants and hotels are noticing their business being “lost to the competition.”
They should wonder why.

It is because the competition is offering the guest what they are looking for. Check guest feedback and establish a rapport with your guests. Turn them into brand ambassadors by responding to their needs, desires and fears with well positioned products.

Take care of your people – guide them, train them, communicate with them and be upfront. Their demotivation and fear of losing their job is reflected in their productivity, quality of work and attitude. Remember – they are also your brand ambassadors, and if you lose them now, you have a whole lot more hiring and training to do to come back to consistent quality standards.

Slashing is for dummies.

Not overstaffing in the first place – and keeping positive, productive, hard-working people long term is the best way to win market share and maintain a consistent quality product in the times when it most matters.

Threats:

Obviously the loss of a job, the loss of income and the failure of previously stable businesses are the initial fears in this economy.

Being overseas as an expat usually means a salary higher than the locals – and one of the first things to be cut when the going gets tough.

Additionally, FIFO applies to staff as well as stock on hand, so try and avid a move now unless it is a necessity.

Research the country that you are moving to, or the country you are in, and look for trends or corrections that could be foreseeable.

Currency movements, unstable governments, social and political issues, and unsustainable growth are all concerns and will have an impact.

A good time to avoid new openings as well, unless well niched and well marketed. Many of these are being delayed, abandoned or cut back, chefs along with it.

Currency – if you are moving, consider its impact on your salary and your disposable income.

If you are sending money back home, factor these movements into your break even calculations. Allow space for a bit of movement so that you are not caught out by your local currency or salary currency falling too much against your home currency.

Best regards,

Chef Shane

The Culinary Globe Trotter

chefshane@prochef360.com

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