I posted yesterday that I was offered a job at a local bakery after showing the owner a picture of my farm cake (in profile). She told me to talk to her partner.

I just did and he said that before he can offer me anything, he has to see if my work fits with their bakery. He wants me to go and do a cake for them on Tuesday. I guess it's an audition!

I'm totally nervous now and I've looked at their site a million times and it seems that the bulk of their cake business is sheet cakes with licensed-toy toppers.

I'll be practicing my shell border piping tonight. Any advice, words of wisdom, encouragement?

Ack - I wish I could ditch this nervousness!!!!!

You do such beautiful work! I'm sure you will do great. Try to go in confidently and just do what you know how to do and the rest will fall into place. Good luck!!!

tsal, Just do what you do best and it will be a piece of cake. They should be so lucky to have you! Good luck even if you don't need it!!!!!

Best of luck to you. Your cakes are beautiful. You will do great! Keep us posted!

wear your hair up and remember to wash your hands before you begin. Good luck!!!

Be confident, trust yourself. I know that those bakeries usually do a lot of sheet cakes, but you can offer to bring those sheet cakes to a new level. They can really be better than cakes with plastic toys on top, using fondant decorations instead. And you can show them that it can be done.

Some ideas:
http://www.sugaredproductions.com/sheet-cake-gallery.htm

You can do it. Good luck!

Unlimited: I totally agree with you about the consistent size of my shells. I usually do my shells at the last minute and my bc is somewhat soft. As I was practicing I found that it is easier when I do not think about it!

My handwriting is my Achilles heel. I don't think I let my icing get thin enough. How do you know when it's thin enough?

I'm mainly nervous because my cakes are mostly fondant with minimal piping, and the majority of their cakes are sheet cakes with piping and writing.

My shells are looking much better. I think I'll practice with an all-shortening icing so it isn't affected by the heat of my hands. The bakery is dairy and nut free so I imagine that's what they use.

I'm a righty and I guess I started one cake in one direction and the other in the other direction - I didn't even notice that!!

I'm more comfortable working from left to right. I've been piping shells on a square pan to practice and have been working from left to right tonight.

I just did some handwriting and it was VERY leaky at the tip (as you said - it just sort of leaked out). My cursive was not terrible though. Now on to roses and sweet peas...

Thank you for the link!!

What came to my mind is to work to your strengths! Since it seems that they don't do much fondant or custom work, don't worry so much about doing what they do already, but what new things you could offer, so their business could go to the next level! Don't focus on writing on a cake, but making a design that would be unique and fun!

If getting the job is most important, then you might want to practice doing their style of cakes. If you really want to keep doing the style you have, wow them with something that you would want to be doing day in, and day out!

Good luck!

Thanks Sullymel!! I got the impression from that they are looking for a decorator to fit into their mold (so to speak). Funny thing is that I was not planning on going back to work, but I just live the idea of decorating part-time.

I will definitely try to work with my strengths! Honestly, their style of cake is not my style, but i'd love to learn about the business from inside a successful one.

If experience is what your looking for and learn the business an established bakery is the place. First thing to remember is that they need to make a profit. Remember this is not your personal name on each cake like you would do in your home. You must have some speed and try to keep your work as "clean" looking as possible. Nice crisp borders and smooth icing on cake. Make sure you try to keep your work area clean and orderly as you work...bags, together, tips together etc. And never, never lick those fingers LOL !! (You won't believe how many people do this out of habit, big no,no... Have fun and good luck.

Not to hijack the thread, but I have a question about working in a bakery - do you normally do cake designs that are already established by the bakery, or are you expected to come up with new ones? I ask because a local bakery has an opening but they do mostly bc sheet cakes, and I'm not the best or fastest at coming up with sheet cake designs.

Thanks,

Mpetty: I was wondering that as well, but more for my interview. I wonder if they are going to give me one of their designs to replicate, or if they'll just put me on the spot and say 'let's see what you can do '

cakesnglass: luckily, I never lick my fingers - ever when I'm caking so I should be okay. I hope I'm quick enough for their liking. I've never worked with dairy-free icing before, so hopefully they'll give me a few minutes to get used to it. I'd better read up on how to smooth crusting buttercream without Viva towels since we don't have them here in Canada!

Oh, and I have short nails that are painted a very pale pink - I should remove polish, right? Sorry if this is a dumb question.

I would remove the nail polish (you don't want it chipping off into the cake).
Since you don't have Viva try the parchment paper to smooth or, my favorite, the Melvira foam roller. Everytime I smooth buttercream icing, I am so thankful that Melvira came up with this awesome method.

I don't think they'll let me bring anything in. They are VERY strict. I'll just have to hope that their existing decorator has one!

The bakery I worked at had it's regular "quick designs" that fill the case for those last minute pick ups some customers need. Then when orders come in you were allowed to come up with your own ideas. Seasonal cakes we usually were given pictures for the basic cakes for that season (to keep cost and decorating time appropriate). Make sure you don't have any jewerly rings, watches, bracelets. This is a requirement of Health Dept. inspectors and yes clean trimmed no polished nails are a plus. I think the most important thing when looking for a new employee is not always going to be what you already know but your willingness to learn there way and most importantly " A Personality that will mesh well with there established employees may be more important than decorating skills- those will just get better with practise and they know that.

Good luck! Let us know how it goes. We are pulling for you.

Best wishes!

How exciting and nerve racking! You will be great just pretend your at home and you don't have a few people critiquing you over your shoulders.
Good Luck!!!

Good luck! Just be sure to realize that you may not be able to use artistic license. If you can, great, but if not it may frustrate the heck out of you.

Well, let us know how it goes! Hope you get the job!

Make sure to keep your work area clean and neat as you are doing your test cake...we had someone come in the other day to do a test cake and they just had them ice a single layer 1/4 sheet cake. They gave them white buttercream and then a few colored bags and wanted them to just do whatever they wanted but I think they were looking for your "basic" sheetcake design, shell border, roses, leaves, balloons, etc... then they made her write on it! She had left the workstation pretty messy with icing all dripped down the front of the cabinet and all over the table so I know that's something they were looking at. Not that you have to be completely neat but just don't leave a big mess when you leave Good luck. I would assume too that they want to know that you can decorate in "their style" even if it's not your own preference since that seems to be what they sell. Once you get in there I'm sure you'll learn things about the business and high volume decorating if that's what they do it is a lot different then what you do at home or in a more custom shop.

Just my thoughts....good luck to you!