JOE SCHOFIELD – BARTENDER ADMINISTRATION

Bartender Admin

Skills that open doors

BARTENDER ADMIN - WHAT DOES IT MEAN EXACTLY? ‘ADMIN’: SHORT FOR ADMINISTRATION, A WORD THAT DOESN’T SOUND VERY INVIGORATING... AND THE BLEND RECENTLY LAUNCHED A VIRTUAL SYLLABUS ON BARTENDER ADMINISTRATION...HMMM, QUESTIONABLE ONE MIGHT SAY. READ ON TO FIND OUT WHY.

WORDS BY HAYLEY MORISON

Joe Schofield, leading a team at Mona, Hobart.

Well it was the many questions we were asked about up-skilling and the ‘how’ and ‘where’ to obtain these type of skills, during recent masterclasses that sparked the conversation and the collaboration with Joe Schofield.

We are all aware that bartenders are equipped with the resources and tools within their venues to learn about cocktails, ingredients, bar service, producers and brands, but sometimes the necessary skills required ‘behind the scenes’ are missed or overlooked.

Outside of that, we all know that experienced bartenders who travel the world for training, pop-ups and guest shifts didn’t acquire the skills from nowhere - remember that. They had to acquire those skills and adapt, using them day-today. The skills we are talking about include time managment, presentation skills, personal branding and communication, to name only a few. Joe Schofield, winner of The World’s Best Bartender twice in one year, has created an online syllabus, breaking down these skills into a format that is useful to industry professionals that may not have access to them in their day-to-day.

Ask yourself, where is your next step in this industry? Is it brand ambassador, manager, sales rep, venue owner, manager, group operations or education professional? The list is endless, but the foundations of these skills are very much the same.

These administration skills are thought starters and personal development coaching techniques that can assist you in taking your career to the next level. There’s a reason Joe’s one of the the best in the business, and we’re so happy to be able to share these unique and valuable insights with you to help elevate your career. Sign in or sign up to www.theblend.world/en-au and watch Joe’s BARTENDER ADMIN modules on The Blends of the Virtual World.

There are six modules available, exclusive to The Blend members. Education topics cover everything from Communication, Organisation, Presentations, Project Execution, Leadership and Personal Branding.

MASTERING NEW SKILLS

JOE HAS AN INTERNATIONAL CV WORKING IN BARS AND VENUES ACROSS THE GLOBE. BORN AND RAISED IN MANCHESTER, UK, JOE FIRST JUMPED BEHIND THE STICK WHILE STUDYING CONTEMPORARY ART AT UNIVERSITY, AND SOON HE WAS MIXING UP A NEW CAREER PATH. HE BARTENDED IN AUSTRALIA FOR A WHILE AT PALMER & CO IN SYDNEY AND FOR ROCKPOOL IN MELBOURNE. AFTER A SHORT STINT HOME, JOE LEFT AGAIN TO WORK AT TIPPLING CLUB IN SINGAPORE, WHERE HE LAUNCHED AN INNOVATIVE COCKTAIL PROGRAM WITH CHEF-OWNER RYAN CLIFT. NOW HE’S PLANNING ON OPENING SCHOFIELD’S BAR WITH HIS BROTHER IN THEIR HOMETOWN. THAT’S WHY JOE WAS PERFECT TO TEACH THE BLEND’S NEW SERIES OF EDUCATIONAL SEMINARS FOR THOSE WANTING TO TAKE THE NEXT STEP IN THEIR CAREER. FROM COMMUNICATION TO PERSONAL BRANDING, JOE SAYS UPSKILLING HAS NEVER BEEN MORE IMPORTANT THAN DURING A GLOBAL PANDEMIC THAT’S CHANGING THE INDUSTRY’S OUTLOOK.

JOE, YOU PREVIOUSLY COLLABORATED WITH THE BLEND AUSTRALIA DURING THE BLENDS OF THE WORLD’S 2019 TOUR OF THE EAST COAST. EXPLAIN YOUR LATEST ADVENTURE WITH THE BLEND IN 2020.

I consider myself very fortunate to have such a strong relationship with The Blend and Beam Suntory. This year, I partnered with them once again to share my thoughts and insights on topics that we often don’t come into contact with as bartenders. These are topics that are more commonly found in a more corporate environment, but topics that are key to progression and success in any industry.

HOW DID THIS LATEST COLLABORATION COME ABOUT?

The Blend team and I were discussing some of the challenges people face when they are ready to progress to the next stage of their career, processes that can appear simple but aren’t for everyone, such as the art of writing an email or how to be a great communicator. We realised that no one was teaching those skills to the on-trade as a whole, and we thought teaching those skills could be really useful for our colleagues and peers to be able to achieve success within their roles.

EXPLAIN WHAT THE VIRTUAL SEMINARS ARE ABOUT.

We have six seminars covering Communication, Organisation, Presentations, Leadership, Project Execution and Personal Branding. I believe these are important and necessary skills for people to have to progress in their careers. As much as we all love standing behind the bar and making drinks, it is very difficult for the majority of the on-trade to spend their whole lives doing that. What happens if you want to be promoted? What if you would like to generate more income? I hope these virtual seminars will help people achieve their ambitions.

DURING THIS TIME OF, LET’S SAY, UNCERTAINTY, WHY IS IT IMPORTANT FOR THE TRADE TO DIVERSIFY THEIR SKILL SET?

We are consistently hearing the words ‘adapt’ and ‘pivot’ during this difficult and challenging time for our industry. We are constantly getting new guidance from the government, and we are being forced to be as flexible and adaptable as we can. Having a diverse skill set in this time has never been more critical, as it allows you to be more flexible and agile as our working environment changes.

WHAT POSITIVE EXPERIENCES, LEARNINGS OR SELF-DEVELOPMENT HAS OCCURRED FOR YOU DURING LOCKDOWN AND COVID-19?

I have spent the majority of the time finalising several tasks for my upcoming projects and, on a more personal note, I have enjoyed having the freedom to be able to improve on my cooking skills. I have tried to see the silver lining during a very difficult time for everybody, not just professionally, but also personally.

HOW HAVE YOU EXPANDED YOUR LEARNINGS? SHARE WHAT YOU’RE READING, LEARNING AND LISTENING TO.

I have been reading quite a lot of books on varied topics that still have a lot of relevance to the projects I am working on. I even started doing an online accountancy course, which will pay benefits in the long run.

PERSONAL BRANDING IS A TOPIC YOU DISCUSS IN YOUR SEMINARS. TALK US THROUGH THE IMPORTANCE OF THIS AND CAN YOU SHARE A FEW INSIGHTS INTO WHY MEMBERS OF THE TRADE NEED TO BE CONSCIOUS OF THEIR PERSONAL BRAND?

In my opinion, having a strong personal brand is very important. It gives you so many more opportunities, whether that is for travelling with work or for your next role, as examples. We should all be aware that even the way we portray ourselves on social media or in-person falls into our personal brand. Potential employers will always be taking note of who is behaving at industry events, just in case that person’s CV ever falls onto their desk

Joe’s modules are online and available to The Blend members. Sign in or sign up www.theblend.world/eu-au