5 Top Tips to a Successful Interview with a Hotel Hiring Manager!

In previous blog posts, we have discussed the importance of first impressions and customer service in the hospitality industry. In order to get your first job in hospitality, you’ll need to “wow” your potential employers from the first moment they meet you, just as you will need to “wow” your future guests. Here are five essentials that will help you stand out in your interview.

1. Dress sharp from head to toe.
   Go all the way with this one. You don’t need to wear a bow tie or ball gown, but dress exactly the way you would if you were the front desk receptionist at a five-star hotel. Wear your suit jacket with trousers or a skirt, and stick with conservative styles. Your hair should be neat and stylish and your clothing laundered and wrinkle-free. Everything matters, right down to your clean, trimmed nails.

2. Play the part.
   Execute every step of the job application and interview process as you would if you were an employee going about your daily tasks: Be thorough in your application and include all necessary details, offer a warm and firm handshake when you are introduced, be poised and polite, and think before you speak. It’s important to be the best version of yourself — the version that would delight the hotel’s potential guests.

3. Be prepared.
   This advice applies to most industries, and hospitality is no different. Being fully prepared for your interview demonstrates how you will anticipate customer needs and daily tasks in a proactive manner. You need to show your employer that you’re prepared from the moment you walk in the door. Arrive at least 10 minutes early. Be prepared for behavioural-based questions — your potential employer will want to know how you might react to certain challenging and unexpected situations. And, of course, have a few questions prepared for the end of the interview. Make sure to ask what you genuinely want to know about the organisation.

4. Follow up.
   Without question, always follow up after the interview via email. This proves that you know the importance of interpersonal etiquette, as well as helps you stand out amongst other applicants.

5. Have the know-how.
   There are some skills you will assuredly need to get through that first interview. Review your computer skills — you’ll likely be tested, so be certain you understand the property management system used by the hotel and ensure that you’re up to date on the typical policies and standard operating procedures the hospitality industry abides by.

Get ahead of the crowd by honing your skills. Whilst the above tips can only increase your chances at getting through that first interview, recruiters ultimately need candidates who already have the required skills to begin working within days of accepting the position. Hiring managers are impressed by candidates who invest in their futures by undertaking an education and training that will help develop the skills required by the industry, enabling them to provide the best customer service from day one. Have you obtained the skills you’ll need for your role in the hospitality industry? Reception Academy can help you nail that first interview and be ready to hit the ground running on your first day. How? Through our recruitment workshop included in our Hotel Receptionist & OPERA V5 4-Week Course.

Hotel Receptionist & OPERA V5 4-Week Course

Contact us for more information:

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E1 7NJ
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7953 7796