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Seven ways to ace an interview
By Joseph D’Alessandro
Looking for a job is a job, and a hard one. The good news is that you are an expert on the subject matter of every interview…you. You also face the challenges of preparation and logistics. Here are seven simple ways to ensure your interview is successful. I didn’t promise painless and easy, but it is simple.
1. Start Preparing a Week in Advance
One of the first questions many interviewers ask is “What do you know about us?” If you blow that one, you fail. Be prepared to discuss operations, locations, products and services, and why you are a fit.
Know the position and job description and be prepared to answer specific questions that will test your understanding of the requirements. Prepare for situational questions.
Know your immediate, 5-year and 10-year goals. How are they aligned with the job? How do they align with the company’s plans?
Review your own career history so you can easily recall examples of leadership from every job. Bring your memory of accomplishes, achievements and metrics from your long-term memory to your short-term memory.
2. Arrive Early and Dress Appropriately
During a blizzard I had a candidate arrive ten minutes late for an interview that was 30 minutes from his home and he gave himself 90 minutes to get there. He was rejected for being late. Harsh? Maybe. But it proves that you cannot recover from interview tardiness. You have to allow time for traffic, time to find parking, and unforeseen circumstances.
Dress well. Your shoes should shine like mirrors. A dress shirt or blouse should be completely free of wrinkles. Clothes should be tailored to fit, especially sleeves, waist, and chest. A suit jacket should drape when buttoned, not be tight or baggy. Gentlemen, don’t forget your collar stays and proper grooming.
3. Engage and Smile
Preparation allows for a clear mind so you can fully engage in the conversation instead of trying to remember what you think you need to say. Make eye contact. When fully engaged, your face will reflect the tone of the conversation. You’ll look sincere when listening intently. You’ll smile when something is humorous.
Leadership author Guy Kawasaki describes the two kinds of smiles pictured here in his latest book, Enchantment. The “Pan Am” smile is obviously fake and transparently insincere. The “Duchenne” smile is genuine and endearing.
Guy Kawasaki’s Enchantment – The “Pan Am” smile
Guy Kawasaki’s Enchantment – The “Duchenne” smile
4. Proper Etiquette
For heaven’s sake, leave the cell phone in the car. There are recent reports of candidates answering calls or texts during an interview. That is a jailable offense.
Sit up straight, say “please” and “thank you,” and know how to conduct yourself in cocktail and dining situations. For details, I defer to the experts at Emily Post.
5. Quantify
Quantify your responses using numbers, percentages, and dollars to specifically explain results. Anyone can say they “lowered the overall cost of labor.” When you state that you “lowered labor by 11% by implementing three strategies” you bring your ability to lead to life by creating a detailed picture.
6. Be Motivated
It is heartbreaking when a client calls and tells me that a candidate is bright, experienced, and qualified, but they weren’t sure if she wants the job. An interview is more than a conversation. It is your opportunity to sell the hiring authority on your abilities and desire to work hard toward mutual goals.
Your energy and enthusiasm are conveyed through voice inflections, facial expressions, body posture and body language. This week an hotelier picked one of four candidates we presented to move forward because he was “the only one who was sitting on the edge of his seat, pitching ideas, demonstrating his understanding of our unique situation.”
If you want the job, say so. As you are escorted out, look the interviewer in the eye and express your eagerness to go to the next level and desire to work for the company. The last thing she will remember is how motivated you are.
7. Ask Questions
Almost all interviewers ask what questions you have at some point during the interview. Prepare a list of several good questions. Even if your questions were answered during the interview, be ready to ask at least two good, conversation-sparking questions.
• Ask about the team you would be joining, the division, and the company.
• How long has the team been together?
• What is the company’s vision for the next 10 years?
• What values drive the business?
• What are the values that drive the culture?
• What are the company’s expectations of you?
• What advancement opportunities are on the horizon?
Never ask questions about the amount of hours or days expected of you, or about salary, benefits or perks. All of that will be explained to you in due time. If those questions are top-of-mind for you, you will be considered a clock-watcher.
Entire books have been written on interviewing skills, but if you can nail these seven aspects, you will always have an edge over your competition!
How to Give your Employer Notice That You’re Leaving
By Robert Krzak
CONGRATULATIONS! You have just spent two weeks going through the interview process with a great new company and have accepted a fantastic offer from them. Now comes the hard part. You must go back to your current employer and give them notice that you will be leaving their employ. What people sometimes fail to realize is that this is as an important part of the process as any. Very often I hear this…”well they have been really good to me and I do not want to screw them over, so I would like to give a three or four week notice”. In almost every scenario, this is overkill. What you must take into consideration when giving notice is the following points…
You have now committed to a new employer and are obligated to start when they need you to. They are as anxious to have you start with them as you are. Plus they obviously have a need that you are filling and most likely need you to start training as soon as possible to fill their gap.
Two weeks notice is customary and widely accepted as a proper notice. Even when leaving on good terms, anything more than two weeks becomes burdensome on both parties. Giving two weeks is the proper way to handle a company that has been good to you.
On the converse side, giving anything less than two weeks notice to a current employer will be frowned upon by most hiring companies and may make them rethink their hiring decision. They expect you to give two weeks and you should be wary of any company that doesn’t.
Some companies are known for not letting people work out their notice. They may ask you to turn in
your keys at the time you give them notice. This should not impact the way in which you give your notice.
Always leave a company properly even if they don’t do the same with you. If you are told not to work out
your notice, then you can either let your new employer know that you can start sooner than expected or
just take it easy and enjoy some time off before starting your new endeavor.
Some companies may try to use the two week timeframe to try to get you to change your mind. They
may use heavy pressure from above or talk badly about the new company you are going to.
They may also try to counter offer with more money to entice you to stay. COUNTER OFFERS NEVER WORK OUT! Realize that the same issues that caused you to begin looking in the first place will still exist after a counter offer. And now the company is aware that you were looking and trust may then become an issue. Plus, if you take the counter, you have now burned your escape bridge when you realize it was a mistake. And you will.
So submit your resignation with confidence, don’t give in to counter offers as they never work out and give a proper TWO weeks notice and everyone involved will be appreciative in the end.
The Phone Interview
About 75% of the time the interview process begins with a phone interview. This is the opportunity to make your first impression with your new potential employer. Yet, not only do many job seekers put very preparation into this essential step in the interview process – they do not take this step seriously. Job seekers need to understand that this step in the interview process is meant to weed people out. The interviewer is looking for reasons to not move you forward in the process. You as the job seeker have to provide them reasons why they need to move you forward to a face to face interview.
Your goal for the phone interview is to be moved forward to the 2nd step in the interview process which is normally a face to face interview with a General Manager or District Manager. This is when you will be able to meet with an operator and talk in more detail about your restaurant management operations experience
Homework
Most of the time the initial phone interview will be with the member of the Human Resources team, either a Human Resources Manager of a Management Recruiter. It is essential that you have done research on the company that you are interviewing with. The basic first step is to go directly to the company’s website and spend a minimum of 15 minutes perusing all of the pages of the website. There is a ton of pertinent information that you can pull from a company’s website. Restaurant companies website’s are designed as marketing collateral for their brand. They will most times show what and where future growth will be, what the company’s mission statement is, what their core values are. You will be able to pull a lot of information from these pages, and even gather some buzz words that you can incorporate into your initial phone interview.
Taking it one step further, it is mandatory that you visit a location and dine with the company that you are interviewing with prior to an initial phone interview. You need to have a recent, firsthand dining experience with the company so you have an informed base of knowledge from which to refer to during this interview. This simple step will show the potential employer that you are serious about wanting to work for this company, and it will set you apart from most of the other candidates interviewing for this position.
Phone Interview DO’s and DON’Ts
Below is a list of phone interview do’s and don’ts. Many may seem like basic common sense, but trust me when I tell you that I pull these from real life experience that clients have told me about candidates.
* Be sure to schedule the interview time when you will be at your best. If you are doing a closing shift, and getting home from work at 3AM – DO NOT set an interview for 8AM the following morning.
- DO NOT set a phone interview time while you are at work – thinking that you will have time to step outside for the phone interview. DO set it on a day off.
- DO NOT set a phone interview time when you know you will be driving, or shopping, or in a public place with lots of background noise
- DO answer the phone at the designated interview time. DO NOT be talking to someone on the other line, run to the bathroom, or tell the interviewer that you will “call them right back”
- DO remain positive about your previous employers. No matter how bad it was, potential employers do not want to hear negatives about your previous employers. They will pass on you every time if you are negative.
Think Before you Speak
Five Questions That Will Cost You The Job If Not Answered Correctly
By Robert Krzak CPC,CERS
For the past thirteen years I’ve been on both sides of the interview table when it comes to interviewing potential restaurant and hospitality managers. After careful thought and consideration, I have put together the top 5 “Stump” questions a corporate recruiter will or may use to disqualify you as a candidate for their company. Now, there are several important questions out there that are not discussed here that are important to answer correctly. However, these five questions will either sink you quickly or bury you so far that, in short of a miracle, will disqualify you.
1. Food Cost.
Sounds simple doesn’t it? Throw out numbers like 28.5% or 31.5%(casual theme) or 22% (QSR) and your sure to sound impressive. The difficult question is explaining to the interviewer how you maintained such great numbers. There are many ways to tell the managers who have actually managed food cost and those who have not. Proper portion controlling, daily meetings with kitchen staff, daily waste sheet and labeling of product, for example, are great indicators. Be prepared to discuss the HOW not just knowing the magic number. Oh, you may want to remember the formula for determining food cost, just in case (FC% = (BI+P-EI)/S)
2. Where Do You See Yourself In 3 Years?
First hint of advice, be realistic. Ask your recruiting professional how many years it typically takes to become a General Manager or District Manager (or any other higher end position) with that particular company. Let me give you a scenario. Say you tell the interviewer that you wish to move up to a role 2-5 years quicker than normally possible within their organization. What you are subliminally telling the interviewer is if you are not promoted to that position within YOUR time frame, you’re quitting. A trained recruiter will recognize that and use that as an excuse not to hire you. Don’t mistake assertiveness with being unrealistic. The textbook advice and answer to this question is: Mr./Ms Interviewer, I plan on giving 110% to this organization. I know if I prove myself, my results will do the speaking for me and I know I’ll move up quickly with this organization. I would love to be a G.M/ D.M with this company and that is what I aspire in doing. So, whenever YOU (company) feel I am ready for that next move, I want to be ready for that challenge. What you psychologically did was put the control in the hands of the recruiter (company) and demonstrated patience, assertiveness and the willingness to learn their system.
3. Why Did You Leave Your Last Job/Position ?
Be Honest! If you think telling a lie won’t catch up to you before the offer is made, you are very mistaken. Restaurant and hospitality organizations are using more resources to uncover those skeletons that are hidden away in the closet. Credit reports, reference checks, DMV, Drug testing are just a few. It’s always better to be honest up front because, although you may think your reason for leaving will sink you, is nothing new your interviewer hasn’t already heard. Now, let the interviewer uncover the “actual” truth from someone else in the middle of the interview process will raise serious credibility and ethical issues and is a reason to move on with another candidate.
4. Do You Have A College Degree?
Just because you went to college for four years and are 3 credits short does not mean you have the right to circle “Yes, I have a college degree” on your application. Verifying that you have a college degree is the simplest of verifications a company can process. Again, it’s that word credibility. This is a very easy credibility question, so get it right!
5. What’s Your Targeted Salary Range?
Hello! We’re in the hospitality industry not brain surgeons! Just because your brother, the doctor, received an offer for 30% more to change hospitals/employers, doesn’t mean you can too. This vocation called the hospitality industry is predicated on Passion- Guest Service – And a love for the industry. Understand that it’s a nickel and dime industry. Again, be realistic and know the salaries limitations within the company you are interviewing.. And above all, don’t lie about what you are currently making. Having to prove it through showing a copy of your most recent pay stub can and will happen. It’s a practice more companies are adopting. A majority of companies out there will not justify giving you a 30% pay increase just to change employers. However, with the assistance of your 3rd party recruiter, such as Professional Search and Recruiting, they are trained to negotiate the best salary possible for you and know the limits.
The Working Interview
The Working Interview…Make It Or Break It!
Working Interview….Shift Observation….Day in the Life….On the Job Interview. Whatever the particular restaurant or hospitality company may be calling it, more and more restaurant companies are adding this crucial step to their Interview process. This may be the most important step in the in the entire interview process, and many candidates are not clear on what the client is looking for!
The reason that the Shift Observation may be the most important step in the interview process is two-fold:
1. The Shift Observation is normally taking place toward the end of the interview process. There has already been a completed phone interview, pre-employment testing has taken place, and at least one In Person Interview has been completed. The working interview is the candidate’s last chance to make a lasting impression on the company, and their decision makers.
2. This is your chance to show the company what you actually look like on a shift. It allows them to see you within their 4 walls and see how you will operate on the floor. It is important to remember that there are many eyes on you during a shift observation. You will have an initial point of contact, normally the restaurant General Manager – but he/she is not the only person who is evaluating you.
The company will seek feedback from many people on the shift that day – from the dishwasher to the cooks, to the hosts, to the servers, to the assistant managers, and even to their regular guests! It is crucial to remember to make a great impression to the entire team at the restaurant that day, both FOH and BOH team members.
The company is looking for a sense of urgency and your physical pace on the floor. They are looking for how you interact with the crew and guests. They are also looking at how you handle the sales volume. They are looking for you to have some intelligent questions that you want answered about the restaurant’s operations so it’s important to write those down during your shift.
Some helpful Points of Advice for setting yourself above your competition on a Working Interview:
• Look Sharp. Show up with clean, pressed slacks and dress shirt. Polished shoes
• Introduce yourself and interact with all of the crew members. Be sure to get into the BOH and interact with the dishwashers and prep cooks as well.
• Get involved with the shift. Learn some table numbers and seat some guests. Learn some table numbers and run some food
• Do a couple of bathroom checks
• Pick trash or food up off the floor
• Grab the hand broom and do an expo line sweep
• Bus some tables
• Grab the water and iced tea pitchers and refill some guests drinks
• Have 3 intelligent questions prepared (In your head) that you want to ask the General Manager at the end of the working Interview.