Butcher Job Description: Duties, Education, Training and Certification Requirements, Job Outlook and Salary
Submitted by: Gypsy Santiago
Job Overview: A butcher is the person who grinds, trims, bones, ties and cuts meats using bandsaw, cleaver, knives, meat saw, grinder and other equipments to make different kinds of cooking cuts, such as stew, steaks, roasts, cubes, chops or grinded meat, among others. He/she also weighs cuts for individual or per-kilo servings; record quantities of meat received and issued to restaurants, cooks and other customers; and sometimes oversee staff personnel.
Education, Training and Knowledge Requirements: Experience in this field usually comes through on-the-job training or apprenticeship. Although some employers would prefer those with high school diplomas, others may hire candidates without experience, but may require them to take meat cutting training programs before working. Courses in sanitation, counter display, food quality control, customer service and food-related laws are helpful. For those with years of experience in supermarkets, they may be offered managerial positions or be assigned to handle meat buying for the company. Some butchers decide to open their own meat shops.
Skills & Abilities: To become successful in this field, one must be detail-oriented, patient and has the physical strength to work in cold rooms and carry, life and handle heavy carcasses. He/she should also be extremely cautious in handling sharp cutting tools. Those in managerial positions should be organized, friendly and possess excellent communication skills, leadership skills and customer service skills.
Duties: Butchers are responsible for negotiating prices with suppliers; ordering meat and other products; receiving, inspecting and storing meat when deliveries come in; performing quality check on meat deliveries; recording quantities of meat received; collecting money from customers and keeping records of meat sold; computing total sales during end of shift; supervising other meat cutters; as well as estimating requirements of meat supplies during inventories.
They also perform various meat-related tasks, such as curing, preserving, tenderizing and smoking meat, cutting, trimming and grinding pork, beef, poultry and other meats; shaping and tying meat using twine, skewer or knife; and weighing, wrapping, labeling and pricing meat cuts, among others.
Earnings & Job Outlook: According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment in this field is expected to increase through 2014 due to new automated equipments and experienced workers who retire or leave their jobs. Faster employment growth is expected to take place in meat processing plants. The mean annual salary of meat cutters in 2009 was $30,270 with the higher 10% earning up to $33,000 and the lower 10% receiving $27,000 per year.
Gypsy Santiago is a professional resume writer and career search strategy/career branding coach with years of experience in assisting job seekers prepare for the job market. She helps create career-targeted resumes, provides useful tips about career transition, offers future career ideas and guide jobseekers about effective job search techniques.
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Word Count: 428 Date: Mon, 20 Sep 2010 Time: 2:49 PM
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