Dec
Job hunting is one of those tasks in life we all have to endure from time to time. In this day and age, many of us tend not to stay in one career for for “life”, compared to the our parents’ generation, and this is especially true for restaurants. The industry can be fairly unstable, especially in a city where the rents are usually higher and there’s a lot of competition. Restaurants and bars fail and close up all the time, so even if you like your current job you might find yourself all of a sudden unemployed!
If you are for the moment unemployed and looking for a job, or if you already have a job and need to find a new one, there’s no escaping the dreaded job interview. You could very well be the most charming and surefooted person on the planet, but if you’re not used to the interview process or haven’t done an interview in a while you might want a little rehearsal. This is where conducting a “mock interview” can be quite helpful.
To try out a mock interview, ask a good friend or family member to help you and be your interview partner. Use somebody who you feel at ease around, and who you know will be 100 per cent honest with you. You don’t want a “yes man” type of person who, because of their personal bias toward you, will be blind to your deficiencies.
Also, it helps if your interview partner has a great deal of experience in interviews him or herself. Perhaps you know someone who works in a human resources department of a company? They know all the angles!
Ask your interview partner to prepare some sensible questions that an employer would ask an interviewee. Make sure you don’t know the questions in advance, so you can practice thinking on your feet! As in a real interview, you should prepare yourself as well by thinking up answers to common interview questions. You can search online for typical interview questions if you need some examples.
Ask your “buddy” to honestly measure how you “come across”–ask him or her to take note of times in your replies when you seem too arrogant or cocky, or too hesitant. If you want another perspective on how you come across to others, try practicing on your own looking into the mirror.
While it’s essential to be prepared, obviously, don’t over-think it. Being too self-conscious during a real interview can paralyze you and make you look nervous.
Remember, interviews for restaurant jobs can often be more informal than corporate interviews, depending, of course, on the size and service level of the establishment. Your interview process for a fine dining establishment or the restaurant of a major expensive hotel might be a bit more involved or intense than that for a local pub or watering hole.
Here’s another piece of advice: make sure you smile! It goes without saying that you’ll be nervous during your real interview. Because of this, smiling might not come naturally to you. So practice your smile, making it an active component of your presentation, when doing your mock interview. Studies have shown that facial expressions can actually have an impact on mood. So smiling, as well as making a positive impression on your future employer, can genuinely help generate a positive confident mood that will help you breeze through your interview.
The key is to be yourself, be prepared, and be confident in your abilities and assets as a potential employee. If you haven’t done interviews in a while, or are new to job hunting, you might be a bit rusty. So performing a mock interview with a helpful friend is a great way to break the ice!