Job Seekers: How To Be “The Most Impressionable Candidate”
Tips To Prepare For Your Perfect Job Opportunity
The following information is not about your experience or your skill set. It is about how to be the “Most Impressionable Candidate”; this is what makes the lasting impression on the hiring manager.
RESUME WRITING TIPS
Stand out from the crowd with these 5 tips:
COVER LETTER IDEAS
Interviewing Skills
INTERVIEW DO’S:
Arrive on time or a few minutes early. Make sure you know the route and allow for traffic. Have a current copy of your resume with you.
Greet the interviewer by last name if you are sure of the pronunciation. If not, ask the employer to repeat it.
Project energy and enthusiasm. Smile and shake hands firmly. Keep eye contact.
Wait until you’re offered a chair before sitting. Sit upright, and look alert and interested at all times. Listen carefully and respond succinctly and articulately.
Make sure you answer the question specifically.
Early in the meeting, try to get the interviewer to describe the job and the duties to you so you can focus your responses on your background, skills, and accomplishments that relate to the position.
Be sincere and truthful while focusing on communicating your specific professional achievements that relate to the job opening.
Verbally highlight your talents and accomplishments, but be careful not to “brag.”
INTERVIEW DON’TS:
Don’t answer with a simple “yes” or “no.” Explain whenever possible.
If you don’t understand a question, or need a moment to think about it, say so.
Never pretend to know something or someone when you don’t.
Don’t rely on your application or resume to do the selling for you. Interviewers will want you to be convincing.
Don’t make negative remarks about present or former employers. When explaining your reasons for leaving, communicate your rationale professionally.
Don’t over-answer questions. If the interviewer steers the conversation into controversial – or even illegal – topics, try to do more listening than speaking.
Keep your responses non-committal.
Don’t inquire about salary, vacations, benefits, bonuses, or retirement on the initial interview unless you are sure the employer is interested in hiring you. If the interviewer asks what salary you want, give a range based on your research of the job market, but indicate that you’re more interested in the opportunity for continued learning and professional development than in a specific salary.
Be Prepared For Commonly Asked Questions
TELL ME ABOUT YOURSELF
Be prepared to respond to the question, “Tell me about yourself,” by creating a 15-second “sound bite” that describes your professional background and strongest skills in two or three sentences. Vary your response according to the specific job opportunity and offer a brief description of why you would be a good fit for the position. One of the best ways to prepare for an interview is to rehearse with a tape recorder and then critique your answers.
TELL ME ABOUT YOUR BACKGROUND, ACCOMPLISHMENTS, STRENGTHS, WEAKNESSES
Employers who ask this question are usually looking for a short synopsis of your experience. Be sure to demonstrate how you’ve developed professionally and be objective when listing your strengths and weaknesses.
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR MOST RECENT JOB PERFORMANCE
Hiring managers tend to ask this question in order to gauge your level of enthusiasm for the work that you do. They’re also looking for a direct connection between your current position and the one for which you’re applying.
WHAT INTERESTS YOU ABOUT OUR COMPANY?
This question seems straightforward, but it can sometimes be difficult to answer if you haven’t thought about it beforehand. There are two important factors to include in your answer. The first is to use your knowledge of the company to show your sincere interest. Second, give a specific reason the position for which you’re applying appeals to you (other than the fact that you need a job).
WHO WAS YOUR MOST DIFFICULT BOSS AND WHY?
It’s imperative to be as diplomatic as possible when answering this question. Avoid becoming too personal. Instead, focus on your previous supervisor’s management style and the manner in which he or she communicated. The interviewer is looking for some indication as to how well you would get along with your future boss, if you were hired.
WHAT OUTSIDE ACTIVITIES ARE MOST SIGNIFICANT TO YOUR PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT?
Many employers ask this question to see what kind of balance you are looking for between your personal and professional lives. While it’s good to list one or two activities, be careful not to list too many activities as the employer may wonder if outside interest will interfere with your work.
WHERE DO YOU SEE YOURSELF IN FIVE YEARS? IN TEN YEARS?
Avoid mapping out a detailed plan when answering this question. Instead, describe what you feel is the next logical step or steps in your career path.
Applying For A Position With Hospitality Pro Search…
What’s Next
Once you apply for a job through one of our recruiters, it is very important that you do not apply for the job elsewhere. If you do so, the team at Hospitality Pro Search will not longer be able to represent you resulting in a loss of HPS counsel and advocacy.
WHAT AREAS DOES HOSPITALITY PRO SEARCH SPECIALIZE IN?
Hospitality Pro Search specializes in finding talent at the executive and management levels in food, beverage and service verticals. Our most frequent placements occur in the following positions:
- Executive Chef
- Pastry Chef
- General Manager
- F&B Director
- Food Scientist
- R&D Chef
- Product Manager
- Corporate Accountant
- HR Manager
- Director of Talent Development
- Territory and Category Sales
WHAT IF I DON'T WANT MY CURRENT EMPLOYER TO KNOW THAT I AM SEARCHING!
If you choose to work with us or if we come to you with an opportunity, your professional network will never be any the wiser: we operate in strictest confidence and will never put your current job in peril.
Help us maintain this discretion by giving us only your personal contact information rather than your work information when you create your profile.
WHAT IF I DON'T WANT MY CURRENT EMPLOYER TO KNOW THAT I AM SEARCHING!
If you choose to work with us or if we come to you with an opportunity, your professional network will never be any the wiser: we operate in strictest confidence and will never put your current job in peril.
Help us maintain this discretion by giving us only your personal contact information rather than your work information when you create your profile.
I'VE MADE UP MY MIND TO MAKE A CHANGE, SHOULD I RESIGN NOW?
The placement process can take weeks and by resigning too soon you risk putting yourself and your family in financial jeopardy. Unless abusive or harmful, remain in your current position and honor your commitment until you have secured your next position.
WILL HOPSPITALITY PRO SEARCH WRITE MY RESUME?
We will advise you on the fundamentals of creating an effective and professional resume but the writing and formatting is your responsibility. Please refer to our Resume Tips to get started.
WHAT IF THERE ARE CERTAIN COMPANIES I DO NOT WANT TO WORK FOR?
After a thorough interview in which you have the opportunity to voice all of your concerns, we take our cue from you and will never present you to a company without your approval.
WHAT IF THERE ARE CERTAIN COMPANIES I DO NOT WANT TO WORK FOR?
After a thorough interview in which you have the opportunity to voice all of your concerns, we take our cue from you and will never present you to a company without your approval.
WHY CAN'T HOSPITALITY PRO SEARCH ALWAYS TELL ME THE NAME OF THE CLIENT?
Hospitality Pro Search is not always able to tell you the name of a client because clients frequently request confidentiality and we must honor that. If you are selected for an interview, we will share the company name and history with you before the first meeting so you can be fully prepared.
WHAT IF I WANT TO RELOCATE?
We listen to our candidates and strive to fulfill their career goals financially, geographically, and culturally. We are a national company with clients from coast to coast and we pick the best candidates for those available positions regardless of where they’re currently living.
WHAT IS HOSPITALITY PRO SEARCH'S POLICY ON REFERENCES?
Reference checks are completed during your interview process after we present you to a client. We require a list of professional references and prefer that you include your superiors from your most recent position.
We conduct thorough reference interviews with your superiors and subordinates. It is important to select those who you believe will be thorough and give good examples of your work and behavior.
DRESS FOR A SUCCESSFUL INTERVIEW
Conveying a professional image is crucial during a job interview. Some experts believe that 65% of the decision to hire a person is based on nonverbal communication, a good portion of which is your appearance.
HOW FORMALLY SHOULD YOU DRESS?
This depends on the job. You want to show professionalism, so in most cases casual wear is out. Dress a little more conservatively than you would for the job on a regular basis. Bear in mind that a dress or a suit conveys respect for the company that is interviewing you. Understand the culture of the company, and try to dress accordingly.
HOW FORMALLY SHOULD YOU DRESS?
This depends on the job. You want to show professionalism, so in most cases casual wear is out. Dress a little more conservatively than you would for the job on a regular basis. Bear in mind that a dress or a suit conveys respect for the company that is interviewing you. Understand the culture of the company, and try to dress accordingly.
HOW FORMALLY SHOULD YOU DRESS?
This depends on the job. You want to show professionalism, so in most cases casual wear is out. Dress a little more conservatively than you would for the job on a regular basis. Bear in mind that a dress or a suit conveys respect for the company that is interviewing you. Understand the culture of the company, and try to dress accordingly.
The Truth About The “Counter Offer”
No matter what the circumstances are when an employer is forced to make a counter-offer, the employee who stays will always be questioned in terms of loyalty. He/she is no longer considered to be a team player and will usually be the first to go.
Counter-offers are crisis avoidance measures and stall devices to give the employer time to find a suitable replacement.
An applicant’s reasons for wanting to leave an employer are still existent; just a bit more tolerable because of a raise (or whatever).
Reputable companies don’t make counter-offers. EVER! Their policies are fair and equitable and they will not subject themselves to blackmail.
Bosses hate to lose people to a better offer, so they make a counter offer to buy time so that they may dismiss the employee on their own terms.
Counter-offers are made only because of a threat to quit.
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