McDonalds are one of the most common businesses across the country. And as a huge business, they are also a gigantic employer. Therefore it makes sense that thousands upon thousands of people are going to wonder if working at McDonald’s is something that looks good on their resume.
What I’m going to do here is take a look how McDonald’s looks on a resume. This will help people who are working at McDonald’s or have worked there, as well as people who are considering working there while in school, perhaps, and wonder how it will look on their resume.
Not Just About the Resume
Let’s be frank here, working at McDonald’s isn’t a resume builder. It’s not something that you do in order to build a resume so that you can get hired on at a prestigious law firm or investment bank.
Working at McDonald’s is a job to make money. It is not a job that looks impressive on a resume.
And that’s fine. You do not always have to consider the place you work to be a resume builder. For many people, the number one priority is immediate money. You want a job that will provide you with money, and McDonald’s certainly a job that will do that. Even if it’s not much.
So, don’t worry about working at McDonalds if you need money and it’s the only available option at present. However, let’s discuss if it’s something that you need to or even should put on your resume.
How Would You Describe McDonald’s on a Resume
Don’t try and be creative and list it as a Fortune 500 company. Employers will see that and assume you’re someone who plays fast and loose with facts.
Instead, simply list that you worked at McDonalds in a particular capacity. You can add bullet points highlighting the skills required, but don’t try and make it sound more impressive than it is. You’re not going to fool anyone into thinking you worked at a different company.
However, you should add some details about your responsibilities and tasks that you were in charge of during your time at the McDonald’s.
These highlights might include:
- Customer Service
- Problem Solving
- Complaint Resolution
- Time Management
Remember, there is no reason why you should simply say: cashier, and not give any supporting evidence as to what exactly you did.
Resumes that are like that are not seen as professional. You should always list some of your important roles underneath the job heading. Even if you were only a cashier.
Should You Leave McDonald’s Off a Resume
This also depends. If you are applying for a retail job, or your first office job and you are not someone who went to college and has extensive internships listed on your resume, then you will want to showcase your work history and McDonald’s is perfectly fine to list.
If, on the other hand, you worked at McDonald’s one summer and are currently graduating from college and have several professional internships and are applying for a Marketing job then you might want to consider leaving McDonald’s off of your resume.
There is a bias against not just McDonald’s but all fast food stores. It’s the same with Pizza Hut, KFC, and any other fast food place.
It’s similar to when you’re working retail. Many corporate environments will look down upon retail jobs and not see them as anything that relates to the office.
However, even if you're working in a retail role-- be it fast food like McDonalds or a retail store like Home Depot, you should take care to craft a good resume for the time being.
So, in the end, it depends on where you are at in your career. If you are someone who just graduated high school and are looking to immediately start work, then you should leave it on your resume.
If you’re someone who is in the job market and are applying for jobs in retail –perhaps assistant manager jobs--- then you should definitely showcase your experience working McDonalds because this shows you have experience dealing with the public.
Remember, working at McDonalds might not impress a Hedge Fund, but if you’re applying to work at a retail store where they do value working with the public.
Famous McDonald’s Alumni
McDonald’s is one of the largest employers in the world. It is often one of the only jobs available in many small towns, and it’s also very popular as a first time job.
As such, there are many famous people who started off life working at McDonald’s.
If you’re someone who wants some inspiration, then just take a look at this list and rest assured that many, many successful people spent time behind the counter at McDonald’s.
- Rachel McAdams
- Jeff Bezos
- Shania Twain
- Jay Leno
- Waynes Brothers
- Limp Bizket Singer Fred Durst
As you can see, a lot of those names are entertainers. However, there are countless more who are executives in business who just don’t happen to be profiled. Only extremely famous people are likely to be profiled.
The Downside of Working at McDonald’s
There are some downsides and dangers of working at any fast food restaurant, namely if you’re working late hours.
In NYC, a young woman was killed during a robbery. The criminal was caught and was heard cursing out the crowd. A sign of how dangerous the cities can be.
The city has experienced a rise in violent crime recently, and the killing of a hard working woman was seen as a statement against the current political machine that seems to value criminals over hard working citizens.
Beyond cities like New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Baltimore, you also have crime around the world being visited upon fast food workers.
Famous actor James Darcey was working in the fast food industry before he was famous and he was victim of a robbery and was threatened by a criminals with a gun.
It’s a risk that anyone who works in the fast food industry should be aware of. There is a huge amount of exposure to the public and if you’re working in an urban setting where crime is rampant and in some cases allowed by local politicians, then you must take that into account.
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