Top 10 tips on How to get a job at Hatfield’s

On the Twitter website, @twohatfields tweeted several tips on how to get a job at Hatfield's. They have been gathered together and are now in one convenient list. These tips can also be applied to other places besides Hatfield's. Enjoy!

Top 10 tips on How to get a job at Hatfield’s

#10- "One Page Resumes"! Am I the only one who paid attention that day in 8th grade? I know you’re proud of your achievements-but edit please!

#9 When the ad says "NO ATTACHMENTS," don't send a blank e-mail with your resume attached.You failed the first test! And yes I deleted!

#8 "Keep it Short" Kitchen resumes should be exclusively about "Applicable Experience." I drove a tow truck in high school -- not on my resume.

#7 Watch out for "over-experience"; it can be worse than too little. If you’re taking a step back to line cook, play down management positions.

#6 No "Reverse Chronological" resumes! Nothing is worse than a resume with most recent experience on the bottom. This is 8th grade stuff!

#5 "Formality"-- I’m still impressed with a well-dressed person handing me their resume. Not so with the frequency I am called "man" by applicants.

#4 "Do Your Homework"-- Know who you are applying to and why you want to work for them. I won’t hire people who just want "a job.“ Be passionate!

#3 Don't be dead set on a position. Cooks often think they want one, and another is beneath them. It comes off like you don't want to learn.

#2 Don't bash your former employers to me in your interview. It only results in you looking bad. Plus, they are probably friends of mine.

#1 Be prepared for the hard questions. I won’t let short stints at other jobs slide by. Understand your resume’s weaknesses and answer strong.

Hatfield's

Back around mid-June 2006, I was driving by Beverly Blvd., and I noticed that the location where Hatfield’s is located looked busy. Oh, they must have opened by now. I need to try that place ... In fact, the restaurant opened about two weeks earlier.

Quinn & Karen Hatfield decided to move from San Francisco, where they were working at Cortez Restaurant, down to Los Angeles, where Karen grew up. The restaurant is pretty small, 40 seats, not 400. That’s by design. Most of the tables are for two covers than for four.

When I had dinner at Hatfield’s for the first time, the servers were fine & knowledgeable when I was asking questions & inviting recommendations. Karen Hatfield, hostess/pastry chef, was quite helpful in the dessert selections, obviously. I sensed an intimacy and a familiarity with a small restaurant, without compromising on professionalism. Even after a couple of months later when I was dining at Hatfield’s with a friend, I felt like I've stumbled upon this wonderfully well-kept secret, which I don't mind. Delicious food, professional & personable staff, a small & very relaxing place where you can have a real conversation. As a result, Hatfield’s became one of my regular go-to restaurants in LA. I made it a point to visit the place and see what changes Quinn made in the menu or what new dessert Karen created. When one of my friends come into Los Angeles, I recommend Hatfield’s as one place to try, especially for Karen’s desserts.

Here are some courses from one of the chef’s tasting menu:

Over the past three years at Hatfield’s, a few things have changed. Repairs & renovations on the building. Constant changes to the menu. Karen’s hair is not blonde lately, and Quinn’s hair is not around lately (last time I checked). But the biggest change of all: Hatfield’s closed its doors at the original Beverly Blvd. location on Sat. 8 Aug. 2009.

This is not the end of Hatfield’s Restaurant permanently, due to the realities of this economy. As Quinn might describe it, this is the end of stage 1 of a long culinary “Tour de France.” Rather, Hatfield’s is moving to its new location on Melrose Ave., former site of Red Pearl Kitchen, Meson G & Citrus. Their new neighbors across the street will be Osteria Mozza, Pizzeria Mozza & Mozza 2Go. Several blocks east on Melrose is Providence Restaurant. And a couple blocks away on Highland, north of Melrose, is Susan Feniger’s Street.

They hope to open later in the fall of 2009. I wish them well. Los Angeles bureaucracy can be notorious.

Hatfield’s

original location (ended 8 Aug. 2009)

7458 Beverly Blvd.

Los Angeles, CA 90036

new location (starting in the fall of 2009)

6703 Melrose Ave.

Los Angeles, CA 90038

(323) 935-2977

http://www.hatfieldsrestaurant.com

@twohatfields (Twitter)