Interview Tips

INTERVIEWS

You will need to do a bit of homework before going to the interview – it is like any meeting – better to be prepared. Interviews are always different, some formal, some informal. Relax, be yourself and enjoy it – that’s the important thing.

INTERVIEW PREPARATION

Interviews can be tough – even for seasoned veterans. The interview is, however, your best opportunity to gain insight into the position and company, and to determine how your experience and talent can contribute to the company’s growth and profitability.

We have included a list of things that you can do to make your interview as successful as it can be. No tricks or gimmicks here – just good, solid information to help you prepare and win that job.

1. Do your homework – on the company. Find out as much as you can about the company, including its history, its current situation and its future direction.
   • Sources: websites, trade magazines, the library – for periodicals and trade journals, articles, annual reports, friends and business associates (keep the position confidential). Be prepared to ask good questions about the company and its direction.
2. Do your homework – on the position. Have a thorough understanding of the position, its duties and responsibilities, and what’s expected.
   • Be prepared to ask good questions: Who’s been successful and why? Who’s failed and why? Who will you report to, who does it supervise? What needs to be done in the first 6 months, in the first year? Your recruiter will be able to provide insight in these areas prior to the interview.
3. Do your homework – on yourself. Review your career history thoroughly. Review dates, positions, duties and responsibilities, and accomplishments. Know your strengths and weaknesses. Be prepared to cite specific examples of accomplishments and how your specific experience can help the company solve some of its problems. (For example, if you are a chef and have worked on a specific section in the kitchen, explain. Think about the number of covers you were dealing with on any given shift. The type and quality of the food you were preparing.) Concentrate on your most recent positions, but don’t neglect your early career. Ensure you know the contents of your CV top to bottom.

INFORMATION NEEDED

• Who you will be meeting & the date & time of the interview.
• Company name, interviewer/title, full address, phone number, clear directions and where to park or the nearest station – that way you will not be late.
• Try to research & find out a bit about the company & its history, maybe its philosophies, the type of people / personalities/attributes they like. Look at the company’s web site.

EXTRA DETAILS THAT WILL MAKE YOU STAND APART FROM THE REST

You should take along some well-prepared & neatly presented questions in a tidy folder or note pad. This shows that you are methodical, organised, given thought & reason to why you are going to that company – it does impress a client to go in with questions prepared.

If you are a chef, remember to take copies of current and past menus with you when possible. Also think about brochures of property or provide websites of properties you have worked in to give a clearer picture.

WHAT TO DO / AVOID

1. By the time you have got to an interview, that interviewer knows your background and has considered your ability to do the job. The interview is not just based on the role, but on personality, will you fit in, say the right things, will they like you etc.
2. DON’T BE LATE - Get there early. (To be early is on time, to be on time is to be late and to be late is unforgivable).
3. Dress appropriately - smart & well presented.
4. Clean nails - not too outrageous polish,
5. Clean & tidy hair. Remember to take an umbrella on the day - this is England.
6. Jewellery to a minimum - don’t wear that nose ring or an ear full of gold.
7. Clean shoes - remember to check in a mirror from top to bottom.
8. Avoid too much perfume or aftershave & remember that quick fag before an interview smells
9. FIRM handshake and clear greeting - pleased to meet you etc.
10. Maintain eye-to-eye contact throughout the interview – If a panel of interviewers; look at all of them in turn. When one asks a question, look at them to begin you answer, look at the others during your answer & finish with the one who asked.
11. Keep your voice volume up - but don’t shout. Keep your voice bubbly. Communication skills are so important. Body language - Face them. Keep upright, don’t slouch.

INTERVIEWING SKILLS

• In order to sell yourself you must know what the interviewer wants. Highlight your skills, strengths in a precise manner.
• If the interviewer asks you TELL ME ABOUT YOURSELF & you are not too sure what they may want to hear you can start with- "Sure, specifically what would you like to know?"
• Give a short 1-2 minute summary about yourself....Start with what you are doing now, your current job (mentioning the skills that are .comparable and complementary to the job you are going for). Talk about your strengths / attributes, education & hobbies & interests, sporting activity etc. There is no need to go back to being 5 years of age, but do sound like a good all-round person. People buy people.

SUMMARY

• ENSURE YOU GREET EVERYONE WITH FIRM HANDSHAKE & A SMILE – OFTEN A TEAM IS ASKED WHAT DID YOU THINK OF HIM / HER - they too are summing you up after all they have to work with you so smile and say hello etc.
• MAKE CONVERSATION IF YOU’RE WAITING IN RECEPTION
• MAKE CONVERSATION WITH THE PERSON WHO COLLECTS YOU.
• GET THEM TO BUY INTO YOU - SELL YOURSELF TO EVERYONE – BE PROFESSIONAL, FRIENDLY, AMENABLE ETC.

DANGER / DIFFICULT QUESTIONS

• Current income / on target earnings.
• What salary you do want.
• Reasons for leaving - Never put your current company down, never run down the people you work for e.g. personality clash could be seen a problem you cause. Focus on things such as need a new challenge and new focus or want to specialise etc rather than hate my boss.
• What is your ideal role
• What aspects of your work do you enjoy best / dislike (you could be caught out so ensure you know the role you are going for – it sounds a harmless question but has caught many out – e.g. I don’t want to manage staff and yet there are 2 in a team looking for your leadership skills)
• What do you consider your greatest achievement to date ?

BE PREPARED TO TALK ABOUT A WIDE VARIETY OF THINGS:

• Why us? (what ever company it is – be sure to have done your research)
• What is your favourite restaurant ?
• If you were to prepare a special meal for your partner, what would it be ?
• How will you benefit the company if we hire you? What can you bring (skills wise, not necessarily business / clients as some may see this as unethical)
• How have you impacted on you current company ?
• How would you go about building this company - back to basics - think about the role & what you know ?
• How much do you know about our company ? (research always pays off, ask intelligent questions)
• What new ideas could you bring to the company ?
• What motivates / de-motivates you ?
• What are your ambitions ? (career wise – e.g. management or personal such as cars, buy a house etc).
• How you work in a team / on your own. Give examples of being a team player, working on own initiative.
• How you motivate staff / delegate work (if you are management). Staff retention / training
• How you would increase current business level. Financial aspects–Margins, business development etc
• What levels of business do you work on ? e.g. margins, major accounts etc.
• Problems & solution questions (every solution has ramifications - think it through e.g. if it’s a management problem e.g. clash of staff what are the ramifications of moving one of them or poor margins – increase margin across board – how many customers will you loose & how many will you to stand to gain, how does this compare to competition.
• How would your best friend / mother/ husband describe you?
• What style of management do you best work under / your style of management
• How do you work in a team?
• How do you manage your team in a?????????????????? scenario?
• What do you expect from us as a company (Career, Role, Challenge, Support, Systems etc)
• Who are your role models & why ?

Remember, never just give Yes & No answers - expand your answers. If you haven’t done something try to turn it to the positive - always give examples and remain positive in whatever is asked. e.g.

No, I haven’t done that but I understand the concept fully, I have done …………. and feel that is similar in its approach / duties etc

Yes, I understand that fully, at present I do exactly that coupled with etc.

Be prepared to be asked anything:- even this one!!

• If you were an animal what would you be (an odd question but I’ve heard it used)
• If you were to have a dinner party who would you invite and why (e.g. politician / family / pop or film star)
• Even had someone asked if they were a drink what they would be – obviously the interviewer didn’t have anything proper to ask!!

STANDARD QUESTIONS (they are not always easy to answer)

• Where do you see yourself in 1 year, 5 years, 10 years etc?
• What are your strengths? E.g. Tenacious, hardworking, diligent, good market knowledge – there’s tons of strengths – have something to back it up – e.g. good manager – staff stay.
• What are your weaknesses? (always turn a strength into a weakness .e.g. perfectionists find it hard to delegate)
• Most significant accomplishment / Biggest disappointment
• Hobbies. Employers like to know what their staff doe socially / outside work. Keep fit/ golf etc

ASK GOOD QUESTIONS AND TRY TO CLOSE THE INTERVIEWER

• Can you give me a breakdown of the duties and responsibilities?
• What is the usual structure of a day / week?
• What are the expected productivity levels / targets?
• What are your immediate expectations of the jobholder?
• What training / mentor schemes do you run?
• What can you tell me about the company (start question with some knowledge of the Co. or they can throw it back asking you what you know) For instance. I know the company was established in???? year & is headed by …… Number of properties having developed from ?? What else can you tell me / what are your future plans?
• What are the initial tasks /duties that I will have to deal with / get trained in?
• How is the business generally at the moment? (Rooms/ F&B / C&B etc.).
• Where does the company see itself in the next 1 & 5 years and where would you see me then.
• Tell me about the team / management style etc etc (depends on your level)
• What problems, if any, are you currently having?
• What resources / budget are available to me to increase revenue
• What are you doing currently about this situation (this can follow many questions )
• Who are you main competitors? What makes you different?
• Compliment the interviewer, "You sound so enthusiastic about your role and the company"
• What is it you like about the company, what changes have you seen within the organisation?

REMEMBER - it is always a good idea to begin a question about you – its extra selling time e.g.

• One thing that I am particular about is.......... (e.g. quality of my administration / sales skills/ man management, training … etc. I do …….. etc) What is the one thing that you are particular about?
• I motivate myself / my staff by …………… How do you motivate your staff?
• I really enjoy………what is the most enjoyable aspect of this job?

HOW TO HANDLE THE MONEY ISSUE

1. The question of remuneration can be very sensitive and often requires extended negotiations to reach a figure that is fair and acceptable to both the company and the individual. Some points to remember:
2. Most companies want to make a fair offer. They want to bring new employees on board at a salary level that provides incentive to change jobs that also is consistent with the company’s existing salary structure for that position.
3. The days of 20% and 25% increases in compensation are gone. Inflation rates are down, all corporations are more conscious of maintaining consistency in existing salary structures, the economic growth in many industries has levelled off and the competition for better positions has increased. So be realistic in your expectations.
4. The position and opportunity is the single most important element of your decision. No amount of money will make a bad job good. A quality position, working with quality people in a dynamic work environment offers rewards that money can’t buy.
5. Be flexible. Compensation packages are a combination of salary, reviews, titles and perks. These elements can be arranged and re-arranged – sometimes very creatively – to satisfy both the individual and the company.
6. Keep your recruiter involved. Part of our job is to handle sensitive negotiations and move both parties to a fair and acceptable compensation package. We do this for a living and can often offer alternatives that will satisfy both parties. (We’re also a good buffer and can keep sensitive negotiations on a cool, professional level).

TO CLOSE THE INTERVIEW AND ROUND UP SUCCESSFULLY

ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS,ALWAYS ASK :-

“Is there anything about my background or skills that you have concerns about or anything you would like to cover again with me while I am here?”

YOU must ask this or we will just end up doing a selling job to the client and dealing with objections that you should have covered during the interview – we cannot always overcome a clients objections or concerns but you can if it’s done during the interview and before leaving – cant blame anyone else if you left leaving negative thoughts in the interviewer’s mind).

MUST - FINISH ASKING QUESTIONS BY ENFORCING POSITIVE SUGGESTION.

• What skills and experience do I have that will complement / enhance the team / the business / company that will be useful in my role as a …… ……………….
• What do you think my skills / strengths are that you could utilise.

Other questions to find out the current situation & where you stand is

• What is your normal interview process?
• Will there be a second / third interview as I am interested and want to make sure I am available.
• When do you think the next interviews will be held? &
• Where / when are you planning to hold 2nd interviews?
• Do you do psychometric & personality testing / assessment centres (may have to take ½ day off for this.
• Have you seen many people?
• How do I compare to your other candidates?

FINALLY: YOU MUST TRY & CLOSE THE INTERVIEWER

“As I said, I am very interested in this position and hope that I shall be selected, should you want to ask me anything please do not hesitate to contact me through the agency. When can I expect to I be hearing from you” / When will you let the agency know so they can inform me”

DON’T FORGET TO THANK THE INTERVIEWER FOR THEIR TIME

CHEF WORKING TRIALS

Think about what you need to take with you:

• Whites
• Shoes
• Knives

What do clients look for during a working trial shift?

• Don’t forget the basics
• Health and safety practices
• Wash your hands
• Sociability
• Organisation Skills
• Craft Skills
• Awareness of surroundings

GOOD LUCK & ENSURE YOU CALL ME after the interview so I can call my client and hopefully secure you a 2^nd interview or an offer (if you haven’t already done that yourself!!).

Think about the interview as you are leaving, about the Positives and the downside to (doesn’t mean that if there are things you don’t quite like that they can’t be changed with a bit of good negotiation on our part) e.g. salary

Please give us full feedback so we can inform our client and we will do the same & feedback their thoughts on you.