This post brought to you by National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation. The content and opinions expressed below are that of upstartHR.

When thinking back to early career days, many people have restaurant or food service experience somewhere in their resume. And as some recent research shows, that’s not uncommon. In fact, about one in ten jobs is in the restaurant business.

As you can see in the infographic titled “An Industry of Opportunity,” restaurants provide a lot of opportunity for the young men and women of the workforce to get a start. 

The key areas I want to look at today are two specific statistics from the graphic.

More than 9 out of 10 restaurant employees say the restaurant industry is a good place to get a first job.

When we talk about careers, many young individuals see themselves as office workers, engineers, or other “professional” staff. However, there are some incredible opportunities to learn and grow in the restaurant field, and I think the benefits are often overlooked.

For instance, having the opportunity to serve customers face to face helps to build confidence, teaches young workers some of the critical body language skills (eye contact, firm handshake, smiling, etc.) that can lead to success at all career levels.

Nearly 9 out of 10 workers say restaurants provide an opportunity for people who want to succeed based on their own hard work.

I’m a self-starter, and I am excited to see this statistic, because it means that those entering the restaurant profession looking for long-term career opportunities will also have room to learn and grow. 

We’ve all worked in organizations that squash creativity or de-emphasize the importance of thinking ahead and trying to solve the problems of others. This field not only provides those benefits, but it does so in a fast-paced environment ripe with learning and development opportunities. 

Check out the full infographic below for more details (link to full image):

In the coming weeks I will be sharing more insights from the study performed by the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation, so stay tuned.