“How do I prepare for tough interview questions?”

This is a common fear among most hospitality job seekers. Your experience and education mentioned on your resume will get you selected for the interview, but you will have to prove yourself as a worthy candidate before securing the coveted job offer letter.

Interviews are necessary primarily because of the high number of applications that every job posting receives. Today most employers parse through resumes electronically. Applications are stored in a database, filtered with the help of pre-set rules and only the ones that contain the required skills pass through.

Well informed job applicants know the importance of a well written resume and generally include all the ‘electronic rule friendly’ keywords. While this is great for the hospitality ob seeker, it makes it harder for the hiring manager to solely rely on electronic filters to accurately gauge an individual – thus giving rise to the job interview.

Also, many hospitality jobs are quickly becoming multi dimensional and soft skills are increasingly being sought; positive attitude, openness to change, friendly demeanor, team player skills and negotiation abilities have found their way into most job profiles.

Considering all these assessment factors, the job interview is fraught with seemingly tough interview questions. I use the term ‘seemingly’ because commonly asked questions pose different challenges for different candidates.

So how does one answer interview questions effectively, especially the tough ones?

Honesty

An absolute must follow. Experienced hospitality hiring managers would never advise you to falsify claims because most expert interviewers will catch them. There is no quicker way to end a job interview than to be caught lying.

If you’ve been called for an interview you can safely assume that your resume has the required skills mentioned within it.

Many interviewers simplify their task – they go into an interview with the sole objective of verifying the information stated on the resume.

Using superlatives and keywords (such as ‘successfully’, ‘effectively’, ‘managed’, etc.) is definitely recommended but remember to respect the difference between glorifying achievements and fabricating counterfeit ones. Honesty is the best policy for both, the resume and the interview.

Give Real Examples

A time tested technique to communicate effectively (and to answer interview questions successfully) is to refer to real life situations. Even the best of hypotheses will fall short when compared to facts.

Frame your answers as per these guidelines – describe the challenge, state the goal, and mention the expectation from you. It is human nature to look for the end result so expect the interviewer to ask you ‘what happened in the end?’

Learning

Accomplishing one’s goal is always the aim, but sometimes our biggest successes can come from the learning that we gain during the experience.

Remember to give perspective when stating the result of your actions; if you weren’t successful, cite the learning that you gained. Experience teaches us to not repeat mistakes and prepares us for success in the future – every experienced employer understands and respects this fact.

If you have subsequently used the lessons that you learned, highlight the same in your answer. Learning from mistakes (or unsuccessful experiences) is a great skill to have.

Very often candidates ask if it is okay to clarify a question with the interviewer. Of course it is!

What makes an interview question tough is not that it is out of this world, but that it is not understood correctly by the candidate. Always clarify – the chances of you giving the right answer without understanding the question are slim.

In summary think about the interview process before your meeting with the hospitality manager. Think about how you will respond to their questions and use the suggestions offered above and that coveted hospitality job just might be yours.

Gail Wise is a article contributor for Hospitality Jobs LA. http://www.hospitalityjobsla.com

Gail Wise is a article contributor for Hospitality Jobs LA. http://www.hospitalityjobsla.com

Author Bio: Gail Wise is a article contributor for Hospitality Jobs LA. http://www.hospitalityjobsla.com

Category: Advice
Keywords: hospitality interview, hospitality job, hospitality jobs