Having several jobs over a short period of time doesn’t look good on a résumé. So when you interview for a new job, how do you convince the would-be employer that you are not a job hopper and that this time you really do intend to stay at their restaurant?

          According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median amount of time that wage and salary workers had been with their employer was four years in January 2006, the most recent survey available. But the restaurant business is different.

          Scott Mahar, co-owner and executive chef at Poppy Hill Tuscan Kitchen in Fredericksburg, Va., says in the culinary world, short-term jobs are not unusual.

          “There is definitely a difference between a job hopper, or someone who can’t keep a job, and someone who is always on the lookout for new opportunities to work with a higher-caliber kitchen staff or chef,” he says. “The difference to me is the applicant who says he or she left each job because of a personality conflict, versus the applicant who acknowledges short-term employment stays by explaining their desire to move up and demonstrates a willingness to move around to learn from great chefs.”

          The key is to be able to explain why you stayed at a position for only a few months. He notes that if you were promoted, you should highlight that. Focus on how you left each job because you wanted to learn more.

          “Kitchens can be political places, and sometimes to get promoted you might have to leave your current job, which is regrettable but understandable,” he says.

          Sometimes a new job doesn’t work out, and it might be tempting to delete those short stints from your résumé. Don’t do that, Mahar says, unless the job lasted less than a month.

          “Many large corporations do full background checks on candidates, and these jobs usually will surface,” he says. “If they surface, it will look like the applicant is trying to hide something.”

          He points out that a company can withdraw their offer of employment if a candidate falsified their application by omitting certain employment history details.

          To make sure the next job is not just another short stay, try to learn as much as you can during the interview process. Mahar says when he has candidates he wants to hire, he has them work in the kitchen on a busy Saturday night. He and the rest of the kitchen staff can find out what it would be like to work with the person, and the applicant can get a good view of the workplace.

          “Believe me, I learn many things in the course of one Saturday night dinner service about someone, and this always is my deciding factor before extending an offer of employment,” he says.

2008 Nation's Restaurant News. All Rights Reserved.