Lesser known interview tips

Not all interviews are the same, some are more intense then others.

Here are some tips to make that kind of interview easier to manage.

Here are my tips for interviews, some less common then others. These are best for an interview in a cooking position or when your being interviewed be a chef.

The fact is that Chefs make a lot of assumptions based on first impressions so we have to account for that.

Make sure the accounts showing your skill are consistent

Each account of your skill that you give must add up, if not it can be seen as made up.

Be specific on your answers, don't be to general

being too general and not specifying can question the truth of your story can lead the interviewer questioning the truth the account

Always come prepared

Being prepared can make or break your entire interview. Prepare the previous day by having your outfit ready, research the company and go over your answers with someone.

Research the company

Adding on to the previous point, researching the company can make a world of difference. Knowing where and what your applying for can boost your preparation, confidence and make you look better in the interview.

The 10 second rule

The most important time in the interview is the first 10 seconds, because that is where most of the assumptions are proven or disproven.

Look Professional

having the right uniform in the right condition is maybe the most important thing you can do to prepare. it is the main factor examined when they see your first impression. Also your demeanor, tone and the way you speak contribute to it just as much

Speak clearly

you can't have a good interview when the person can't hear or understand what your saying. speak clear enough in the given location, especially when your in a busy restaurant.

Ask your own questions

It makes you seem more engaged in the conversation, plus it gives you time to think about your next answer.

Bring a drink

You can sip a drink during the interview, it gives you time to think about your answer without causing any awkward silence.

Time is money

In an interview time is different, the scheduled time isn't when you show up, that is the time you have until you are late. Early is on time, on time is late, and late isn't the option.

Interview questions and answers

What was your worst moment during your last internship and how did you persevere?

  • Using ground beef for sauce that was needed for burgers
  • Communicated with management, waitstaff and other cooks/head chef, Relayed the message to guests
  • The result was an evening that had the problem mitigated by a shipment coming later that day

Name a time you had to make a split second decision

  • Deciding whether to retrieve certain ingredients from the neighboring store(things we couldn’t buy in bulk) and continuing the matters I had to attend to(baked beans and French onion soup)
  • The decision was to finish them and go while they are supervised to prevent burning or overcooking.
  • It resulted in an efficient use of time and multitasking

How do you handle failure?

  • Failure is a necessary byproduct of learning
  • I embrace its inevitability and mitigate it as much as the situation allows
  • I try not to let failure discourage my future endeavors and focus on learning from it

How are your cooperation skills? Give an example

  • My cooperation skills are noticeably good, especially in the kitchen. At my recent Dual credit at centennial collage, 
  • I was placed with a team of others mostly older than me, we struggled at first but with each passing week we improved 
  • We took the time to discuss and observe our strengths and weaknesses.
  • Mine focuses on leadership, time management, planning and quick/ efficient preparation These assets split among us made the task at hand easier to handle

What was your most uncomfortable work moment and why? What did you do?

  • Someone hit their head on the concrete deck and suffered a concussion.
  • I evacuated the pool, pulled the kid out and administered first aid as per my training, I called 911 and bandaged the wound as best I could since it was a head wound.
  • I  had to enlist the help of bystanders because I simply needed more help. In the end he was fully treated at the nearest hospital and is making a full recovery.
  • In the end he was fully treated at the nearest hospital and is making a full recovery.

What can you do for us better than the other applicants

  •  I can bring a cleaner, well prepared and orderly work environment.
  • I go out of my way to ensure preparation and mise en place(coring tomatoes, steaming carrots and rutabaga, peeling carrots and onions, cutting potatoes, setting bacon trays for baking, soaking beans) 
  • led to the sense of order being noticeability increased for me and so helped lead the other cooks in our various assignments

How do you work in a high pressure environment

  •  I do not work so well under pressure. I tend to lose cohesion and focus on my task
  • I counter that and it is to focus on organization and cleanliness while maintaining cooperation with others
  • I made sure to focus on one task at a time while maintaining a clean environment. While it was still stressful I mitigated the potential mistakes and ended up finishing on time. (Christmas banquet with the head chef. We served mashed potatoes, smoked and roasted turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce and garden salad. )

Why did you leave your last job?

  • Contract ended
  • Kept in contact through volunteering to get hours of experience

How do you keep the workplace team stable?

  • Contribute to the stability of the team through offering support outside of work, offering advice where possible and being able to help where I can
  • At centennial I reinforced this by keeping in touch with the team outside of school to discuss future classes, who might be absent, what will happen next and what we will each do for the recipe to save time and cohesion.

Name one thing you could change about your last job.

  • The one thing I would change about my last job would be the layout. 
  • It made the trip from the basement kitchen to the line more difficult than needed because it required moving by some of the tables
  • letting the guests lay eyes on me and some others cleaning and maintaining the basement kitchen which doesn’t make us look good since we also have to move dirty dishes and food through that area
  • I would have the layout set up in a way that prevents the guests from seeing what they don’t want to, by installing extra passageways to hide the back work of the restaurant.