Waiters & Waitresses

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Waiters & Waitresses

Take orders and serve food and beverages to patrons at tables in dining establishment.

Activities
Degrees
Abilities
Interests
Knowledge
Wages
Related
Skills
Tasks
Tools
Technology
Environment
Personal Styles
Personal Needs
Personal Values

Degrees

Food Service, Waiter + Waitress, and Dining Room Management + Manager

Abilities

Oral Expression

The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.

Speech Recognition

The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.

Oral Comprehension

The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.

The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.

Deductive Reasoning

The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.

Information Ordering

The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).

Problem Sensitivity

The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.

Extent Flexibility

The ability to bend, stretch, twist, or reach with your body, arms, and/or legs.

Gross Body Coordination

The ability to coordinate the movement of your arms, legs, and torso together when the whole body is in motion.

Manual Dexterity

The ability to quickly move your hand, your hand together with your arm, or your two hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.

The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).

Selective Attention

The ability to concentrate on a task over a period of time without being distracted.

The ability to shift back and forth between two or more activities or sources of information (such as speech, sounds, touch, or other sources).

The ability to use your abdominal and lower back muscles to support part of the body repeatedly or continuously over time without 'giving out' or fatiguing.

The ability to remember information such as words, numbers, pictures, and procedures.

Arm-Hand Steadiness

The ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position.

Written Comprehension

The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.

Category Flexibility

The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.

Inductive Reasoning

The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).

Multilimb Coordination

The ability to coordinate two or more limbs (for example, two arms, two legs, or one leg and one arm) while sitting, standing, or lying down. It does not involve performing the activities while the whole body is in motion.

The ability to exert yourself physically over long periods of time without getting winded or out of breath.

Auditory Attention

The ability to focus on a single source of sound in the presence of other distracting sounds.

Speed of Limb Movement

The ability to quickly move the arms and legs.

Mathematical Reasoning

The ability to choose the right mathematical methods or formulas to solve a problem.

Static Strength

The ability to exert maximum muscle force to lift, push, pull, or carry objects.

The ability to see details at a distance.

Number Facility

The ability to add, subtract, multiply, or divide quickly and correctly.

The ability to imagine how something will look after it is moved around or when its parts are moved or rearranged.

Written Expression

The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.

Wrist-Finger Speed

The ability to make fast, simple, repeated movements of the fingers, hands, and wrists.

Finger Dexterity

The ability to make precisely coordinated movements of the fingers of one or both hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble very small objects.

Fluency of Ideas

The ability to come up with a number of ideas about a topic (the number of ideas is important, not their quality, correctness, or creativity).

Control Precision

The ability to quickly and repeatedly adjust the controls of a machine or a vehicle to exact positions.

Perceptual Speed

The ability to quickly and accurately compare similarities and differences among sets of letters, numbers, objects, pictures, or patterns. The things to be compared may be presented at the same time or one after the other. This ability also includes comparing a presented object with a remembered object.

Dynamic Strength

The ability to exert muscle force repeatedly or continuously over time. This involves muscular endurance and resistance to muscle fatigue.

The ability to come up with unusual or clever ideas about a given topic or situation, or to develop creative ways to solve a problem.

Speed of Closure

The ability to quickly make sense of, combine, and organize information into meaningful patterns.

Spatial Orientation

The ability to know your location in relation to the environment or to know where other objects are in relation to you.

Depth Perception

The ability to judge which of several objects is closer or farther away from you, or to judge the distance between you and an object.

Flexibility of Closure

The ability to identify or detect a known pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) that is hidden in other distracting material.

Visual Color Discrimination

The ability to match or detect differences between colors, including shades of color and brightness.

Dynamic Flexibility

The ability to quickly and repeatedly bend, stretch, twist, or reach out with your body, arms, and/or legs.

Hearing Sensitivity

The ability to detect or tell the differences between sounds that vary in pitch and loudness.

Peripheral Vision

The ability to see objects or movement of objects to one's side when the eyes are looking ahead.

Response Orientation

The ability to choose quickly between two or more movements in response to two or more different signals (lights, sounds, pictures). It includes the speed with which the correct response is started with the hand, foot, or other body part.

Gross Body Equilibrium

The ability to keep or regain your body balance or stay upright when in an unstable position.

Interests

Social occupations frequently involve working with, communicating with, and teaching people. These occupations often involve helping or providing service to others.

Enterprising occupations frequently involve starting up and carrying out projects. These occupations can involve leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes they require risk taking and often deal with business.

Second Interest High-Point

Secondary-Cutoff/Rank Descriptiveness

Conventional occupations frequently involve following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. Usually there is a clear line of authority to follow.

First Interest High-Point

Primary-Rank Descriptiveness

Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.

Artistic occupations frequently involve working with forms, designs and patterns. They often require self-expression and the work can be done without following a clear set of rules.

Investigative occupations frequently involve working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. These occupations can involve searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.

Knowledge

Customer and Personal Service

Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.

Education and Training

Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.

Sales and Marketing

Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.

Food Production

Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.

English Language

Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.

Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.

Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.

Administration and Management

Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.

Public Safety and Security

Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.

Production and Processing

Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.

Personnel and Human Resources

Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.

Computers and Electronics

Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

Law and Government

Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.

Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.

Knowledge of administrative and clerical procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office procedures and terminology.

Communications and Media

Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.

Economics and Accounting

Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking and the analysis and reporting of financial data.

Philosophy and Theology

Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.

Sociology and Anthropology

Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures and their history and origins.

Foreign Language

Knowledge of the structure and content of a foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.

Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.

Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.

Medicine and Dentistry

Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.

Therapy and Counseling

Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.

Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.

History and Archeology

Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.

Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.

Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.

Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.

Engineering and Technology

Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.

Telecommunications

Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.

Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub- atomic structures and processes.

Building and Construction

Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.

Wages

District of Columbia

Guam	$12,960.00

Iowa	$13,270.00

Ohio	$13,190.00

Utah	$14,210.00

Related Careers

Mix and serve drinks to patrons, directly or through waitstaff.

Receive and disburse money in establishments other than financial institutions. Usually involves use of electronic scanners, cash registers, or related equipment. Often involved in processing credit or debit card transactions and validating checks.

Combined Food Preparation & Serving Workers, Including Fast Food

Perform duties which combine both food preparation and food service.

Counter & Rental Clerks

Receive orders for repairs, rentals, and services. May describe available options, compute cost, and accept payment.

Food Preparation Workers

Perform a variety of food preparation duties other than cooking, such as preparing cold foods and shellfish, slicing meat, and brewing coffee or tea.

Locker Room, Coatroom, & Dressing Room Attendants

Provide personal items to patrons or customers in locker rooms, dressing rooms, or coatrooms.

Parts Salespersons

Sell spare and replacement parts and equipment in repair shop or parts store.

Stock Clerks, Sales Floor

Receive, store, and issue sales floor merchandise. Stock shelves, racks, cases, bins, and tables with merchandise and arrange merchandise displays to attract customers. May periodically take physical count of stock or check and mark merchandise.

Skills

Service Orientation

Actively looking for ways to help people.

Critical Thinking

Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.

Talking to others to convey information effectively.

Teaching others how to do something.

Learning Strategies

Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.

Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.

Reading Comprehension

Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.

Social Perceptiveness

Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.

Active Learning

Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.

Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.

Active Listening

Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.

Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.

Time Management

Managing one's own time and the time of others.

Using mathematics to solve problems.

Judgment and Decision Making

Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.

Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.

Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.

Systems Evaluation

Identifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance, relative to the goals of the system.

Management of Personnel Resources

Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.

Complex Problem Solving

Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.

Quality Control Analysis

Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.

Operations Analysis

Analyzing needs and product requirements to create a design.

Troubleshooting

Determining causes of operating errors and deciding what to do about it.

Systems Analysis

Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.

Equipment Selection

Determining the kind of tools and equipment needed to do a job.

Operation and Control

Controlling operations of equipment or systems.

Equipment Maintenance

Performing routine maintenance on equipment and determining when and what kind of maintenance is needed.

Management of Material Resources

Obtaining and seeing to the appropriate use of equipment, facilities, and materials needed to do certain work.

Management of Financial Resources

Determining how money will be spent to get the work done, and accounting for these expenditures.

Operation Monitoring

Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.

Repairing machines or systems using the needed tools.

Technology Design

Generating or adapting equipment and technology to serve user needs.

Using scientific rules and methods to solve problems.

Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or programs to meet specifications.

Writing computer programs for various purposes.

Tasks

Check patrons' identification to ensure that they meet minimum age requirements for consumption of alcoholic beverages.

Collect payments from customers.

Write patrons' food orders on order slips, memorize orders, or enter orders into computers for transmittal to kitchen staff.

Take orders from patrons for food or beverages.

Check with customers to ensure that they are enjoying their meals and take action to correct any problems.

Prepare checks that itemize and total meal costs and sales taxes.

Serve food or beverages to patrons, and prepare or serve specialty dishes at tables as required.

Remove dishes and glasses from tables or counters, and take them to kitchen for cleaning.

Present menus to patrons and answer questions about menu items, making recommendations upon request.

Inform customers of daily specials.

Clean tables or counters after patrons have finished dining.

Prepare hot, cold, and mixed drinks for patrons, and chill bottles of wine.

Explain how various menu items are prepared, describing ingredients and cooking methods.

Prepare tables for meals, including setting up items such as linens, silverware, and glassware.

Perform food preparation duties such as preparing salads, appetizers, and cold dishes, portioning desserts, and brewing coffee.

Garnish and decorate dishes in preparation for serving.

Stock service areas with supplies such as coffee, food, tableware, and linens.

Fill salt, pepper, sugar, cream, condiment, and napkin containers.

Bring wine selections to tables with appropriate glasses, and pour the wines for customers.

Escort customers to their tables.

Describe and recommend wines to customers.

Tools

Commercial use cutlery

Magnetic card readers

Credit card readers

Paging controllers

Alphanumeric paging equipment

Personal digital assistant PDAs or organizers

Personal digital assistant PDAs

Portable barcode scanning systems

Point of sale POS receipt printers

Point of sales POS printers

Point of sale POS terminal

Point of service workstations

Point of service/sales POS terminals and interfaces

Touch screen monitors

Technology

Point of sale POS software

Compris Advanced Manager's Workstation

Compris software

ICVERIFY software

Intuit QuickBooks Point of Sale

MICROS Systems HSI Profits Series

NCR Advanced Checkout Solution

NCR NeighborhoodPOS

Point of sales POS software

The General Store software

Career Activities

Performing for or Working Directly with the Public

answer customer or public inquiries

assist patrons at entertainment events

assist patrons to make wine selection

collect payment

provide customer service

serve food or beverages

Handling and Moving Objects

carve meat or bone fish or fowl

mix drinks or flavors for mixed drinks

prepare appetizers, salads, or cold dishes

prepare beverages

Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events

check ID to ensure minimum age requirement is met

recognize customer intoxication

understand government alcoholic beverage service regulations

understand government health, hotel or food service regulations

Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates

notify kitchen personnel of food orders, shortages, or special orders

Performing General Physical Activities

clean rooms or work areas

set or clear tables in dining areas

Getting Information

obtain information from individuals

Processing Information

balance cash register

calculate monetary exchange

prepare bill or check in restaurant or related food establishment

Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge

use knowledge of food handling rules

use oral or written communication techniques

Interacting With Computers

use computers to enter, access or retrieve data

Monitoring and Controlling Resources

replenish supplies of food, tableware or linen

Controlling Machines and Processes

use cash registers

Career Context

Contact With Others

Spend Time Standing

Face-to-Face Discussions

Deal With External Customers

Spend Time Walking and Running

Indoors, Environmentally Controlled

Physical Proximity

Work With Work Group or Team

Frequency of Decision Making

Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls

Public Speaking

Spend Time Making Repetitive Motions

Responsible for Others' Health and Safety

Exposed to Minor Burns, Cuts, Bites, or Stings

Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results

Coordinate or Lead Others

Importance of Being Exact or Accurate

Importance of Repeating Same Tasks

Deal With Unpleasant or Angry People

Wear Common Protective or Safety Equipment such as Safety Shoes, Glasses, Gloves, Hearing Protection, Hard Hats, or Life Jackets

Structured versus Unstructured Work

Spend Time Bending or Twisting the Body

Sounds, Noise Levels Are Distracting or Uncomfortable

Responsibility for Outcomes and Results

Spend Time Keeping or Regaining Balance

Frequency of Conflict Situations

Cramped Work Space, Awkward Positions

Letters and Memos

Exposed to Disease or Infections

Exposed to Contaminants

Freedom to Make Decisions

Indoors, Not Environmentally Controlled

Very Hot or Cold Temperatures

Level of Competition

Outdoors, Exposed to Weather

Spend Time Kneeling, Crouching, Stooping, or Crawling

Extremely Bright or Inadequate Lighting

Consequence of Error

Outdoors, Under Cover

In an Enclosed Vehicle or Equipment

Degree of Automation

Exposed to Hazardous Equipment

Deal With Physically Aggressive People

Exposed to High Places

Pace Determined by Speed of Equipment

Exposed to Hazardous Conditions

Electronic Mail

Spend Time Sitting

Career Styles

Job requires maintaining composure, keeping emotions in check, controlling anger, and avoiding aggressive behavior, even in very difficult situations.

Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.

Stress Tolerance

Job requires accepting criticism and dealing calmly and effectively with high stress situations.

Job requires being pleasant with others on the job and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude.

Job requires being honest and ethical.

Concern for Others

Job requires being sensitive to others' needs and feelings and being understanding and helpful on the job.

Social Orientation

Job requires preferring to work with others rather than alone, and being personally connected with others on the job.

Attention to Detail

Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.

Adaptability/Flexibility

Job requires being open to change (positive or negative) and to considerable variety in the workplace.

Job requires a willingness to take on responsibilities and challenges.

Job requires developing one's own ways of doing things, guiding oneself with little or no supervision, and depending on oneself to get things done.

Job requires persistence in the face of obstacles.

Job requires a willingness to lead, take charge, and offer opinions and direction.

Achievement/Effort

Job requires establishing and maintaining personally challenging achievement goals and exerting effort toward mastering tasks.

Job requires creativity and alternative thinking to develop new ideas for and answers to work-related problems.

Analytical Thinking

Job requires analyzing information and using logic to address work-related issues and problems.

	Career Needs