Category: job interview questions

a range of job interview questions and answers designed to help career professionals to pass more job interviews

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How to Answer the Interview Question ‘Why this company?’

The ‘why this company?’ job interview question can be a turning point in the job interview, leading to a potential offer of employment or a rejection.

This article will explain:

  • Why employers ask the ‘why this company?’ interview question
  • How you shouldn’t respond to the question
  • Best interview answer examples

The ‘why this company?’ question can be challenging if the job applicant hasn’t prepared a solid response.

There are two types of job interviews that ask this question. The first is in a structured job interview, where the question is asked to all job applicants as part of sequential process.

In a structured job interview, all questions are scored against the job interview score card.

A second interview style, is the informal job interview where all job interview questions are asked off the cuff. In an unstructured job interview, the employer will generally ask the ‘why this company?’ as they build rapport with the job applicant.

Why is the ‘why this company?’ interview question so important?

The ‘why this company?’ question comes in various forms;

  • “Why did you apply for this role?”
  • “What do you like about our organization?”
  • “Why do you want to work here?”
  • “Tell me, what made you apply for this position?”
  • “Do you think you will be a good fit here?”

The goal of the job interview, from the employers perspective is to predict the job performance of each interviewee.

High performing employees perform well when employed in an organisation that has company values and a vision that match that of the employee. In addition, performance and outcomes often improve if the employee works naturally well under the management and leadership styles of company.

It makes sense then, for employers to ask a job interview questions to understand the motivations of each job candidate.

A second reason whey hiring managers ask ‘why do you want to work for this organisation?’ type questions to predict staff retention.

Some research shows that employees, on average, stay in an organization for an average of 4.5 years. Hiring cost for businesses can add up, with the average cost per new recruit being between £2000-£3000.

For large organisations who take on hundreds of new staff each year to replace job hopping employees can see their profits dwindle by the migration of staff.

Due to the barrier of staff turnover, employers now more than ever before are asking recruitment questions to help predict if a new employee is likely to stay for a longer than average duration.

This is why the ‘why this company?’ interview question is frequently featured during recruitment events.

How not to respond to the ‘why this company?’ question.

As mentioned previously, the ‘why this company’ question can be a turning point in the job interview.

This is because the applicants answer will hit a ‘turn on’ or ‘turn off’ button in the recruiters mind.

Business owners are proud of their company. If an applicant has applied because they love the company culture, the visions and values an affinity can be created – you like me (my company) so I will like you.

And the opposite affect can be created when the candidate doesn’t show a real interest in the company itself, they just need a job.

5 ways not to answer the ‘why us’ question.

  1. I applied for so many jobs that I cant remember why I choose this one
  2. I’m desperate for a job
  3. This will be a good experience for my career
  4. The salary is very competitive
  5. I’m keen to develop my skills in this job sector

Employers are looking to employ an applicant who want to work with the organisation to help create a success. Answers that talk about salary and professional-development are one-sided, the answer is seen as selfish.

Answers that focus solely on the candidate themselves, what they want to get out of the job, are viewed as negative. With employers believing that once the employee has taken what they can, they will simple up sticks and leave.

Offence is given when interviewees state they are applying for the advertised job role purely because they are desperate, in need, or struggling to find their ‘ideal’ position. As noted before, employers are proud of their organisation and dislike anyone who disrespects their company.

The best way to answer ‘why do you want to work here?’ question.

5 quick tips to start of the reply to ‘why us’ interview question

  1. Focus on the company not solely on your qualifications, experiences and skills as other interview questions will request this information.
  2. Be enthusiastic about the company. Know the company values, mission and culture.
  3. Link your personal values to that of the companies.
  4. Be specific in your answers
  5. Focus on collaboration

3 Styles of answers that employers love

Specific Company Information.

The first style of interview answer requires research.

In years gone by, job applicants would answer the why would you like to work here interview question by stating the duration the company had been in business, the products the company created and how they (the applicant) would like to progress internally.

This answer is no longer acceptable.

Employers were previously impressed by a candidates knowledge of their organization prior to all company information being readily available on the internet. Previously, to know company insights took research, where todays job hunters gain the same information at the touch of a button.

Instead, interviewees can convince employers that they are the right fit for the organisation by presenting hard to find information, data or statistics.

At a basic level this information can include the company values, mission and vision statement, often found on the ‘about us’ website page. But really, every job seeker should review this information prior to a job interview.

To impress an interview panel, research more specific information which can include:

  • Newly won contracts and tenders
  • Understanding the company income structure: government contracts, investors, selling products
  • Parent companies that the organisation sits under
  • Duration of the interviewers time in the organisation (easily accessed via LinkedIn)
  • Information on community activities, sustainability programs, diversity and inclusion polices and other social enterprises
  • Future proposals – think Tesla creating cars, and now building rockets (sources for this information include: press releases, social media channels and company website)
  • Positive feedback; this can include being known for being a good employer, or being know for the company green policy
  • Timeline – how a company started, how the company built up, problems it faced and how it overcame these, and finally the current situation (presented as a positive). Information to support with this can be found in news articles and on the ‘about us’ webpage.

To answer the interview question, use the following formula:

“I liked to work for organisations that (add positive). What I like about (company name) is that you (add researched information) I personally am also (add trait that links nicely to the researched information) which is why I applied for this role.”

Ahead of the game.

The second approach to be future thinking.

Companies are constantly looking at three things:

  1. Cutting overhead cost/increasing profit
  2. New markets to enter or how their products needs to evolve to be kept current
  3. Competition and customer demand

The savvy career professional, using their industry insight can focus the ‘why us?’ interview answer on adding value.

Imagine an applicant who explains how an additional income can be made from a waste product? Or how demand for one of the company products is high in a particular country. Or how automation, AI and robotics data is showing that a certain product/business may be obsolete in the near future.

Giving researched opinions and ideas creates authority. Employers employ people with additional insights, information and advice, as long as they see the suggestions as valuable.

Because of this, the interviewee must state the source of the information to give the answer credit.

To answer the interview question, use the following formula:

“When I was researching the organisation, I saw that you are involved in (add niche/product). For the past X number of years I have been involved in this (niche/product) and seen many changes. One of my reasons for applying for this is that I know that the company are forward thinking, always looking for continued success. I like that. I was recently reading (research) in (source) that explained how (add data) which could effect this company (positively/negatively). To use this to our advantage, one idea would to (add actions that could be taken).”

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The outsiders perspective.

Everyone likes being praised, including companies.

A good way to answer the ‘why do you want to work for this organisation?’ is by giving a personal perspective. This technique is useful when applying for low to medium size business, and a must when applying for a role in a family run organisation.

Making it personal can include referencing:

  • Personally enjoying the service/product – this can be viewed as a live review
  • Recommendation from a friend who does or has worked for the company
  • The publics reputation – everyone praises this particular business
  • An article in a newspaper that talked about (the companies values, green policy, etc)
  • The leadership style or culture of the company

To answer the interview question, use the following formula:

“When looking for a job I don’t just look at the salary or number of annual leave days, instead I want to work for a company that (add reason). This is why I applied for a position here, because (explain experience, recommendation or source).”

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How to Answer the Interview Question ‘What are your greatest strengths?’

The ‘greatest strengths’ interview question is one of the most commonly quoted job interview questions, used across all job sectors.

Why is the ‘strengths’ question utilized so often? Because of the open nature of question.

Employers pick specific interview questions to help gained an understanding of the applicants knowledge, experience and potential.

Specific interview question will be directed at a key competencies:

  • “Give me an example of doing X?”
  • “How would you handle Y situation?”
  • “Have you ever used Z?”

Competency based interview questions are easy to cross-reference against the job criteria, which is why employers favor the structured job interview.

The barrier, when asking very specific job duty related questions, is that the applicant doesn’t have the opportunity to promote their additional skills, knowledge and experiences.

This is one of the reasons why employers ask more open-ended interview questions such as the famed ‘tell me about yourself’ or the ‘strengths’ interview question.

The article will explain how to approach the ‘what are your greatest strengths?’ job interview question. How to create a high-scoring answer, and how to make the high-scoring answer relevant to the job role.

Preparing for the Job Interview.

The key to answering the ‘greatest achievement’ interview question is in the applicants pre-interview preparation.

The barrier with an open question is the high probability of the applicant going off topic.

In a structured job interview, all interview answers receive points based on the number of job criteria referenced in the job interview answer.

Research shows that the higher number of words per interview answer, equates to a higher number of job offers. But, the answers have to be relevant to the job position.

When preparing for a ‘strengths’ interview question, applicants need to plan to talk about strengths required for the advertised position: an eye for detail, for a quality control officer, or calculations expertise, for a civil engineer.

A good exercise is to list of the essential duties for the advertised position, and in a second column write down a list of strengths, that the applicant possesses, that are required for each duty.

This exercise is to generate ideas, so details aren’t required at this stage. Applicants may list skills, qualities or experiences.

Example – Project Manager Job

Essential DutiesStrengths
Stakeholder managementCommunication
Able to influence and persuade
Relationship building
Having industry related connections
Collaborative working
Project planningExperienced in achieving project outcomes
Analytical and logical approach
Report writing
Collaborative working
Cost projection
Risk assessments
etc

Next, look at the common skills, qualities and experiences that have been repeated throughout the list technique, in our example this is ‘collaborative working’.

Breakdown the reason why the quality, skill, or experience is a strength:

  • What do you specifically do?
  • What is your approach?
  • How is what you do better the a general approach?
  • What is the common result from your actions?
  • Does your attitude/work ethic part of the strength?
  • Do you plan or use intuition?
  • Is this a team effort or is the strength a personal achievement?
  • If a team effort, what is your role within the team?

Finally, think about a real-life (work) example, that will be used during the interview answer.

Make the Strength question strong.

To summarise the post so far.

Employers are likely to ask the ‘greatest strength’ interview question as it is documented as one of the most commonly asked job interview questions.

The interview question may be phrased as:

  • “Tell about one of your greatest successes?”
  • “What can you bring to the team?”
  • “How would you have an impact on the team/project?”

The ‘strengths’ interview question is open to interpretation, which requires the candidate to focus the interview answer on the essential criteria of the job role, to ensure the answer scores high.

The strength question needs to state strengths!

The applicant must talk about their unique selling point, relevant to the job role. The answer should show added value, high achieving examples, and the applicants work ethic, motivation as well as a high level of sector related knowledge and experiences.

Mistakes and mishaps.

There are three common mistakes that career professionals make when answering the ‘strengths’ question.

The wrong path.

Taking the wrong path, often comes from a lack of pre-interview preparation.

The unprepared interviewee is nervous and anxious, coming across as having an ‘incompetent’ interview identity.

When asked a question, the lack of confidence leaves the applicant pleading for an idea – anything to create an answer. Whatever random idea pops into their mind becomes the talking point, the main message of the interview answer.

In many cases, the unprepared interview answer lacks detail, is short, and most importantly doesn’t relate to the job criteria. This results in a low-scoring interview answer.

Self-disclosed weaknesses.

Consistently successful job applicants, in the main, aware of their skill set and possess a good level of confidence.

Being confident increases self-promotion.

Whereas, a lack of self-esteem, or having imposture syndrome increases the number of unprompted self-disclosed weaknesses.

When asked a question, the low self-esteem interviewee will initially list weaknesses before picking a ‘strength’. This self-disclosure, is often outside the awareness of the applicant. It is like they are externalizing their thought process:

Interviewer: “What are you greatest strengths?”

Low self-esteem interviewee: “What are my greatest strengths? Well..urm..im not vey good at IT…urm…I don’t work well under pressure…urm, my greatest strength is my ability to (strength)”.

Bragging.

Some applicants are highly confident, but lack industry experiences.

Highly confident applicants feel comfortable with communication. A high level of self-esteem increases self-promotion.

Confidence without knowledge can create a pretender interview identity, where the interviewee attempts to manipulate the employer by exaggerating their skill set.

Self-promotion is expected in the job interview, but when the applicant lacks experience and sector knowledge they rarely know what examples would meet the job criteria.

Instead of giving specific industry related examples, the candidate will self-praise using generalisations:

Interviewer: “What are your greatest strengths?”

Interviewee: “Everything!”

Other examples include:

  • “My passion, my attitude, my work ethic”
  • “I’m a good team player, I finish tasks and I am loyal.”
  • “In all my roles I put on 100% of effort. My previous managers often tell me that I am an excellent member of staff and that I have a positive impact on the team.”

Some of the examples sound positive, and indeed they are, but they lack the specific data the employer requires to cross-reference the interview answer against the criteria on the interview scorecard.

How to answer the what is your greatest strength interview question.

A simple structure to answer the ‘strengths’ interview question is:

Barriers + strengths + summary

Relevance is key here.

Employers working in the same sector will face similar barriers. By stating the industry barriers at the start of the interview questions creates relevance. It also helps to build intrigue, as the employer will presume you are going to state a solution, which you will do by highlighting your strengths.

“As we all know, one of the biggest barriers we face in this industry is X. This barrier can lead to (add additional negative consequences)…”

The body of the interview answer will state the applicants strengths. The exercise above has resulted in a list of relevant strengths relating to the job criteria.

Don’t fall into the trap of just listing strengths, as this technique doesn’t result in a high-scoring answer.

Instead, give an example of using the listed strengths in a workplace setting.

Initially start the body of the interview answer, by stating a generic selling point. This could include the duration in the industry, a high-level sector related qualification or having worked on a well-known project that may impress the interview panel.

“…My (duration, qualification, experience on project) has taught me that (give the solution to the stated problem or an indication that you have the solution)…”

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The example follow the opening statement.

Examples must include the situation, actions taken (highlighting strengths, positive outcome).

“…To give you an example of this, when working (at company/on X project) we faced (problem relating to the initial stated barrier)…

…my ability to (add first strength) allowed me to (state outcome). I achieved this by utilizing my (add second strength) which allowed me to (outcome). Throughout the task I faced (add additional barrier) but I was always able to overcome this by (state third strength)….”

“..the end result was (add positive outcome)….”

Conclude the interview answer by summarizing your key strengths.

A summary reinforces the applicants strengths, and clarifies any ambiguity from the example given.

“…To answer the question, my key strengths include (strength one, two and three).”

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Job Interview Questions for a Care Manager

How to pass a care manager job interview.

Data is showing how people at living longer then they did 30 years ago.

As more people live longer, more care managers are needed, with some research stating that over 67 million people over the age of 60 will need caring support.

Each residential home, and there are over 15,000 residential care homes in the UK, require a care manager.

A care manager is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the care home: managing the care assistants, budgets, health and safety, recruitment, and the quality of service (to meet national care standards).

Type of Care Homes that interview care managers.

  • Nursing homes for the elderly
  • Supported housing for young people or adults
  • Children’s homes, often run by social workers
  • Hospice care homes run by NHS nurses

Each specialist care home will look to hire a care manager with relevant experience. During the job interview, questions will be asked about the specific needs to the residents IE a elderly care home manager, may be asked situational questions about end of life, whereas a children’s home care manager is likely to be asked interview questions around child exploitation.

But, all care manager roles have generic duties, requiring specific skills and knowledge. It is this crossover of duties that allow care managers to work in various care home positions.

The interview questions asked, for a care manager position, will be common across all types of care manager job roles.

Care Manager main duties.

Interview questions are created based upon the job duties of the advertised position.

Job interview questions will vary depending on each individual job role, but as there are common duties across all care manager positions, a number of commonly asked job interview questions can be predicted.

Being able to identity the job criteria, is the first of the three rules of a successful job interview outcome.

With a list of potential care manger job interview questions, applicants can spend time crafting a high-scoring interview answer.

To help, below is a list of commonly asked care manager interview questions and an outline of how to answer each question.

Commonly Asked Care Manager Job Interview Questions.

99% of care manager interviews come in the form of a structured job interview. Each interview answer must reference the job criteria to ensure a high-scoring outcome.

Managers are encouraged to read the Interview Questions for Managers post, as this outlines a selection of managerial interview questions and answers.

Talk me through your care manager experience?

The opening care manager interview question, is designed to get an in-depth look at the candidates suitability:

  • Are they an experienced or new care manager?
  • Is the experience relevant to the specific needs of the care home?
  • Does the applicant have the skills and knowledge to overcome the problems the care home is currently facing?
  • How would the applicant fit within the company culture of the care home?

In short, a care manager when answering the first interview question will need to communicate their competences confidently.

Answer the interview question by stating a specialism. A specialism could include:

  • Duration in the industry or a sought after qualification
  • A unique skill, as an example being able to prepare care homes to pass OFSTED inspections
  • Won awards

Next, give specific care manager skills, knowledge and duties for business-as-usual task. Then, state any relevant qualifications before summarizing.

To answer the interview question use the following template:

“First, thank you for inviting me to interview for this position. I applied for this role as I very passionate about caring for (add specific group). I know that if I was employed I would be able to add value to the company because (add unique selling point). I am also highly experienced in (list business-as-usual tasks). I have a (add qualification) as well as (add any relevant care home related certificates). In short, I am highly experience care manager who is able to (repeat one of the unique selling points).”

How would you manage the care home finances?

Each care home, depending of the care home size, will have varying budgets.

Care managers need to have an organised approach the budget management as well as being able to manage budget risks and hiring managers need to be reassured that the candidate has an organised approach, with an eye for detail.

To answer the finance interview question, detail of how the care manager manages the budget short and long term needs to be stated.

Budget management tasks:

  • Using finance spreadsheets
  • Forecasting spend including salaries, utilities
  • Reviewing spend vs income
  • Completing financial risk assessments
  • Managing cash-flow
  • Raising purchase orders and Invoicing
  • Recording daily transactions

To answer the interview question use the following template:

“I enjoy the financial aspect of the role. In all my previous roles, I have been responsible for the finances in the care home. The reason why I have a goof eye for finances, is because I have a good eye for detail, I’m very good at seeing errors. My organised approach also helps to ensure accuracy.

When given a budget I first project the care home spend which includes staff salaries, building cost (add anything specific to the type of care home you work in). I also create a risk budget for unexpected cost (you can add an example here). This allows me to breakdown the budget by month. During the financial year, I complete daily/weekly/monthly booking keeping tasks, including (add specifics) to stay on top of the finances and I complete regular quality checks to ensure accuracy before sending the ‘books’ to the finance team.

Give an example of creating a person-centered care home?

The Care Act 2014 set the terms for the development of social care for the foreseeable future. The act, for the first time, puts personalisation on a legal footing. For the recruitment process, this means hiring managers will be asking more person-centered questions.

In the interview answer the candidate needs to cover:

  • What personalisation means to them
  • How person-centered is about identifying the individuals – their personal history, needs and strengths. Also their hopes and ambitions
  • Experienced of person-centered approach

To answer the interview question use the following template:

“My experience has shown how a regimented non person-centered care home isn’t as effective as a person-centered care home. In my previous care home, I created a person-centered environment putting the residents at the center of all decisions. In fact, we would actively involved them in the planning of the care home, an example of this was (add example). This resulted in (add outcome).

To create a person-centered care home you have to start by understanding the residents, their past, their strengths, their ambitions. You need to ask the residents what they need and respect who they are. One way I use person-centered planning is to (add person-centered planning technique)”

How would you maintain the required quality standards?

With numerous inspects and legislations, care homes need to remain at the adequate quality standards. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) regulates all care homes, and provides guidance to help support care homes to adhere by the regulations it enforces.

According to CareHome.uk, a care homes must:

  • Provide person-centred care
  • Treat residents with dignity and respect
  • Acquire consent before giving any care or treatment
  • Ensure they do not give unsafe care or treatment, and that staff have the qualifications and skills to keep residents safe
  • Safeguard residents from any form of abuse or improper treatment
  • Provide food and drink which keep residents in good health
  • Keep premises and equipment clean, suitable and looked after
  • Offer a complaints system, investigate incidents thoroughly and take action
  • Have plans in place to ensure they can meet above standards and systems to check quality and safety of care
  • Have enough suitably qualified, competent and experienced staff to meet standards
  • Only employ staff who can provide care and treatment appropriate to their role
  • Be open and transparent about care and treatment
  • Display their CQC rating clearly and make their latest report available to you

Employers are looking for a care home manager who knows and can enforce the legislation into business-as-usual tasks.

To answer the interview question use the following template:

“Quality for me is my first priority. As a care manager I ensure that all staff know and adhere to the quality standards set by the CQC, which include (name 3). To embed quality standards into business-as-usual tasks I (talk about staff recruitment and training), In addition I (explain how you create and embed processes and procedures) and (explain your internal quality check process).”

What is your approach for recruiting care assistants?

Care homes need staff to run them.

Staffing is a real issue in the care industry. Blue leaf care stated that “There are numerous social and economic reasons why staff shortages in care homes are at an all-time high. However, most of the vacancies can be linked to three key causes: an ageing population, the stigma in the care industry and the uncertainty of Brexit.”

Employers know that a string recruitment process can improve staff retention.

In the interview answer, explain recruitment, staff training and staff retention.

To answer the interview question use the following template:

“Overall I have a good track record with staff recruitment and retention, which has a direct impact on expenditure and time. The reason why I have had so much success in recruitment and retention is due to (add interviewing, staff CPD, or creating a positive working environment).

To ensure I gain a high number of applicants, on the interview advert I explain (the duties, available training, expectations, salary). In the interview I use a structured job interview process as this, research shows, is the best tool for predicating applicants job performance.

Once employed a create a positive working environment by (add details) and ensure staff retention by (explaining management styles; CPD, setting up processes and procedures, door-open policy)”

How do you manage your time?

Each day brings its own challenges in a care home, as no one week is the same.

Employers are looking for managers who can manage time, priorities tasks, delegate duties and respond to unforeseen incidents, while not forgetting business-as-usual tasks.

In the above manager job interview questions link, there is a section on discussing the time management matrix model when answering the ‘time management’ interview question. Read this now.

To answer the interview question use the following template:

“As an experienced care manager, I know the importance of time management. Working with (add specific group) no two days are the same, and urgent tasks can present themselves daily.

To manage my own time I (add organized approach: diary management, to-do list, automated reminders, etc) When an unexpected emergency happens, I prioritize the most urgent and important tasks first. For lesser urgent tasks, I may delegate this to the care supervisors or even create an automated process such as (add example).

To ensure that all tasks have been completed I (explain end of day checks you complete)”

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Give an example of working with residents families?

As discussed previously, care homes are moving to a more person-centered approach. Working with resident families is part of the person-centered approach.

One way to answer this question is to focus on person-centered approach theory.

Families are a vital part of a residents life. Being able to work with family members can improve the experience and life of a resident. This interview question, therefore, is best answered with a real-life example.

To answer the interview question use the following template:

“To improve the life of a resident I take a person-centered approach and work collaboratively with the resident, their families and friends, often creating a personalized plan for each resident.

An example of this was when I worked at X. There was a resident who needed (adds support needs). His family and friends included (add details). To create a person centered approach I (explain who you were able to agree a meeting) to discuss the residents needs and wants. In the meeting (explain how you chaired the meeting to get everyone involved, to hear opinions of the resident and to challenge assumptions). The outcome was (give learning points and outcome)”.

Do you have any questions for us?

  • How many residents do you have in the care home?
  • What is the priority of the care home over the next 12 months?
  • What score did you get in the last inspection?
  • Is the care part of a larger group?
  • What would my first 3 months look like?

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Deliveroo Driver and Cyclist Job Interview Questions

Many people become Deliveroo drivers or cyclist as the job allows the delivery driver flexibility in their workings hours (as the delivery driver or cyclist is officially self-employed) while having 24hr support from the Deliveroo team.

This article will help you understand the Deliveroo recruitment process and how to answer the commonly asked job interview questions for a Deliveroo driver or cyclist.

Eligibility to Work for Deliveroo.

On the Deliveroo ‘apply‘ page, they state that drivers need:

  • Scooter, bike or car (with license and insurance)
  • Safety equipment (e.g. helmet)
  • Smartphone with iOS 12 / Android 6 or above
  • Proof of your right to work self-employed in the UK
  • Age 18+

Deliveroo provide insurance for their drivers/cyclist.

When applying for a Deliveroo position, applicants need to complete the Deliveroo Rider Application form. You will need your driving license if you will be a car/motorcycle delivery driver.

Deliveroo Job Interview.

Once an application form has been accepted, the applicant will be invited to an job interview.

Depending on the area applicants apply for, the interview maybe virtual, via telephone or face to face.

Generally speaking, the interview is an informal interview to check if the applicant has the right attitude and work ethic for the role.

This is due to the position being self-employed. Deliveroo riders pick their own working hours and can as earn as much or as little as they wont to.

Deliveroo also focus on their brand and hire riders who will help enhance their brand with speed and customer service.

Because Deliveroo complete mass recruitment process, rather then several applicants applying for one single position, interviewees aren’t up against other candidates, instead they only need to be seen as suitable to gain the job role.

If the interviewer likes you, you will be offered the position.

Deliveroo Interview Questions and Answers.

Compared to a structured job interview, the Deliveroo recruitment process is fairly tame. But this doesn’t mean that an applicant shouldn’t prepare for the interview.

In fact, a lack of preparation is one of the reasons why some people fail to receive a Deliveroo rider job offer.

To prepare for the recruitment process:

  1. Read the potential job interview questions
  2. Plan answers embedding your own experience and stories into the formulas below
  3. Smile, be friendly and answer questions confidently and assertively

The interview questions below have come from Deliveroo riders. Remember that questions do change depending on what part of the country you will be working in.

In other areas, Deliveroo will give you a trail once you pass the job interview.

What do you know about Deliveroo?

One of the first interview questions to be asked is – what do you know about Deliveroo or why do you want to work for Deliveroo?

This is the time to sing Deliveroos praises, state everything that is good about the company, and how they are better then there competitors.

Stand out by conducting some research on the history of Deliveroo – it makes interesting reading. And state facts in this section of the recruitment process.

The interviewer will think ‘wow they actually know more about the company then I do!’

Also, end by stating why you want to work for Deliveroo and not, as an example, Just Eats.

Interview Answer:

‘While deciding what company I wanted to work for I undertook some research. I really like how Deliveroo started out (add some well researched historic facts) and (add second fact). I know that Deliveroo (add fact about the number of employees, or the number of businesses Deliveroo partner with, or the financial situation at the the of the interview)

I personally like the customer service you get from Deliveroo. As i am customer focused i thought this would be a good fit for me. In addition I posses (add skills) which suit this job role.

To summaries, I like X about Deliveroo and I have A, B and C skills that make me an ideal candidate for the role.”

How did you hear about the Deliveroo?

Again, the applicant can praise the company achievements: “Deliveroo is the most famous…” “Deliveroo’s marketing strategy ensures that everyone knows about Deliveroo..” “I’m a Deliveroo customer and I love…”

To help pass the interview, candidates can build on the initial praise by (if true) explaining how a friend of theirs works for Deliveroo and how they said that (add additional praise relating to working for Deliveroo IE training, support, working conditions)


How would you handle the pace of the work?

Deliveroo drivers are busy. Orders come in throughout the day/night and customer expect a quick delivery.

In short, time-management is key here. When answering the ‘pace’ question first show an understanding of the role before explaining how you would manage the workload.

Open with something along the lines off:

“As a Deliveroo rider I know there will be a large amount of orders coming through, especially during busy periods such as weekends and evenings. I would only except the deliver jobs if I was confident that I could collect the order and deliver it to the customer in a timely fashion….”

Next, explain local knowledge. As an example, delivering in rural areas may make order deliveries a longer process due to the distance between residential homes. In addition the applicant could explain their extensive knowledge of the area which will speed up delivery times.

Or, an experienced delivery drive/rider could reference their experience. Or cycle rider may explain how they can quickly repair punctures to ensure the food is delivered hot.

End with a summary: “To summaries, I know how busy a shift can be, and that orders need to be delivered on time with food being hot. My organized and sensible approach, will ensure I only pick jobs I can complete in a timely fashion. And I have local knowledge that will help me fulfil the orders.”

Do you have a clean driving license/Do you have a bike?

This answer can be short: “Yes I have a clean driving license, I have been driving for X number of years” or “Yes I have my own bike. I really enjoy biking which is why I have applied for a cycle delivery role”

Additional selling points can be embedded to the interview answer: I also have experience of delivering food on time, I normally use (add technology) to find the correct and quickest route”.


Why do you want this job role?

The best way to answer this question is to focus on how the applicant likes the day-to-day tasks and environment: “I enjoy working outside..” “I love the idea of exercising as part of my job..” “As an introvert I work really well on my own…”

Deliveroo know, for most people, this isn’t a job for life. Many Deliveroo riders are students, part-time workers or use the extra income as a side huzzel – as the riders are self-employed.

The interviewer isn’t looking for someone to say how they want to work their way up through the organisation to one day be the CEO, instead the recruitment process is designed to check that you would enjoy the business-as-usual tasks and make a good Deliveroo rider.

Are there skills or tasks you did at previous jobs that are valuable experiences for this job?

Open job interview questions allow the applicant to talk about anything they feel would help them stand out, and be offered the position.

To answer the questions state: “Yes, when working at X company I was responsible for (task) which gave me (skill) which would be useful when (Add Deliveroo task)”

Deliveroo riders required skills:

  • Communication
  • Working alone
  • Speed
  • Able to use apps/technology
  • Driving or cycling skills
  • Additional driving/cycling skills IE change a tyre
  • Map reading
  • Eye for detail
  • Working outdoors
  • Polite and friendliness
  • Professionalism
  • Advocate for the organsiation


If you were out on a delivery, and you punctured your tyre, what would you do?

Situational job interview questions are when an employer state the applicant to respond to a future scenario.

To answer the situational interview question, the applicant can list a step by step process of what they would do: “In this situation I would first do X, because of Y, Next I would do X, then X, and finally X”

To add to the answer, the interviewee can back up the stated process with an example: “When working as a X, this same thing happened, what I did was….”

Give me an example of customer service?

Deliveroo riders are communication kings.

As a Deliveroo driver, you have to communicate face-to-face, via an app, and on the phone. Communicating to customers, restaurants and the Deliveroo support team.

When giving an example use SAP – Situation, Actions and Positive Outcome:

“Last month (situation) happened. Immediately I (add three actions) which ended with (positive outcome)”

Evolve the mind book on Amazon

Can you work unsupervised?

In most Deliveroo job interviews the interviewee will be asked if they can work alone.

The initial answer is “Yes..”

Follow this up with why “Yes, in all my previous roles I have had to work alone…”

End with an example: “An example of this was when I worked at X. In this role I was responsible for (tasks when working alone) As a sole worker I would (explain how you completed tasks and stayed motivated)”

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HR Assistant Interview Questions

How to answer HR (Human Resources) Assistant job interview questions.

HR assistant, sometimes known as a HR administrator, job roles are entry-level job roles. This means that the employer doesn’t expect the job applicant to possess a high number of years in the industry.

Instead, the interviewer is looking for potential, the right fit for the organisation.

This article will explain how to pass a human resource assistant job interview. We will provide a list of commonly asked human resource assistant job interview questions and answers.

What is a HR assistant job interview.

The HR assistant recruitment process often consists of a signal job interview, conducted by an HR professional or manager.

The recruitment panel will have been trained in interviewing process including unconscious bias, often adopting a structured job interview approach.

The interview will last around sixty minutes, with the interviewer asking around eight job interview questions.

As the position is an entry-level role, the employer will do their best to put each candidate at ease.

To put the applicant at ease, the interview panel will:

  • Make small talk
  • Explain the interview process
  • Initially, ask open questions

Small Talk

To relax a nervous interviewee, interviewers will create small talk.

Small talk helps as it creates a conversation (the small talk isn’t part of the job interview itself), puts the applicant at ease, and helps communication during the job interview, as the candidate has been encouraged to speak.

Small talk questions include:

  • Did you find the building ok?
  • What do you think about the weather today?
  • Do you want a tea, coffee, water?

The small talk section of the job interview, can be used to help shape an applicants interview identity, how the employer views the candidate: suitable or unsuitable.

As an example, if asked ‘did you find the building ok?’ an applicant can easily reply with: ‘Yes it was easy to find’ or can show preparation skills by replying with: ‘Yes, I’m an organized person, so I drove here a couple of days ago to ensure I would be on time’.

Another example, when asked about ‘What did you do over the weekend?’ The applicant could respond by talking about a sector-related book they were reading.

“Pre-interview communication effects the job interview outcome”

Chris Delaney Author of what is your interview identity

Even the level of communication confidence; the language used, the number of filler words, pace and speed, all effect the employers opinion of the applicant, prior to the job interview start.

HR Assistant Job Interview Questions and Answers.

Below is a list of commonly asked job interview questions, and an explanation of how to answer each question, for a Human Resource Assistant job interview.

Tell me about your experience and how it relates to a human resource assistant job role?

For an entry-level position, employers aren’t expecting a string answer for this opening interview question.

This, then, is a great opportunity to be viewed as hirable by preparing a high-scoring interview answer.

The answer should include:

  • Relevant qualifications
  • Past experiences relevant to the job role
  • Skills and qualities
  • The reason why you have applied for this role

“For the past X years, I have been working in (add job sector) where I have been (add relevant HR and administrational duties). Over this time I have built up a wealth of skills and qualities which include (add HR required skill/quality). I possess a (add qualification) and have applied for this role because (add reason: passion, interest, possess the skills)”

How would you provide administrative and organisational support for HR colleagues?

There are different ways to answer job interview questions. For higher-paid positions, where employers expect an applicant to possess industry experience, the interviewer will ask ‘behavioral’ job interview questions.

For lower-paid entry roles, the questions will be framed as ‘situational’ – ‘What would you do…’ and, ‘How would you…’

To answer a situational job interview question, applicants can so knowledge by:

  • Sharing industry-related theories
  • Well used sector models
  • Give a step by step plan of what they would do in a given situation

“One of my key strengths is (add strength IE organisational skills). In work, I (add model IE the time management matrix model) This allows me to (explain model). To support HR colleagues on a day to day basis I would (add actions you would take IE offer my support, complete tasks on time, share my knowledge of excel, etc)

For the later part of the interview answer, the skills and duties, think about the job role. What skills are required for the common HR assistant duties?

  • Communication
  • Listening skills
  • Accuracy
  • Organisational
  • Excel, Word and database knowledge
  • Understanding HR legislation
  • Fast typing skills
  • Dictation and note taking
  • Being professional
  • Telephone skills

How could you support monthly payroll tasks?

When asked any job interview question, the interviewee should first ask themselves ‘what skill, experience, or quality is the employer looking for evidence for through this interview question?’

For technical skills and duties, job hunters must, prior to the job interview, research what will be expected of them once employed. For the above question, job applicants must understand what payroll is.

In fact, one of the three rules of a successful job interview outcome is ‘predicting the interview criteria’

As payroll consist of calculating employees’ salaries, calculating tax, and reporting spend to HMRC, the successful applicant will require ITC skills, excellent numeracy skills, and attention to detail.

The ‘How could you support..’ section of the interview question, indicates that the employer is checking the applicant’s level of knowledge and experience – their ability to complete this task.

To answer this interview question, use the formula ‘skills x actions’

State the relevant skills or experiences you possess relevant to the described duty and follow this up by explaining how that skill would assist with the duty.

“One of my key strengths is my attention to detail. I have a mathematical mind and can easily work out large calculations. I always check my work and ensure I cross the T’s and dot the I’s. When assisting with payroll I would be able to double-check the workings outs, take on any calculations, and assist with any spreadsheet and databases.”

What experience do you have using data systems?

In all human resources positions, the HR team works on various data systems and spreadsheets.

It is highly advantaged for any HR assistant to train in, as an example, Excel. Skilled excel employees can create automate calculations, create visual versions of hard data, and designed formulas. This knowledge could be the unique selling point that gives one applicant the edge over another.

Answer the interview question, by stating the duration of working with data systems, name each data system and give a real-life example of using one of the stated data systems.

“I have worked with various data systems for X numbers of years, including (data system 1, 2 and 3). An example of what I can do is (add specific example IE designing pivot tables)”

What do you need to think about when being the first port of call for an employee with a HR query?

Throughout the HR administrator or assistant job interview, there will be a number of duty-related interview questions.

Some of the questions will be situational interview questions, asking how you think you would handle X or what would you do in Y situation.

The list technique can be used to highlight a diverse skill or knowledge range. The list formula is ‘list x example’ List possibilities and pick one that is explained in detail.

“When being the first point of call you need to (list options IE record the date of the call, collect personal information, explain data protection, record the conversation…) An example of this was (give SAP example)”

Evolve the mind book on Amazon

Do you have any questions for me?

Always attend a job interview with interesting questions to ask the employer

  • What training and development is available for new employees?
  • Does the company help HR administrators to advance into HR roles?
  • How would you describe the managment style within the HR department?
  • What do you like about working for this organisation?
  • Is the compnay looking to expand?

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How to Answer Job Interview Questions

The content of a job interview answer, the criteria referenced, is the single biggest influencer of the allocated scores an employer will give during the structured job interview process.

Applicants who constantly fail job interviews, spend on average just 4-5 hours preparing for a forthcoming job interview. Whereas, consistently good interviewees, those who gain regular job offers, will spend 4-5 days in preparation and rehearsal.

The difference between a 4-5 hr prepared interviewee and a 4-5 day prepared applicant is the development of their interview answers. This article will explain how to develop an interview answer to receive high-scoring marks.

Interview Scoring Basics.

Much research shows how employers favor the structured job interview over the informal recruitment process, with behavioral and situational job interviews being the most commonly used interview questions.

Employers mark applicants’ answers against their own scoring criteria on the interview scorecard, with each employer having a personalised system. What this means, is each interview question has a score allocation depending on the type of answer given.

The interviewer, in most cases, to help them accurately score an answer, will have an example reply for a 1-4 scoring system. The example is used as a guide by the employer.

  • An interview answer that is irrelevant to the interview question/job role will be viewed as weak, only scoring 1 point.
  • Mentioning the job criteria scores higher, but a basic answer isn’t enough for en employer to understand what the applicant can bring to the team, resulting in 2 points.
  • A well structured interview answer mentioning the required job criteria for the interview question/job role, as well as clearly stating the actions the applicant took in the example used often results in 3 points.
  • Being veiwed as highly knowledgable and experienced, through a confidently delivered answer that shows understanding of sector conepts, models and theories, backed up with a real-life example creates an optomistic interveiw identity, scoring on averrage 4 points.

Job interview Scoring Example.

  • 1 = Poor
  • 2 = Satisfactory
  • 3 = Good
  • 4 = Excellent

In addition to the example answer, to help the interview panel compare an applicant’s answer to the ideal answers, the interveiwers will have a minimum scoring criteria that will be used as a benchmark for checking suitability.

If the total number of allocated points doesn’t meet the benchmark, the applicant(s) won’t be offered or considered for the job, even if all the applicants fall under the benchmark score.

  • On average 8 interview questions are asked, with a maximum of 32 points. In many cases, an employer will use bewteen 22-25 as a benchmark score.

In short, strong answers that reference the job criteria, receive high points. High-scoring interviewees are consistent in receiving job offers.

Creating an Interview Answer.

Common interview practice is to prepare for a job interview by:

  1. Reading the job spec and predicting the interview questions
  2. Creating a reply that showcases the skills or experiences required in the job role
  3. Completing a mock interview with a career advisor

As a start, the three-step process is good. But, many failed interviewees use this same process.

Why isn’t a positive job interview outcome consistent when following the three pre-interview preparation steps?

Because the answers only give basic information.

Let’s take one of the most commonly asked job interview questions:

“Give me an example of overcoming a problem?”

A basic response, scoring low on the interview scorecard, would be:

“Situation x Outcome”

“In this situation I faced (problem) but in the end I (outcome)”

Another example of a low-scoring outcome is the listing technique. Instead of giving an example, the applicant list tasks relevant to the interview question. Imagine the question was:

“How do you manage your time?”

The applicant may say: “I use diary management, phone alerts, to-do lists, and start with the easiest tasks first.”

List answers do cover a lot of bases, as they list all possibilities. The idea is that list will mention some of the job criteria on the interview scorecard. The problem, though, is the lack of an example, which provides evidence of how you, in this example, manage time in a real working environment.

In addition, giving examples is a form of storytelling. Much research shows how storytelling creates a memorable interview.

In most cases, the career professional will use the STAR method. The STAR technique encourages a more detailed answer.

Chris Delaney, the author of ‘what is your interview identity,’ says:

“highly confident interviewees use a longer and more descriptive interview answer, then low confident applicants. It is the longer interview answers, due to meeting the job criteria, that results in an increase in job offers”

Chris Delaney Author: What is your interview identity.

STAR stands for Situation, Task, Action, and Result.

Returning to the “Give me an example of overcoming a problem?” interview question, the applicant using the STAR technique will add additional elements to the basic ‘situation x outcome’ answer.

A STAR method interview answer would something along the lines of:

Situation: “The barrier we faced was a decrease in customer orders..”

Task: “It was my responsibility to complete a marketing campaign to increase customer orders…”

Action: “I did this by using Google pay-per-click advertisements…”

Result: “The result of this was a massive increase in orders during the pay-per-click campaign.”

Even with a little more meat on the bones, a basic STAR interview answer doesn’t make the cut.

Think about it. A 49-word answer is delivered in less than a minute.

The answer, even though it shows a journey, at a basic level says: To increase sales I create a Google Ad.

The employer thinks: “To be honest, anyone can create a Google Ad, so why should I hire this individual?”

Ask yourself, what will make me stand out from the crowd? What is my unique selling point?

Ok, we know through the STAR answer, the Ad created worked: Result: “The result of this was a massive increase in orders during the pay-per-click campaign.” But, is this enough detail to score more than 2 points?

In the job interview, employers are reviewing more than just the interview answer. At the back of the interveiwers mind, they are thinking:

  • How will this applicant fit in within the current team, structure, and company values?
  • What impact will the applicant have on (team/sales or productivity/customer and stakeholder relationships/employers time)
  • How does this candidate compare to the other interveiwees?

Create High-Scoring Interview Answers.

To answer any job interview question the applicant needs to show:

  1. Understanding of the job interview question
  2. Thought process – why they choose certain actions
  3. Long-term impact

The three elements must be embedded seamlessly within the job interview answer.

Let’s return to the STAR example answer. And review, what is missing.

Situation: “The barrier we faced was a decrease in customer orders..”

Each situation described, should be detailed enough to make it clear to a new employer why there was a need to take action. Ideally, the example chosen will be a similar barrier or goal that the new employer we face.

A more detailed version of “the barrier we faced was a decrease in customer orders…” is:

“Working for a small online retailer, the business at first did well prior to the large retail businesses promoting their online stores. Each year saw a fall in online sales and customer orders.”

If the new employer, for this example, was also a small online retailer the additional detail will give context and create understanding, the example is easy to relate to.

This shows the power of choosing the most appropriate examples depending on the employer. If the same applicant was applying for a well-known (large) high-street retailer, the example used could be reframed or a new example chosen.

  • A similar example but from a different position in a larger organisation
  • Reframed; the situation was’ competing online against a larger retailer’, rather then the focus of the interview answer being on losing business
  • Using a different ‘problem’ the candidate had overcome

Task: “It was my responsibility to complete a marketing campaign to increase customer orders…”

The task section should start by explaining the consequences of not successfully completing the tasks that will be stated in the interview answer:

“The managing director had told us that we had 12 months to increase sales or the organisation may have to look at redundancies.”

High-scoring interview answers are specific and filled with data. A more detailed answer allows the interview panel to compare the tasks and goals vs the outcome.

A more specific version of the above example could look like this:

“The managing director had told us that we had 12 months to increase sales by 45% or the organisation may have to look at redundancies. This meant generating around 3000 new customers each month, each spending an average of £50 per purchase“

The task section could also state the project/company tasks as well as the applicants individual tasks:

“The marketing team was tasked with creating a 12-month marketing plan covering new lead generations, increasing up-sales on the webpage, and building a customer loyalty base. My task was to design Google Ads to increase the website visitors by an additional 25%”

Action: “I did this by using Google pay-per-click advertisements…”

The most important section of the STAR interview method is the Actions segment.

The explanation of the ‘actions’ section must include ‘I’ not ‘We’. Employers are always looking at the applicant’s skills and experience. The common use of ‘we’ can dilute the answer, as the interviewer may be unsure of the applicant’s part in the process.

This part of the interview answers needs to be meaty. The “I did this by using Google pay-per-click advertising” doesn’t cut the mustard. When stating actions add more meat to the bone.

Actions should be broken down into three sections:

  1. Research/Creative problem-solving
  2. Choosing options
  3. Actions

The mistake made by many career professionals is listing the actions they took. In most situations, several pre-action tasks are first completed.

With our example, the candidate would first research what makes a successful Google Ad. With this insight, the applicant would next create several designs, discarding some and improving others.

Highlighting the thought-process in an interview, helps the employer to get to know you: how you work, your motivation, work ethic, and creative problem-solving skills.

This is important as the number one, most in-demand skill is creative problem-solving.

In addition to the idea generation, employers want to understand a potential employees decision-making process:

  • Do you follow procedures or prefer being innovative?
  • Are decison made based on how they affect others or on data/facts?
  • Was the choose made from the perspective of the company or the team/individual?
  • Do you need to be told to make a certain decison or can you make up your own mind and defned your choice, even if the choice is unpopular?

Decision-making is viewed as so important that companies like Amazon ask interview questions based on their leadership principles, including decision making.

Finally, the candidate can end this section of the interview answer by stating the actions they took.

“As our current pay-per-click campaigns weren’t being effective, I first undertook some research on what type of advert attracted customers who are wanting to purchase our type of product. The advert we currently had running was costing around £10000 per month but only generating around £7500 of sales. My research has shown how generic adverts increase clicks but not necessarily sales, especially in a company like ours which has niche products.

I created several adverts that were able to market the product in an intriguing way, to increase clicks but to decrease clicks from potential clickers who wouldn’t purchase the products, This was easily achieved by adding the cost of the goods to the advert itself.

The adverts were run simultaneously to test which advert was most successful. I did this for a two-week period and then fed the results back during the marketing meeting.”

Result: “The result of this was a massive increase in orders during the pay-per-click campaign.”

With the meat on the bone, it’s time to put the icing on the cake.

The original idea, of choosing a situation or example that the employer can relate to, comes full-circle in the results segment of the STAR process.

This is because, hopefully, the actions segment has given the employer something to chew on. A new idea, a new perspective, another way they can overcome their (similar) problems.

The final part of the interview answer must be positive. It should state not only the outcome but the specific changes that had occurred through the applicant’s actions.

“By split-testing the ad campaigns I was able to understand the specifics that increase clicks by paying customers. After the results were shown in the marketing meeting I was given a £10000 budget to run the Google Ad account for 6 months. In the first month, the campaign made a 22% profit, by month three this had increased to 45%, and by 6 months the campaign, after a little tweaking was running at a 75% profit margin.”

Outcomes can also be extended, which highlights the impact of an idea, action, or person.

“Due to the success of the project, we were able to use the same learning to market other company products and services through a pay-per-click campaign, resulting in 70% of turnover coming from Google Ads. I am now working on a Facebook campaign with a projected turnover of £80000 in 6 months.”

Evolve the mind book on Amazon

Additional detail.

It is clear to see how the additional detail embedded into a STAR interview answer will create a higher-scoring interview answer.

The answer’s goal is to assist the interviewee to be seen as highly knowledgeable and experienced.

Additional ways to achieve this are to:

  • Talk about sector models and theories
  • Explian the pro’s and con’s of ideas

Models and Theories Interview Technique

Interview answers can begin by stating the relevant model or theory. As an example, the stakeholder matrix theory explains how a person can work collaboratively with stakeholders. Or, the time management matrix is a model that helps to prioritise tasks.

Referencing industry-relevant theories and models in the interview answer highlights a level of knowledge, as the model is explained as a step-by-step process. The example given can then ‘show’ the employer the model in practice.

Pros and Cons Interview Answer

Discussing both sides of a coin shows understanding.

Many career professionals have a preferred way of working or approaching tasks as they use what has previously worked – they are comfortable with routine.

But not all situations are the same. An employer will prefer an applicant how can see all perspectives, someone who can come shines a new light on an old problem.

When discussing an idea or task, or even a piece of technology, the applicant can show awareness by discussing the good, the bad, and the ugly. Rather than having one strong opinion, the applicant is showing a level of expertise.

Some employers will have a strong opinion. In this case, talking about the pro’s and con’s will help to build rapport, as one string opinion that differs from the employer’s own belief can create dislike.

In this situation, applicants can hedge their bets by answering all options in all ways, ensuring one of the elements of the interview answer will resonate.

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How Do I Prepare for an Amazon Leadership Principle Interview?

The Amazon leadership interview is a longer then normal process, often consisting of several interviews with different members of the Amazon team. Including a hiring manager, a bar-raiser interviewer, and (job role) specialist.

This article will explain how to prepare and pass an Amazon leadership job interview.

Amazon is a successful company as they recruit leaders who fit in with the company culture. The Amazon recruitment process uses questions based on the 16 leadership principles.

What you need to know to prepare for an Amazon LP Interview.

  • You will attend multiple online interviews
  • Each interviewer will ask leadership principle job interview questions
  • Questions will be structured as ‘behavioral’ job interview questions

Behavioral Job Interview Questions.

Amazon preference the behavioral job interview question format, believing that past behaviors can help predict future performance.

This means that the Amazon interviewers will frame the questions on previous experiences:

  • Tell me about a time you did…
  • Give me an example of when you have…
  • What past achievements did you….
  • When was the last time you….
  • Have you ever….

Amazon Interviewers.

Who will interview you?

On average, applicants will attend 4-6 rounds of interviews, with each round lasting around 60 minutes. This seems a lot compared to other organizations, who only have two rounds of interviews.

Why so many?

Amazon only want to recruit the most suitable applicants, to create the best team they can.

In fact, amazon are happy to decline applicants and wait until a more suitable applicant comes along – someone who meets the leadership principle criteria and some one who can raise the bar. This is because the leadership principles are about the company culture.

Depending on the job role, the recruitment process varies between different departments. In the main, the interviewers will include:

  • Amazon Bar Raiser
  • Sector Expert
  • Hiring Manager

What is an Amazon Bar Riser?

The ‘bar raiser’ is an objective third party interviewer who looks at the candidates potential for long-term success.

Bar raiser are experienced interviewers, trained by Amazon to evaluate applicants against the leadership principles (but all Amazon interviewers will ask leadership principle interview questions).

Amazon want to recruit leaders who will make a difference, they want someone who can raise the bar. An applicant with a high level of knowledge and experience may not gain a job offer if they don’t come across as someone who can raise the bar.

Sector Expert Interviewer.

The bar raiser isn’t from the department the job role is in, as this gives the bar-raiser interviewer as different perspective to evaluate the applicant against the leadership principles.

For technical roles, such as engineers, a internal sector expert will ask more sector related interview questions embedded within the leadership principle interview questions.

The sector expert will be reviewing:

  • Industry experience
  • Sector knowledge
  • Transferable skills and knowledge for the Amazon role

As an example IT managers maybe asked about coding, whereas a sales managers might be asked about building demand.

Hiring Manager Interview.

The hiring manager interview is often the first interview round applicants will go through.

The initial interview is to check suitability. The interview will last around 60 minutes and the hiring manager will check suitability against a number of Amazon job roles.

During the interview the hiring manager will check:

  • Duration of industry experience.
  • Knowledge of Amazon leadership principles
  • Skills, knowledge, abilities and qualities.

The interview is often a conversation, an informal job interview, to get to know the applicant.

What is Amazon Chime?

One if the interview stages is a telephone interview.

As Amazon is a technology company, they have decide not to reply on interviewees using a mobile phone and instead (in most cases) will ask candidates to use Amazon Chime.

Amazon Chime is pretty easy to use. To set up the app follow these steps: Amazon Chime Set Up.

Interviewees need to be prepared for a virtual interview.

Amazon Leadership Principles

It is important to understand all 16 Amazon leadership principles (previously 14 leadership principles) as it these principles that the job interview questions are based on.

One thing Amazon insist on is data specific information. Stay way from generalizations and instead, give detail.

As an example, don’t say “we increased profit” and instead state the monetary value earned.

Stay away from lines like “I thought we did really well.” Amazon would prefer “The customer said X and increased their orders by 25% that year, which was £X turnover.”

Words like “good”, “beautiful” or “positive” are all personal opinions. What Amazon look for is specific data, real evidence, something that can be measured.

Customer Obsession

Amazon are all about the customers, and say “Leaders start with the customer and work backwards.” Interview questions will question if the applicant has what it takes to “Work vigorously to earn and keep customer trust.”

Example questions:

  • Tell me about a time you couldn’t achieve the customer expectations?
  • Give me an example of how you turned around a negative customer interaction?
  • Explain a time when you have dealt with a difficult customer?

Ownership

Amazon say that “Leaders are owners.” This is because Amazon look long-term, and expect their leaders to “think long term and don’t sacrifice long-term value for short-term results.”

Amazon leaders act on behalf of Amazon, not just their own team. In this sense an Amazon leader would never say “that’s not my job.”

Example Questions

  • Give me an example of when you have made a decision that had a negative short term outcome but led to a positive long term outcome?
  • Have you ever took on additional work that wasn’t part of your everyday duties/responsibilities?
  • Tell me about a time when you pushed a new initiative that was challenging?

Invent and Simplify

Amazon is an innovative company, starting as an online book store they now have a wide range of technologies, services and products. One thing Amazon do well is to simply things, often making it easier for their customers. As ideas are presented they are not always understood by stakeholders, Amazon says “As we do new things, we accept that we may be misunderstood for long periods of time.”

Amazon are externally focused and expect innovation and invention from their teams. With innovation Amazon aim to simplify.

Example questions

  • Tell me about a detailed process or procedure that you were able to simplify?
  • Give me an example of when you learnt something by making a mistake?
  • Explain a time when you invented something complete unique?

Are Right, A Lot

Amazon believe that leaders have strong judgement. They believe in their own ideas, and use their instinct to make the correct decision. In short, Amazon says “Leaders are right a lot.”

Example questions

  • Give me an example of when you have made decision, while under pressure, that went against the opinion of others, as you were relying on your own judgement and experiences?
  • Tell me about a time someone challenged what you were doing and what your response was to the critique?
  • Have you ever made a a bad decision?

Learn and Be Curious

Innovation comes from a team of life long learners. Amazon say “Leaders are never done learning and always seek to improve themselves.” Amazons products and ideas come from being curious about new possibilities.

Example questions

  • Give me an example of creating change in an idea, process or product?
  • Tell me about an experience you had that made you change they way you thought?
  • Tell me about a time when you experience and knowledge helped to improve something?

Hire and Develop the Best

The Amazon recruitment process, outlined above, shows the value Amazon put on hiring the best “Leaders raise the performance bar with every hire and promotion.” As a leader, Amazon will expect you to be able to recognize exceptional talent.

Leaders are coaches and take developing their staff seriously. Therefore, hiring and coaching are an important leadership task.

Example questions

  • How have you coached other people to be successful?
  • How do you ensure you recruit exceptional people?
  • What makes a good member of staff?

Insist on the Highest Standards

High standards equal high quality, high quality improves customer satisfaction. Everything Amazon undertakes is of high quality. In the recruitment process Amazon use ‘bar-risers’ not just a hiring manager. This is an example, of how Amazon push the quality in everything that they do.

Example questions

  • Share an experience when another team member wasn’t pulling their weight?
  • When have you personally raised the bar?
  • Give an example of when you have improved something that you felt wasn’t up to your high standards?

Think Big

Amazon believe on what you focus on you get. If you think small, small things happen, but if you think big…

Amazon says “Leaders create and communicate a bold direction that inspires results.”

Example questions

  • Give an example of going above the scope of a project?
  • Have you ever been disappointed because you didn’t think ‘big’ enough?
  • Tell about a time that you were able to put your big vision into practice?

Bias for Action

Amazon knows that “Speed matters in business.” Therefore Amazon “value calculated risk taking.” This is because they know that “Many decisions and actions are reversible and do not need extensive study.”

Example questions

  • Give an example of taking a calculated risk?
  • Tell about a risk you took that didn’t work the way you wanted it to?
  • Have you ever took the initiative to take action rather then waiting for support or advice?

Frugality

When needed humans are resourceful. Amazon believe that you can “Accomplish more with less.” Amazon leaders are paid to get a job done “There are no extra points for growing headcount, budget size, or fixed expense.”

Example questions

  • Have you ever turned down resources when working on a project as you knew you could rely on yourself or your team to complete the tasks?
  • Tell me about a time you achieved a big out on a small budget?
  • Give me an example of using your own resources to achieve an objective?

Earn Trust

Open and honest leaders earn trust. Being self-critical can be awkward, but it allows a leader to benchmark themselves against others. “Leaders listen attentively, speak candidly, and treat others respectfully.”

Example questions

  • What quality do you lease values about yourself?
  • Give an example of when you knew someone else was out-performing you?
  • Have you ever seen a colleague act unethically?

Dive Deep

Leaders understand the nitty gritty of all jobs in their department and beyond and will step in when required. Amazon says “Leaders operate at all levels, stay connected to the details, audit frequently, and are skeptical when metrics and anecdote differ.”

Example questions

  • Give an example of when having an in-depth knowledge of various job roles in an organisation helped to solve a problem?
  • Tell me about a time when auditing data changed how you approached a situation?
  • How do you use data in decision-making?

Have Backbone; Disagree and Commit

Leaders aren’t followers, Amazon says “Leaders are obligated to respectfully challenge decisions when they disagree, even when doing so is uncomfortable or exhausting.” Amazon look for leaders who have conviction, who don’t comprise to fit in and who “Once a decision is determined, they commit wholly.”

  • Give an example of when you have refused to go with business-as-usual?
  • Have you ever made a decision that was, initially, highly unpopular?
  • Tell me about a time you have challenged someone in a senior position?

Deliver Results

A good leader can rise to the occasion, Amazon says “Leaders focus on the key inputs for their business and deliver them with the right quality and in a timely fashion.” Even though setbacks happen, leaders need to be able to deliver good results.

Example questions

  • How have you previously have to prioritized workload when working on multiple projects – how did you do this?
  • Give me an example of working on a project that had a big change half way through – how did you manage the change?
  • Tell me about a time that you worked towards a goal that others wanted to give up on?

Strive to be Earth’s Best Employer

Amazon says “Leaders work every day to create a safer, more productive, higher performing, more diverse, and more just work environment. ” Good leaders are empathetic, can create an enjoyable working environment and are skilled at developing their staff to be successful.

Example questions

  • Give an example of developing a team to become a high-performing team
  • Tell me about a time you were able to motivate a team to believe in the company vision?
  • How do you mange projects and staff development at the same time?

Success and Scale Bring Broad Responsibility

Amazon started in a garage selling books, now they are a global business. Amazon know that they impact the world, but that they are far from perfect “We must be humble and thoughtful about even the secondary effects of our actions. Our local communities, planet, and future generations need us to be better every day. We must begin each day with a determination to make better, do better, and be better for our customers, our employees, our partners, and the world at large. “

Amazon says “Leaders create more than they consume and always leave things better than how they found them.”

Example questions

  • How do you take the bigger picture into account when making decisions?
  • Give an example of taking something which was ‘good’ and making it better?
  • Tell me about a time when you thought about the affect of a decision on a stakeholder(s)?
Evolve the mind book on Amazon

How to answer Amazons leadership principle interview questions.

Amazon encourage applicants to use the STAR technique.

This is because an example shows a recruiter that you have experience of the required job criteria.

When answering the interview questions, think about:

  • The reason for the question – what skill or experience is the hiring manager wanting to hear?
  • Which of the leadership principles does the interview question relate to?
  • What specific information, data or facts can I use to offer prove of my knowledge/experience

The perceived level of knowledge and experience is key to passing an Amazon job interview. Take the Interview Prediction Grid test to check how you are viewed by an employer.

STAR Technique

Situation, Task, Actions, Result.

This interview formula allows the applicant to create a detailed job interview answer.

Situation

Think about the situation part of the interview answer as story-telling.

Set the scene. explain the job role or project. Detail the situation you were in: what barriers did you face? What was the goal? What would happen if you couldn’t achieve the objective? Who was involved?

Make the story relevant to the Amazon interviewer

Task

Explain what your reasonability was. for big project gives an overview of the main steps, then focus in on your own tasks, what you personally had to do.

Action

Amazon wants to know what you did, the actions you took, to achieve the outcome. In this section use “I” instead of “we”. Be descriptive. Explain your thought process, how you generated ideas, why you disregarded one suggestion over another. Discuss how you planned your actions, why you prioritised one action over another.

Result

End, by sharing the positive outcome (short term) and then the longer term positive effect. Also add in any lessons learnt and how these lessons were used in new projects or could be used when working for Amazon.

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Job Interview Questions for Teenagers

Everything a teenager needs to know to pass a job interview.

The biggest barrier a teenager faces during the recruitment process is a lack of interviewing experience.

Humans, especially teenagers, are confident when completing tasks they are familiar with.

This article will help teenagers to:

  • Understand the job interview process, allowing a teenager to know what to expect
  • Answer interview questions by knowing what questions an employers is likely to ask
  • Increase interview confidence through a number of techniques and exercises

How should a teenager prepare for a job interview?

First, it is important to understand what a job interview is.

Before being invited to a job interview, a teenager would have applied for the advertised job role.

Generally speaking, teenagers apply for jobs in July and August, when they have finished school, college, or higher education.

Other teenagers, often college and university students, will apply for part-time work, while studying, in Sept and January.

This shows how there is an increase in teenager applications between July-January, but teenagers do apply for work all year round.

So, if a teenager has been offered a job interview, over the hundreds of other teenagers applying for the same role, the employer has liked what was written on the application or CV.

This is a great start, you are better than the other hundred plus applications.

Job Interview Preparation.

The three steps a teenager needs to think about when preparing for a job interview are:

  1. To know the job duties and the required skills and qualities needed for the role
  2. To plan interview answers that highlight the required skills and qualities
  3. To think about their communication skills – how they will deliver the interview answers

Job duties and required skills.

The more a teenager knows about the job role, the duties, and the required skills, the more likely they are to be able to predict the job interview question.

The employer will ask each teenager around 6-8 job interview questions.

Each question is based on the job role. A customer service interview question will be asked in a retail job interview, or an IT question could be asked in an administration job interview.

Here are 10 commonly asked job interview questions

The easiest way to predict the job interview questions is to:

  • Read the job specification that will accompany the job advert. The job spec list the duties and required skills
  • When there is no job specification, use online job profiles which give a generic overview of the job role, duties, and required qualifications. Each duty is a potential interview question
  • Search ‘(job role) interview questions’, IE McDonals Interview questions.

Plan interview answers.

Once a teenager has a list of job interview questions, the next stage is to create their answers.

Interviewers will score each answer on a scale of 1-4, with 1 being poor and 4 being excellent. Answers that use examples to reference how the teenager has the skills and/or experience to complete the job duties generally score high.

For apprenticeship interviews, teenagers need to think about the apprenticeship interview questions they will be asked.

Each interview answer should be broken down into three stages (SAP):

  • Situation
  • Actions
  • Positive Outcome

Situation

The situation is the event that was happening at the time. This could include being asked to complete a task, a problem they faced, or a goal they wanted to achieve.

Imagine being asked ‘explain a time when you achieved a goal?’ The interview answer could start with either:

“When working at X company I was asked to (add task)…”

“At school, a (problem) happened and I was asked to help overcome it…”

“Working with my dad, we decide to set a goal to (add goal)…”

Action

The action segment, explains to a hiring manager the steps the teenager took. Teenagers to focus the answer on their personal skills; work ethic, motivation, reliability or on the task, they competed.

Skills answer: “…To do this I used my work ethic. I started each day at 8:00 AM and worked hard to achieve the outcome, before fishing at 5:00 PM. In the evening I (add additional tasks)…”

Task only answer “…To do this I did A, B, and C (name actions taken)…”

Positive Outcome

Each interview answer should end with the results of the action taken. The outcome should be framed in the positive.

“…by the end, we had achieved (add outcome).”

“…this resulted in (add outcome).”

“…these actions resulted in us overcoming the barrier/problem.”

Example Interveiw Answer for a Teenager.

“When at school, I and my art and design classmates were asked to design the backdrops for the school play. As a natural leader I took charge and put the class into small groups, so each group could draw on scene. I also made a list of paints and materials we required and gave this to the teacher. Because we all worked hard, each day for a week, we were able to complete the design on time for the opening night.”

Ideas for examples during interview answers for teenagers.

  • Part time work for questions relating to work ethic or motivation
  • Voluntary work exampels to show experiences and skills
  • Duke of Edinburugh award to explain leadership, communciation and teamwork
  • Creating your own video game, having a high number of social media followers or starting a PT business to show creative and innovation
  • Studying for an exam for time management
  • School sickness record for relibaility

Interview Communication.

The way a teenager communicates influences how the interviewers view the teenager; suitable or unsuitable.

Communication starts when the interviewer first meets the teenager. A teenager can make a positive first impression by:

  • Smiling, as this creates likability
  • Offering a firm handshake, as this shows confidence
  • Dressing smart to be viewed as being serious
  • Communicating confidnelty to help an employer see your worth
  • A strong, and warm, intorduction

During the interview, confident communication is when:

  • A teenager talks at a slow pace, using clear language – don’t mumble or use filler words
  • Answers are detailed using the SAP interview answer structure
  • Listening skills are used to help understand the interview question

To increase confidence

  • Take long deep breathes prior to the job interview
  • Use exercie to release stress on the day of the interview
  • Drink water to wet the mouth (nerous teenagers suffer from dry mouth symdrome)
  • Visualise yourself doing well during the job interview
  • Practice interview answers
  • Complete vocal warm-ups, just as singers do, before setting off for the interview

What a teenager should take to an interview.

A teenager job interview is very similar to an adult job interview.

The employer will ask for certain items to be brought to the interview, depending on the job role. In most cases, the teenager won’t be asked to bring anything.

To help stand out, and the show preparation it is good to bring the following to a teenager interview:

  • Qualifications/certifcates
  • CV
  • List of questions to ask the employer

Commonly asked teenager job interview questions.

  1. Tell me about yourself and how what you did at school/college?
  2. What do you know about the job role and the day to day duties?
  3. What skills do you have the are relevant to this postion?
  4. Give me an example of communicating with others?
  5. How would you fit in with the team?
  6. How would you balance working and studying at the same time?
  7. (for PT jobs) What hours can you work? (for FT jobs) Can you work overtime if needed?
  8. Give me an example of being reliable?
  9. What do you prefer, doing thing syour own way or following orders?
  10. Do you have any questions for us?

Job interview answers.

Tell me about yourself and how what you did at school/college?

  • Talk about school projects, volunteering and work experience and descibe any stand out achivements – being a prefect, being the captain of a sports team, being on the debate team

What do you know about the job role and the day-to-day duties?

  • Use a ‘job profile’ to research the required job duties and list these to the employer

What skills do you have the are relevant to this position?

  • Give examples of how others have described you IE ‘my teacher always said I was reliable…’

Give me an example of communicating with others?

  • Use the SAP structure here. Ensure you talk about listening as well as communication. Listening to a sports coach and communicating this to the team members, is a good example.

How would you fit in with the team?

  • Start by saying how you are a good team member, and how you can (lead/motivate/support) others. follow this with a SAP example

How would you balance working and studying at the same time?

  • This question is about time management. Discuss diary management, using reminders and planning your worklaod

(for PT jobs) What hours can you work? (for FT jobs) Can you work overtime if needed?

  • Be positive and show flexibility when you can

Give me an example of being reliable?

  • Another chance to use the SAP structure. Explain a situation when someone needed to rely on you. State how you went out of your way to be there for them.

What do you prefer, doing things your own way or following orders?

  • As a teenager, the employer in most cases wants you to follow their orders. Say, that you can work on your own when needed, but as this is a new job you would follow the orders of more experience colleagues

Do you have any questions for us?

  • See below
Evolve the mind book on Amazon

What should a teenager ask in a job interview.

At the interview end, it is good for a teenager to ask the employer questions about the company and job role:

  • Do you offer apprentciehsip schemes?
  • Do you have mentors for new starters?
  • What will my first week look like?
  • Will I being working in one department or getting experiences of different job roles.
  • What is the company culture like?

Don’t ask about:

  • Pay
  • Holidays
  • or Time off

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How to Answer the Interview Question ‘what is your biggest regret?’

This article will explain how to answer the job interview questions ‘what is your biggest regret?’

To best answer any job interview question, the applicant needs to think about:

  1. The advertised job role
  2. The company culture
  3. Required skills or knowledge.

This is because, an employer will have an ideal answer they are looking for. Meaning, for each interview question there is a reason.

The job interview, in short, is designed to predict the job performance of the further employee. As each interviewer will ask around 8 job interview questions, the recruiter doesn’t want to waste an opportunity to undercovers a required skill or trait by asking a pointless question.

The first thing each applicant should ask, when hearing an interview question, is:

  • What is the reason for this question?
  • What skill, knowledge or experience is the employer interested in hearing about?
  • Is there a hidden meaning?

The ‘biggest regret’ interview question.

The ‘biggest regret’ interview question is another way to ask ‘tell me about a mistake you have made?’ or ‘what are your weaknesses?’


For all negatively framed job interview questions, applicants need to train themselves not to answer the question on face value.


The biggest mistake interviewees make is listing regrets, mistakes and weaknesses.

“My biggest regrets was when I worked at….., also I regret not doing……and…..”

Listing a high number of regrets, mistakes and weaknesses will only result in a low-scoring job interview answer.


In fact, employers aren’t looking for a damaging interview answer – this isn’t a trick question.


What a hiring manager wants to hear is, what the applicant learned from the regret, the employer is wanting to hear the career professionals journey.

Applicants, therefore, should reference the regret, while focusing the main part of the interview answer on lessons learned. It is the journey the employer is interested in.

The job interview formula is: situation x regret x learning journey

How to answer the ‘regret’ interview question.

The 3 stages to the interview anwswer are:

  1. Situation
  2. Regret
  3. Learning/Journey

Situation

In the interview answer opening, it is important to set the scene.

Explain the situation. This could be a problem the applicant, team or organisation faced, a business as usual task that went wrong or a new company objective.

“When working at X company, we were faced with (a problem). If not resolved this could lead to (negative outcome)….”

In the second part of the situation opening, the applicant can explain their role and their actions.

“…as the team leader I was responsible for A, B and C. To resolve the issue I (add actions taken)…”

Regret

The ‘regret’ needs to be reframed as a learning point.

If possible, stay away from over using the word regret. Instead, talk about reflection, or use ‘if I was undertaking the same task I would do it differently’

Remember a ‘regret’ example doesn’t mean that the applicant has to discuss a failure, instead the interview answer can be about a successful event, that could have been completed in a better way.

An example of this could be a career professional regretting not studying at university as they took the apprenticeship route option. What is important is the learning, not the regret.

Start the answer second part of the interview answer by stating the regret

  • “I regret taking the apprenticeship route rather then studying at university…”
  • “I regret not looking into other others that could have (saved overhead cost/increased production/etc)…”
  • “I regret listening to the advice of others when I should has used my own experience….”

The word ‘regret’ can be easily replaced by rewording the interview answer:

  • “I don’t think taking the apprenticeship route was the best for me….”
  • “I could have looked into other options that could have saved…”
  • “I wish I had listened to my own experience rather the listening to the advice of others…”

Learning/Journey

The learning journey comes in two parts.

Part 1 – past choice

Part 2 – future self

Past Choice

Learning comes from reflection.

In the past choice section it is important to expand on the reason for the choice (regret) as this expands on the initial situation.

“…On reflection I made this choice because of (add reasons)…”

The choice, the reason for the regret, could potentially be down to the direction of a manager, company culture or lack of experience.

Next, discuss the other options.

When explain the other options state the reason why they, at the time, didn’t seem appropriate.

“…The other option was to (add option). If I took this option, the benefits would have been (state positives) but the (barrier/risk) included (add negatives) which is why I went with the first option.”

Future Self.

Finally, show learning.

“Looking back, I have preferred (other choice) as this would have (state better outcome)…”

Explain what was learnt because of the experience.

“…but the experience taught me (add lessons leant) which has now (add a benefit from the learning experience)..”

End with a future action.

“..if i was in the same situation again I would A, B and C”

Evolve the mind book on Amazon

Example interview answer.

Putting all the elements together, an example answer would look like:

“When working at X company, we were faced with (a problem). If not resolved this could lead to (negative outcome)……as the team leader I was responsible for A, B and C.

To resolve the issue I (add actions taken)…I wish I had listened to my own experience rather the listening to the advice of others….On reflection I made this choice because of (add reasons)…..The other option was to (add option). If I took this option, the benefits would have been (state positives) but the (barrier/risk) included (add negatives) which is why I went with the first option.

Looking back, I have preferred (other choice) as this would have (state better outcome)…..but the experience taught me (add lessons leant) which has now (add a benefit from the learning experience)….if I was in the same situation again I would A, B and C”

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Fast Food Manager Job Interview

Fast food restaurants are in every village, town and city. Employers are always on the look out for a fast food manager that can manage the day-to-day operations of the restaurant while producing high-quality food and service.

This article will teach managers how to be successful in a fast food manager job interview.

The post will list the commonly asked fast food manager job interview questions, and give an explanation of how each manager can structure their interview answer.

Successful job applicants are able to predict the job criteria – the skills, qualities and experiences required for the advertised role (based on the job duties of the role), to better predict the forthcoming job interview questions.

The main duties of a fast food restaurant manager include:

  • Hiring, training and managing full-time and part-time staff
  • Completing finance returns and purchasing stock and equipment
  • Planning budgets, forecasting spend and working to sale targets
  • Managing the day-to-day operations of the restaurant
  • Embedding H&S processes and other regulations into business-as-usual tasks
  • Using promotions to increase sales
  • Dealing with complainants, late suppliers and any other restaurant issues
  • Working with stakeholders
  • Writing a variety of managerial reports

What Does a Fast Food Restaurant Manger Job Interview Look Like?

There are dozens of fast food companies from McDonalds to Burger King, from KFC to Pizza Express, each has their own recruitment process. In the main, though, each organization follows a similar interview format.

  1. A telephone screening interview

A short telephone or online asking questions about your previous experiences and how that relates to the role. Often a 20-30 minute call with the employer asking 3-4 job interview questions.

I wont go into the detail of the screening interview process here, as the link in the title takes you to an article that will explain this in more detail.

2. Numeracy and Literacy Test

Many organisations are now asking applicants to complete a level 2 (GCSE grade C or grade 4) test as part of the recruitment process. This due to a large number of fast food restaurants funding a managerial qualification for a new (unqualified) managers. This is known as a higher apprenticeship.

3. Panel Job Interview

The main section of the fast food restaurant manger interview, is the panel interview. Generally speaking, applicants will be interviewed by three members of staff:

  • HR Manager
  • Fast Food Restaurant Area Manager
  • Current Restaurant Manager

Each interviewee will be asked between 8-10 job interview questions within a 30-60 minute timeframe.

The interview format will be a structured job interview. In a structured job interview all applicants are asked the same job interview questions. The questions will be based on past experiences (behavioral job interview questions) and future scenarios (situational job interview questions)

To create high-scoring interview answers, interviewees must reference the job criteria by giving relevant examples and/or stating relevant management theories or models that they would use once employed.

Fast Food Restaurant Manager Job Interview Questions and Answers

To help increase interview confidence, and therefore create a strong job interview identity, candidates can use the below interview questions and advice to form high-scoring interview answers by embedding their own experience and skillset into their rehearsed reply.

Tell me about your employment history and how this relates to a fast food manager role?

To summaries the fast food manager job role it would sound like: A fast food restaurant manager is responsible for the financial success of the restaurant and the management staff, processes and procedures to ensure a high level of customer satisfaction.

Using the summary as a benchmark, the opening interview question ‘tell me about…’ needs to highlight the candidates ability to meet the job role objective.

It is important to clearly state:

  • Duration in management, supervisory or team leader roles
  • Any relevant managerial and/or hospitality qualifications
  • Knowledge of the industry and job role
  • A unique selling point as this shows added value

Interview Answer Formula:

“I am passionate about (hospitality/food industry/leadership and management). I have over X number of years working in (managerial/supervisory/team leader/hospitality) During this time I have become skilled at (add duty) An example of this was when working at X organization. We had (add situation) To achieve the desired outcome I (add steps/actions taken) which resulted in (reduction in overheads/increased profit/staff retention/customer or stakeholder satisfaction/any other positive outcome).”

How would you priorities tasks while working in a busy and fast paced restaurant?

It is important to use management speak when applying for senior positions.

The natural usage of industry jargon, sector models and leadership theories creates a perception of competence helping the interviewee create a optimistic interview identity.

One management tool that can be quoted during the ‘priority’ or ‘time management’ job interview question is the ‘time management matrix’ tool. Essentially, this tool helps managers to prioritize task by reviewing the importance of the task vs the tasks urgency.

Is short this is a planning tool. For a full breakdown of the time management matrix tool click the link above.

The ‘priority’ question is designed to check that a future manager can oversee multiple tasks, deadlines and problems without becoming flustered or stressed. Research shows, how a pro-active and planned approach works best here. This means that an applicant will need to state the step-by-step process for time management and task priority.

Interview Answer Formula:

“This is something I have experienced with. In all my previous roles I have had to prioritize workload, manage multiple tasks and organize a large workload. The reason I am so successful are producing quality outcomes when working on multiple tasks is because I use (add management model: time management matrix, pareto principle, etc) What this means is I (give explanation of the chosen model) In addition I utilise my diary, have alerts and delegate duties to staff members.”

How would you manage the staff timetable when a large portion of your employees are students?

Like all restaurant manager job roles, one of the key duties is staff recruitment and staff retention. Due to a large portion of the staff being university students, who can sometimes only worked on allocated days or not at all during exam periods, staff planning is a key skill. Managers will also have to consider the risk of some students not turning up for shifts.

This interview question, then is asking about risk assessing as well as creating a staff rota.

When answering the interview question, previous managers or team leaders can start by explaining there previous experience in staff timetabling. Applicants applying for the first managerial role need to explain the requirement elements for staff rotas.

The answer needs to cover two perspectives, the employers and the employees.

Employees need a staff rota to:

  • Show routine
  • Cover their contracted hours
  • Reduction in split shifts
  • Details – allocated tasks IE serving tables or working the bar

Employers/managers need a rota to:

  • Ensure a senior member of staff is working on each shift
  • Needs to consider the reliability of the team members on each shift – in the job interview make a point of saying that you would never have a group of potentially unreliable workers on one shift
  • back up staff to cover sickness
  • Look at the skills and experiences of each employee and the requirements of the job roles IE each shift will require a trained first aider
  • Have overlapping start/end times to ensure a cross over in staff members

Interview Formula:

“I have been creating staff rotas for X numbers of years. When putting together a staff rota I consider (add employer perspective points). From a motivational perspective and to help improve staff retention I also consider (add employee perspective points)”

“Why do want to work for our organisation?”

There is a high turnover of staff in the fast food restaurant industry.

With this in mind, recruiters will often ask questions to understand the reason for the applicant applying for the advertised role:

  • Salary increase
  • Promotional opportunity
  • Need a job, any job!
  • The values of the organisation

In truth, it is likely that there will be a number of reasons why an applicant is applying for a new position. what is important from the employers perspective is that the candidate wants to work for their company.

An interviewee who states they the admire the company, have similar values or share the same vision is more likely to be recruited as it reduces the risk of the new employee handing in their notice due to an improved job offer in a short period of time.

Interview Formula:

“I have always like the (brand) and often eat here myself. But, I applied for this role because I love the company mission (state mission). Also, after reading the company values I noticed that several of these values (name a few values) are similar to my personal values. I also had a friend who worked for the organisation who talked positively about the company culture, and I can see myself working well here.

Evolve the mind book on Amazon

Do you prefer using tested processes or trying new ways of managing the restaurant?

Choice questions can be tricky.

Often the employer will have a preferred way of working, as an example you can predict that McDonalds like routine and repetition as every BigMac is created in the same way in all restaurants. Whereas, other fast food restaurants have more variety.

Generally speaking, most well-known food chains have company processes that mangers must follow. So, research is required here prior to the job interview.

One way to answer this question, especially if the pre-interview research doesn’t result in a concrete answer, is to discuss the benefits and negatives of each option.

Interview Formula:

“Using well tested processes often gives you similar results, as an example (give example relevant to that particular restaurant) but the downside is there is no room for innovation at a time when customer demands change constantly. On the other hand, trying new ways to increase sales can work at a local level as each manager knows their customer base and the economics of the local level but this in itself can have a negative effect on sales as the individual stores loses its brand identity.”

Do you have any questions that you would like to ask us?

As the ‘questions for us’ question is asked in every job interview be sure to arm yourself with a number of questions that create the professional perception a manager requires.

  • What is the staff turnover like in the restaurant?
  • Who is the restaurants biggest competitor at the local level?
  • What are the busy periods for the restaurant?
  • What is the biggest barrier to meet sales targets?
  • What would my first month look like?

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