Reality show chronicles TCU grad’s job search

Job hunters can learn a lot from Gabrielle McBay.

It’s worth pointing out, however, that many of those lessons are of the don’t-let-this-happen-to-you variety.

The Dallas native and recent Texas Christian University graduate is featured in the debut episode of ABC Family’s Job or No Job, which airs at 8 p.m. Wednesday.

A camera crew shadowed McBay in May when she interviewed at three Chicago eateries.

The 23-year-old aspiring chef says there were times when being filmed was more stressful than the actual job interviews. “The cameras were pretty nerve-racking,” she says.

But stage jitters weren’t responsible for any of the mistakes that she made. Chalk those up to lack of experience and too much enthusiasm.

“One of the biggies was when I cursed in one of the interviews,” McBay remembers. “That’s something you generally aren’t supposed to do.”

No kidding.

After gushing over celebrity chef Art Smith during a meeting at Table Fifty-Two, McBay sampled a biscuit that tasted so heavenly she let a swear word slip out. Job or No Job’s resident careers expert, Jane Buckingham, was mortified — but luckily for McBay, Smith good-naturedly laughed off the incident.

It was much worse when McBay forgot to bring a résumé with her to Goddess and Grocer.

“The résumé thing was the most embarrassing,” she says. “I have no excuse, except that I had a lot of things going on at that time. My flight from Dallas didn’t get into Chicago until midnight. The next morning, I had to wake up early for filming. And it was storming really bad in Dallas and in Chicago.

“So it completely slipped my mind to have my résumé with me. Believe me, it wasn’t good.”

McBay is a down-to-earth woman with a self-deprecating sense of humor. Her ability to laugh at her blunders kept her from completely unraveling during the Chicago job search.

But how many job offers, if any, did she receive? You will get no spoilers from us.

McBay still lives in Dallas and at least one episode ends with zero job offers. But don’t read anything into that. The Job or No Job participants who succeed are required to wait until after their episodes air before starting the new jobs.

Most of McBay’s work experience to date has been as a private chef. “Chef Elle” is owner and executive chef of Ellements Cuisine and Pastry Concepts.

“I can cook pretty much anything, but Southern food is my favorite,” she says. “I love finding different ways to put a fresh twist on Southern food.”

McBay hopes one day to have her own restaurant. A whole chain of restaurants. A variety of restaurant chains. She has five- and 10-year plans all mapped out. That’s why she was aiming high in the Chicago job search. She wants to learn everything she can before stepping out on her own.

But even with a degree in food management, McBay had a tough time finding the right job after graduating from TCU in December 2014.

“I was unemployed for three or four months, and I was in this weird period of trying to figure out life,” she says. “It’s difficult because employers want to hire someone who’s experienced, but how can you have experience if you’ve only just graduated?”

That’s a predicament many college grads find themselves in these days.

“It’s why I think people watching will be able to relate,” McBays says. “And if anybody is looking to learn from my experiences, I would say, No. 1, without a doubt, it’s don’t leave your résumé at home!”

This story was originally published August 3, 2015 at 1:21 PM with the headline "Reality show chronicles TCU grad’s job search."