Mary Johnson Has Been Working

Mary Johnson has been working within the restaurants industry for over three years now, during which time she has been a waitress. Being a waitress has not been a specific career option for Mary, but it has represented a source of income throughout her college years. Last year, Mary graduated with a bachelor degree in Business Administration, but has not been able to find a suitable job; she as such continues to be a waitress. She tries hard to be responsible and reliable in her job, hoping that her managers would offer her the opportunity to advance into the middle management of the restaurant.

Before attaining such an objective however, it is necessary to assess how well is Mary performing at her current position. This effort would be divided into two actions -- the presentation of the job itself in terms of responsibilities and skills required, followed by the analysis of how well is Mary responding to those job tasks.

Job description

The waiters and waitresses working within the restaurant are required to complete the following tasks and activities:

Interact with the customers in a friendly and polite manner

Escort the customers to their tables

Take the orders of the customers and communicate them to the chef

Bring the food to the table

Adequately serve the food and the beverages

Provide information on all the items on the menu, such as ingredients or cooking methods

Provide input on the specials of the day or the specials of the restaurant

Make recommendations when solicited, based on customer preferences

Ensure that the customers are enjoying their meals and strive to adjust any complaints or problems they might have

Provide refills of beverages, such as coffee or water

Clear the table from dishes, glasses or any other items the customers would no longer need

Quickly add up the money owed by customers and the change which has to be returned to the customers.

In order to complete the tasks described above, the occupant of the position is required to possess the following skills and features:

An educational background of at least a high school diploma

Good communication skills

Good people skills

A positive attitude

Coordination

Ability to work under pressure

Availability to work weekends or long hours when necessary

Etiquette on serving the foods and beverages (such as never addressing the lady when she is in the company of a gentleman, or pouring a small sip of wine in the glass of the gentleman to have it tasted and approved)

Good working ethics

Basic mathematical skills

Foreign languages are a plus.

Job analysis

In order to assess the means in which Mary Johnson is performing her job duties, it is necessary to assess her features in light of the criteria presented above. This objective is attained throughout the table below.

No.

Criteria

Mary Johnson

Yes / No

Comment

Tasks

1.

Customer interaction

Yes

Employee has an innate ability to interact, additionally developed in over three years on the job

2.

Customer escort to the table

Yes

3.

Take the order

Yes

4.

Serve the order

Yes

Employee can carry up to three plates at a time

5.

Serve food and beverages

Yes

Employee has learned and experienced how to adequately serve the foods and beverages

6.

Provision of information

Yes

Employee can naturally and easily interact with people

7.

Input on specials

Yes

Employee knows information on specials

8.

Recommendations

Yes

Employee can make recommendations as she knows the details in the kitchen

9.

Customer support

Yes

10.

Refills

Yes

Employee is attentive and observes when beverages are consumed by customers

11.

Table clearing

Yes

Employee is attentive and observes when table needs cleaning

12.

Receive money and offer change

Yes

Employee possesses background in economics education

Skills

13.

High school diploma