Butcher: What is the cost of hiring?

Why hire a butcher?

Butchers work in grocery stores, specialty markets or butcheries, providing customers with different cuts of meat. They will prepare, trim and slice meat for different types of meals and will be able to help your customers choose the best cut of meat for their recipes.

Contributions of a great butcher:

• Have expert knowledge of different cuts of meat and the machinery needed to produce them
• Can create relationships with local customers
• Will be able to ensure a clean and safe work environment

What are the different types of butchers?

Though all butchers will have the same background knowledge in cuts of meat and how to use the different knives and machinery to do their job, they work in different environments. Butchers work in grocery stores, specialty markets, butcher shops, and industrial warehouses. The following is a list of different types of butchers according to where they work.

• Grocery store butcher: Will know all the different cuts of meat, poultry, pork, and lamb, but also might be in charge of seafood and fish.
• Specialty market: Will need to know about different types of meat such as caribou, venison, and specialty techniques like smoking.
• Butcher shop: Will focus on meat, pork, and lamb, dealing with the individual customers.
• Industrial warehouse butcher: Work for large meat producers and produce cuts for wholesale and grocery stores.

Where to find a butcher

To find the right butcher for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

• Job fair for young people: Butchers can be trained for the position right out of high school, so if you are looking for someone new to the business, working with a local job fair organization might be the best way to find a quality candidate. For example, there are job fairs in Ontario aimed at people between the ages of 18-24, and many other such programs are available throughout Canada.
• Culinary Schools: Some culinary school graduates may not want to run a restaurant but still want to work in the food industry. Finding a butcher with knowledge of food and cuts might be easier when looking at a culinary school.
• Referrals: Looking to your friends, family, and colleagues is a great way to find a local butcher with the appropriate experience. This way, you know that the butcher you hire already knows how to do the job properly and might come in with their own clients.
• Professional associations: Butchers have their own professional associations where you can post jobs and network with other people in the industry.

Post your job online: Try posting your butcher job on Indeed to find and attract quality butcher candidates.

Skills to look for in a great butcher

A great butcher candidate will have the following skills and attributes, as well as work experience that reflects:

• expert knowledge of meat cuts
• ability to talk to anyone, very personable
• an understanding of how to cook particular cuts of meat
• knowledge of public safety and cleaning measures
• basic math skills to track inventory and supplies

Writing a butcher job description

A thoughtful description is important for finding qualified butcher candidates. A butcher job description includes a compelling summary of the role, a detailed list of duties and responsibilities, and the required and preferred skills for the position.

When writing your butcher job description, consider including some or all of the following keywords to improve the visibility of your job posting. These are the most popular search terms leading to clicks on butcher jobs, according to Indeed data:

• butcher
• butchery
• grocery store
• meat
• meat cutter
• meat processing

Interviewing butcher candidates

Strong candidates for butcher positions will be confident answering questions regarding:

• Experiences with difficult customers
• Openness to learning new skills
• Experience with equipment maintenance and public safety measures
• Ability to maintain loyal customers and gain new ones
• Understanding of pricing of products

Need help coming up with interview questions? See our list of interview questions for examples (with sample answers).