Occupation Profile

Food Preparation Workers

(SOC Code : 35-2021)

in California

Perform a variety of food preparation duties other than cooking, such as preparing cold foods and shellfish, slicing meat, and brewing coffee or tea.

Employers usually expect an employee in this occupation to be able to do the job after Short-term on-the-job training .

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Occupational Wages

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Area	Year	Period	Hourly Mean	Hourly by Percentile
				25th	Median	75th
California	2012	1st Qtr	$10.38	$8.82	$9.44	$11.18

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Occupational Projections of Employment (also called "Outlook" or "Demand")

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Area	Estimated Year-Projected Year	Employment		Employment Change		Annual Avg Openings
		Estimated	Projected	Number	Percent
California	2010 - 2020	101,900	124,000	22,100	21.7	5,880

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Job Openings from JobCentral National Labor Exchange

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Within miles of Zip Code.

Industries Employing This Occupation (click on Industry Title to View Employers List)

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Industry Title

Number of Employers in State of California

Percent of Total
Employment for Occupation in State of California

Limited-Service Eating Places

29,819

32.3%

Full-Service Restaurants

30,594

25.8%

Elementary and Secondary Schools

17,985

11.0%

Grocery Stores

16,120

5.8%

Nursing Care Facilities

2,386

3.6%

Special Food Services

3,605

3.6%

General Medical and Surgical Hospitals

1,393

3.0%

Accommodation

11,143

1.7%

Community Care Facility for the Elderly

5,152

1.3%

Specialty Food Stores

8,561

1.0%

About Staffing Patterns

Data for Training Programs not available.

About Training & Apprenticeships

About This Occupation (from O*NET - The Occupation Information Network)

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Top Tasks (Specific duties and responsibilities of this job.)

Clean and sanitize work areas, equipment, utensils, dishes, or silverware.

Store food in designated containers and storage areas to prevent spoilage.

Prepare a variety of foods, such as meats, vegetables, desserts, according to customers` orders or supervisors` instructions, following approved procedures.

Take and record temperature of food and food storage areas such as refrigerators and freezers.

Wash, peel, and cut various foods, such as fruits and vegetables, to prepare for cooking or serving.

Place food trays over food warmers for immediate service, or store them in refrigerated storage cabinets.

Portion and wrap the food, or place it directly on plates for service to patrons.

Weigh or measure ingredients.

Mix ingredients for green salads, molded fruit salads, vegetable salads, and pasta salads.

Receive and store food supplies, equipment, and utensils in refrigerators, cupboards, and other storage areas.

More Tasks for Food Preparation Workers

Top Skills used in this Job

Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.

Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.

Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.

Coordination - Adjusting actions in relation to others` actions.

Time Management - Managing one`s own time and the time of others.

Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.

Service Orientation - Actively looking for ways to help people.

Judgment and Decision Making - Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.

Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others` reactions and understanding why they react as they do.

Quality Control Analysis - Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.

More Skills for Food Preparation Workers

Data for Tasks not available.

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Top Work Values (Aspects of this job that create satisfaction.)

Relationships - Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to provide service to others and work with co-workers in a friendly non-competitive environment.

Support - Occupations that satisfy this work value offer supportive management that stands behind employees.

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Top Interests (The types of activities someone in this job would like.)

Realistic - Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.

Conventional - Conventional occupations frequently involve following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. Usually there is a clear line of authority to follow.

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