Here are 5 of the most common interview questions, what they mean, what they are looking for, and how to best answer them to prove your English and Hospitality skills.
Question 1: “Tell me about yourself.”
I know, I know. This isn’t technically a question, but it’s one of the most important answers you can give. This is where you fill in the blanks on your resume by listing soft skills, work history, and other qualifications that didn’t fit on the resume. You want to expand on who you are as a person, an employee, and as a potential asset to the business. You can mention where you come from, your hobbies, etc. as long as you can relate it back to how that will tie into your experience and your performance as an employee.
For example, the hiring manager likely doesn’t care about your trading card collection. However, if you regularly attend card conventions and can talk about pricing, qualities, and other characteristics in English, then you should mention it to show your English abilities. Alternatively, you can mention your hometown so long as you can tie it to your experience or how you were raised to work hard and try your best at everything you do. Your answers should always connect with how it will positively affect your performance if you are hired.
Question 2: “Tell me about a time you dealt with a difficult guest.”
This is not an invitation to vent about that jerk who insulted you for forgetting to send fries with their burger. Use this opportunity to explain how, despite the guest being a jerk, you expedited the missed side, sent a free dessert to apologize, and turned around the guest experience so they left happy and satisfied. Try not to insult the guest, but use words like “difficult”, “demanding”, and “high expectation”. These are all more polite terms than “needy jerk who is never satisfied” but convey the same message.
Question 3: “How do you handle fast-paced or high-intensity environments?”
Most hospitality environments have their busy days (weekends) or high-traffic seasons (summer or fall) and while some places are busy with 200 covers or 100 check-ins, others are busy with 50 covers or 20 check-ins. It’s all subjective so it’s up to you to convey the difficulties you experience and how you dealt with them. Using words like “teamwork”, “support”, and “communication”, describe how you and your team supported each other, assisted guests, and kept morale high for both team members and guests. How the guests felt is just as important as how your team felt, so make sure you emphasize how both sides benefited from your methods and skills.
For example, if you work in a restaurant that gets busy on the weekends, you may mention how the servers will help each other to bus tables and deliver food when they get stuck at a table taking a long order. You may also mention how you pass each other notes to mention a birthday or allergy at a table. It’s important to highlight how you work as a team as well as how you manage your own time and responsibilities.
Question 4: “Tell me about a time when you had a conflict with a coworker. How did you handle it?”
Almost everyone has had that one coworker who just gets under your skin no matter what they do. Whether they offer unsolicited advice, constantly move things around so you can’t find them when you need them, or maybe they are just lazy, they are just not someone you enjoy working with. Similarly with Question 2 and rude guests, you want to insult your previous coworkers in an interview. It makes you look petty and unprofessional. Instead, use terms like “difference of opinion”, “clash of personalities”, or simply “we didn’t get along”. If the interviewer asks for details as to why you didn’t get along, keep it professional; don’t call them “lazy”, “dumb”, or “selfish”. You can use phrases like “they seemed unmotivated”, “not a team player”, or “unsupportive”.
Ideally you eventually resolved those issues, which is what the interviewer wants to hear about. Explain how you got over the differences of opinion or the unsupportive nature of your coworker. Did you talk to them directly? Did you involve a manager to be an impartial third party? Did you cuss them out? (Don’t actually describe that third one. It will not be a good look for you.) Describe how you resolved your differences and how you would resolve any future issues you may come across in the future.
Question 5: “How comfortable are you working in a fully-English speaking environment?”
This question is arguably the most important. The interviewer is bluntly asking if your English is good enough to survive and thrive in this new job. It is not the time to be either over confident or humble. Be honest with yourself and, to an extent, with the interviewer. Does your English need more work? Can you hold a conversation with a guest for 5 minutes or more? Are you lacking basic industry vocabulary? These are all questions you have to consider before answering the manager.
While you want to be honest, that does not mean you have to deny yourself the job. Part of learning a new language or starting a new job is learning new things. Not knowing what “86” means in a restaurant doesn’t disqualify you from the job, it’s just something you will learn along the way. Not being able to talk to a guest about the menu, however, will make the job much more difficult.
It’s okay to tell the interviewer that you may have certain gaps in your knowledge but you want to immediately follow that up with your willingness to learn and your motivation to excel in the new role. Describe new things you learned in previous roles, your goals for the future and how they will motivate you to do well at this job, etc. Sell yourself.
If you have questions about interview preparation or other Hospitality English topics, feel free to reach out to us on social media or through the Contact Us page on the website. We look forward to hearing from you!
