Tips for your hospitality interview

Regardless of how experienced you are, job interviews are a nerve wracking situation. But they’re also exciting, especially when you’re being interviewed for your dream role.

You no doubt worked extremely hard to create the perfect, professional CV and cover letter in order to be called for an interview, but the work isn’t over yet. You now need to make sure that you make a strong impression and show your potential new employers that you’re the right person for the job. So, here are some tips to help you ace your hotel job interview:

Do your research

As Career FAQs notes, while it should be a given that you conduct company and industry research prior to your interview, it is surprising how many people neglect to do so. Researching the business and the sector shows that you are passionate and knowledgeable. It will also enable you to ask intelligent and informed questions during the interview, allowing you to demonstrate your suitability for the role.

When researching the company, you want to find all the available information so go through their website in detail, look on Google and LinkedIn, and all of their social media, as well as any news articles that they are featured in. This will also help to give you an insight into the company’s culture, its people, and its values.

Feeling prepared will give you a kick of confidence and help to reduce those nerves.

Make the right first impression

Just as in the hospitality industry itself, first impressions count in job interviews. Make sure you dress the part and that your outfit is suitable for the position, the company, and the style of interview.

As soon as you arrive for your interview, be polite and friendly to everyone. And talking of arriving, be early — but not too early! The general rule is to arrive ten minutes prior to your interview time. This shows that you are punctual and reliable, without being too eager.

The first 30 seconds will make the biggest impact. Firmly shake hands, and wait until you’re offered a seat — you don’t want to end up sitting in the interviewer’s chair!

Present yourself as a five-star candidate and you’ll blow them away with a five-star performance.

Talk about your aspirations

When applying for the job, you no doubt thought about what potential future you could have at the company. No-one wants to be in the same role forever and, whether consciously or not, we weigh up benefits to our professional development during the job application process. Great companies will care about career progression as much as you do.

We advises job candidates to discuss their career aspirations during their interview. Talking about your future career plans demonstrates that you’re committed, passionate, and have a desire to grow with the company — after all, hospitality employers like to promote from within.

Prepare for questions

The hospitality industry involves communicating with guests from all over the world. While it is an extremely rewarding industry, it can also come with its own set of challenges and is very busy, especially during peak seasons.

Of course there are specific skills that can be beneficial when applying for a job, but one of the biggest things that interviewers will look for is how well you interact with people, handle stress, and solve problems. The interviewer will, therefore, ask you questions that enable you to highlight those attributes.

Common questions that crop up during a hotel job interview include:

• Why are you interested in this job role?
• Why do you want to work at this hotel?
• What does excellent customer service mean to you?
• Have you ever dealt with a guest complaint? If so, how did you handle it?
• Do you have any hospitality experience or did you train to gain the skills required for this job?
• Where do you see yourself in five years?

These questions provide you with an opportunity to put the research you conducted to the test, linking your answers back to the company and the job role. And don’t forget to ask your own questions too!

Going for a job interview can be nerve wracking, but preparation and knowing you have the necessary qualifications can help give you the confidence to ace your hotel job interview. If you dream of starting a career in the hospitality industry, why not take one of our courses?