Featured Food Jobs: December 2009 Archives

By choosing the job of a development technologist, you are opting for a highly involved and exciting food job.

A development technologist is required to create new and original products. It is a path which many food science graduates choose to take as you can use your skills and expertise learned on your course to create new food items and enhance flavours, textures and the appearance of a range of food products.

This food job involves a lot of research and part of the job is to prepare data and information on the results of any research conducted.

There is plenty of room for progression with the role of the development technologist. Once in this role, you can advance your career through research based options and you may find yourself progressing into leadership roles.

The main requirement is to generate new ideas for new recipes and products. Once you have developed the ideas, these need to be taken through the development kitchen, pilot plant and factory stages. This can be a challenging role but it is highly rewarding when you get to see your idea right through to the end.

When searching for available food jobs, it's not always easy to distinguish which ones you are suitable for. Some have elaborate titles which don't really give any clues as to what they are and others seem to sound much more complicated than they need to.
One job which often comes up is that of a food technologist.

Food technologists are responsible for developing the manufacturing processes and recipes of food and drink products. It is a highly creative job which involves working with new ingredients and technologies to invent new recipes and concepts.

A food technologist will conduct experiments and create sample products and also develop ways in which the finished product can remain consistent when it comes to being produced.

It's a highly involved job which requires someone who is confident in their knowledge and their ideas. Food technologists have some incredibly exciting responsibilities which can be highly rewarding.

So next time you are searching through the vacancies and you come across the food technologist section, remember that this food job is for the ambitious, enthusiastic applicant who has some excellent ideas that they want to put into practise.

When you've been in a food job for a while, there is a danger that you become just that little bit too comfortable with it. The job no longer challenges you and you feel like you are simply stuck on autopilot.

It's at times like these when you may decide that it's time for a career change. The good thing about the food industry is that there are plenty of food jobs just waiting for you. It's a vast industry which has room for you to spread your wings and develop your career.
So if you are a restaurant chef, looking for something a little more challenging, it might be time to consider the role of a development chef.

This is often the role that restaurant chefs progress to and as a development chef, you will usually be working with major food companies to design chilled or frozen dishes.

To be a development chef, you will need to be experienced in professional kitchens and you should have a food preparation qualification. Of course, this is not always the case though. It has been known that people with a natural gift for food design have managed to become development chefs because of their natural talent.

If you already work in the fast food industry, have management experience and are looking for a new challenge, or are simply deciding what career to choose; a job in fast food management could be the most rewarding and challenging option.

A fast food manager is essentially a commercial business manager, who is responsible for the financial success of a particular fast food outlet or chain of restaurants. However, there is a considerable element of hospitality experience required in this role. In this kind of food job, you need to be both business-minded and customer-focused at the same time, with knowledge of operational management, sales and marketing, and finance, as well as being good at people management and establishing working relationships.

How do I become a fast food manager?
There are a number of ways you can get such challenging and exciting food jobs. You can start in any fast food position and rise through the rankings due to experience and good performance, or you can undertake any of the following specialist training courses:

• Hospitality management
• Hotel and catering management
• Culinary arts management

Both of these options will help you get a job as a fast food manager, along with excellent customer service, organisation and communication skills, energy and stamina, and the ability to motivate people.

As a graduate or a school leaver, you will ideally be looking for a job that is challenging and interesting, has a decent level of pay, and is in an industry with a large scope of opportunities. The food industry has a wide range of jobs that meet all of these requirements, and a particularly higher-paid and exciting field is that of food technology.

What does a food technologist do?
A food technologist is involved in developing the food manufacturing process, enhancing recipes, ingredients and technologies to create products to suit all market requirements and demands (ie. fat-free foods).

How do I get into the industry?
A food-related degree will help you obtain a position within this exciting industry, such as:

• Food science/technology
• Applied science
• Food, nutrition and health

However, as with most food jobs, experience counts just as much as a qualification. A part-time food job or work experience as a lab technician or on a food manufacturing production line will be invaluable to future job applications, as you will acquire contacts and develop the following essential skills:

• Attention to detail
• An interest in food science and its applications
• High standards of cleanliness and hygiene
• Communication, numeracy and team working skills

A career as a food technologist can be particularly rewarding, and after gaining the relevant qualifications, skills and experience, you should be able to earn upwards of £20,000 per year.

How about if I told you that you could earn £30,000 without ever having to do a single days work? Would you be interested? The Catch? There is none! Well.... We are currently looking for x2 Area Managers..... working the night shift! (6pm-6am, 4 on 4 off, based Spalding). It had to be too good to be true!

However, the silver lining is this role offers a great package, an excellent working environment and a real chance to forge a rewarding career with this behemoth food producer. What we are looking for are strong man managers who are both motivated and inspiring to increase productivity and drive continuous improvement. You will ideally come from a chilled food background however someone from a fairly automated background could also be of interested. You will also be involved in taste panels and assisting the NPD team to ensure successful trial production runs are achieved.

So, if you want a decent role, for decent money, with real potential for the future, please email me on dominic.cooke@focus-management.co.uk.