The Components of a Good Restaurant Interview

A good restaurant interview begins with setting the proper goals. Interviewers need to have a clear vision for what they want to achieve before sitting down with a candidate. More specifically, a good interview should focus on evaluating the candidate’s qualifications, experience, and fit for the restaurant’s culture. Those categories are broad, so let’s take a moment to break them down and explore their components.

Assessing Capacity

To assess capacity, or candidate qualifications, the interviewer should ask questions about their education, work experience, certifications, and specific skills related to the job. More specifically, restaurant jobs often require excellent customer service skills. The interviewer should ask questions to evaluate the candidate’s ability to handle customer requests, complaints, and concerns in a professional and efficient manner.

Restaurant jobs are also often fast-paced; they require quick thinking. In a good interview, the candidate should be asked situational questions to evaluate their ability to think on their feet and solve problems in a timely and effective manner. Because any restaurant job has a large team component, the interviewer should also evaluate the candidate’s ability to work collaboratively with others and communicate effectively with co-workers.

Assessing Competency

The interviewer should ask about the candidate’s relevant experience in the restaurant industry to get a sense of their competency. This can include questions about previous roles, duties, and responsibilities, as well as any notable achievements or accomplishments.

Assessing Cultural Fit

This breaks down into three sub-categories:

Knowledge of the Restaurant: Is the candidate knowledgeable of the restaurant’s menu, ambiance, and overall concept? Their level of research prior to their interview demonstrates their interest in the restaurant and their ability to adapt to its culture.
Availability: When is the candidate available to work? What is their schedule? Do they have willingness to work weekends and holidays? Do they foresee any scheduling conflicts that may arise?
Personality Fit: Questions here are essential to determine whether the candidate will be a good fit for the restaurant’s culture. This can include questions about their communication style, attitude, and work ethic.

Legal Pitfalls to Avoid When Interviewing

There are several legal pitfalls to be aware of when conducting interviews. Some of them will seem obvious and familiar, however it is still important to do your due diligence when it comes to educating yourself or training others to become interviewers. How familiar are you with each of the below?

Discrimination: It is illegal to discriminate against candidates based on their race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, or disability. Questions that ask about these characteristics, such as a candidate’s marital status or plans to have children, should be avoided.
Privacy: Candidates have a right to privacy, so questions that ask about personal details or information unrelated to the job may be considered intrusive. For example, asking about a candidate’s health or sexual orientation may be inappropriate.
Misrepresentation: Interviewers should not make false or misleading statements about the job or the company. This includes exaggerating the duties of the job or misrepresenting the company’s financial situation.
Background Checks: Employers must comply with federal and state laws when conducting background checks on candidates. This includes obtaining the candidate’s consent and providing the candidate with a copy of the report.
Confidentiality: Interviewers should not disclose confidential information about the candidate to others, including other employees or managers.

To avoid these legal pitfalls, it is important to prepare a list of job-related questions and avoid asking questions that are not relevant to the job. It is also important to document the interview process and to train interviewers on legal requirements and best practices.

What Training Is Needed to Conduct Interviews?

Conducting interviews requires a combination of communication skills, critical thinking, and knowledge of the subject matter being discussed. To prepare for conducting interviews, here are some types of training that can be helpful:

Communication Skills Training: The ability to communicate effectively is essential for conducting successful interviews. Training in communication skills can help interviewers develop active listening skills, ask open-ended questions, and communicate with clarity and empathy.
Interviewing Techniques Training: There are different interviewing techniques that can be used depending on the purpose of the interview. They will help interviewers determine the best approach for each interview and learn how to tailor their questions to the interviewee.
Subject Matter Knowledge: Depending on the field in which the interview is being conducted, having subject matter knowledge can be helpful. It can help the interviewer ask informed and relevant questions, understand the interviewee’s responses, and follow up with additional questions that dive deeper into the topic.
Practice: Like any skill, conducting interviews requires practice. Mock interviews can be an effective way to practice the techniques and skills required to conduct successful interviews. This can be done with a mentor, colleague, or through role-playing exercises.
Professional Development: There are many resources available for professional development in conducting interviews. These can include workshops, online courses, and conferences that focus on best practices, new techniques, and emerging trends in the field of interviewing.

You want to make headlines for the right reasons. Knowing which topics to avoid and what areas to develop your conversation with a potential hire will simplify the process. Again, a good interview should focus on evaluating the candidate’s qualifications, experience, and fit for the restaurant’s culture. Use this guide to hone your interviewing skills and avoid legal pitfalls.

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The Components of a Good Restaurant Interview