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The hospitality industry is extremely dynamic, and starting your career in this field can set you up for success in a variety of coveted jobs in the future. Your hospitality career could put you on a cruise ship, or it could put you in charge of activities at a posh resort. If you want to nail the interview and get the hospitality job you have always wanted, then you will need to be prepared with a few common job interview questions.
You’re likely to be asked these five questions at interviews in this industry, and you’ll need to know how to answer interview questions like these in a professional manner if you want the job.
Table of contents
1. The unhappy customer scenario
Common question 1:
“Tell me about a time when you were dealing with an unhappy customer and how you handled that situation.”
The customer is the prime concern in the hospitality industry, and you must be able to turn a frustrated customer into a repeat guest. When you answer this question, you should choose an incident where the client was very angry, but you were able to diffuse the situation. Your answer should also include your dedication to making each customer happy and your unique approach to each customer situation.
2. Use your hospitality experience
Common question 2:
Do you use your experience at restaurants and hotels to mould your performance in your career?
If you watch a hospitality expert deal with a difficult situation in a manner that makes the situation look easy, then you need to learn from that experience. Hiring managers in the hospitality industry like to hear that their employees are not only enhancing their careers through education, but also that they observe other hospitality professionals and learn from them as well.
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3. Emergency preparation
Common question 3:
Do you have basic first aid skills?
If you have ever been to a resort and seen a person in distress, you may notice that all of the managers at that resort know first aid.
4. Scheduling flexibility
Common question 4:
How flexible is your schedule?
This may be the first question that each hiring manager asks you because it is important to hospitality organisations to have staff with flexible schedules. If you are interviewing for a job on a cruise ship, then your schedule is obviously around the clock. But there may be moments when you have to work seven straight days—or more—for a resort, and the company wants to know that it can count on you to be there.
5. Key qualities in hospitality
Common question 5:
What do you look for in a good hospitality professional?
Job interview questions like this evaluate how much experience you have working with or observing other hospitality professionals. It is extremely difficult to be an introverted hospitality professional, and this question seeks to find out how well you know your job and how you would compare yourself to others in the industry—not to mention how well you might perform as a manager.
Read the following for more questions: surprising hospitality interview questions
6. Conclusion
Preparing yourself with these common hospitality interview questions and answers will help you attain the hospitality job you’ve always wanted and set yourself up for success later in your career. While you’re readying yourself for your interview, make sure to research your potential employer to get an idea of the culture in order to prepare stronger responses.
