Interview Questions and Answers - Assignment Example

Ten Questions for an Interview What are your weaknesses? One of the things that I consider a weakness is that I can be too much of a people pleaser.I try to not to let this weakness get in the way of decision making, but sometimes in the pursuit of satisfactory outcomes, I will take the choice that serves another’s needs over that of my own. I am very prudent to not let this interfere when I make business decisions, but this tendency can also serve me well as I try to work towards good customer relations. I also consider my desire to protect others a weakness. In the pursuit of good relationships, sometimes I become too protective of others and lose sight of the big picture. I work on seeing the big picture over individual needs, but sometimes the individual needs fill the picture. This is something I work on as I pursue an education in human resources. Looking back, what would you do differently? If I had my career to do over, I might have moved into a full management position at an earlier date. However, I enjoy the customer interactions and stayed in an aspect of the business that allowed me to develop my abilities to serve my customers well. As I was young when I started working for Beni Hana, my goals were not defined. I was lucky to find a place where I could grow and mature with my experience, without having to move from restaurant to restaurant, as many do in this business. What was the toughest decision you ever had to make? The toughest decision I ever had to make was to turn another employee for theft. This individual was a friend, but what they were doing was not an acceptable situation and had it continued it would have appeared that others were stealing from the company. During that episode, I was torn between my friendship and doing the right thing. Under the circumstances, as I was sure that another was going to be blamed for the incidents of theft, I had no choice but to speak up. I lost my friendship with that person, but it was not worth allowing someone else to be blamed for something they had not done. I started thinking about the fact that others would have suffered for what my friend was doing, but as well, the company was suffering for what he was doing. This was a good lesson in all the ways that employee theft cannot be tolerated. What courses did you like least? Why? I am the type of person who enjoys engaging in the people side of business. Having said that, some human resources courses are not my favorite as they entail learning how to manipulate employees in ways that are for the good of the company and not always for the best interests of the individual. As has been said, the good of the many outweighs the good of the few, but it is difficult to always look at human resources through the point of view of an overall good. People’s lives are involved and the state of their family. One of the reasons that human resources interests me is that it is about helping people to find a way in which to work for a company and balance it successfully with a fulfilling life. The rates of pay, the benefits, and the ways in which the company will benefit an individual all have a place in providing a secure income for those who work for a company. While some aspects of the decision making process will not benefit some, it is hoped that it will benefit the majority of the employees. Why did you choose your major? I chose my major because I have developed a great love for the food and beverage industry. Through my experiences bartending, I have developed skills with both the product and with people. This has been a great satisfaction for my life, and has inspired me to continue towards goals that include running my own bar. It is through a love of the business that I have discovered my path in life. In risking my future on this goal, I find that the more I learn the more I grow and become the person that I should be as I travel my career path. Some people have the fortune of finding a goal in life that supports all of their dreams. They find that they have a knack for something specific and that it is their destiny. I believe that in pursuing my dreams in the food and beverage industry, I have found my passion. What has been your greatest challenge? My greatest challenge has been to learn how to put business before the pleasure of the industry. One of my current passions is in increasing my skills as a bartender, making drinks quickly and being creative during this process. I have learned to love talking to the customers and have enjoyed my interactions with them as a bartender. It is difficult for me to give this up, but I realize that in order to advance my goals, I will need to pass my position to others and talk on more leadership roles within a company setting. Describe a leadership role of yours and tell why you committed your time to it? During my time at Beni Hana I took on a growing number of responsibilities and management duties. As a lead in the bar area, I have been able to encourage the staff towards my own beliefs on how to serve customers. I am proud of the team that I built under my leadership as I was able to instill my beliefs about employee relations to one another, which has extended into good relations with our customers. To what do you owe your present success? I owe my present success to my family who has helped me to develop a good work ethic. Through that work ethic, I have developed a sense of how to set goals and work towards achieving them. I owe my future to the values that my family has instilled within me. Without their support, my goals and the things that I have wanted to achieve may not be possible. Through the way of life that I was given by my parents, I have found a way to find my career path and to hopefully enjoy my work, which is a privilege that not everyone is allowed. What motivates you? I am motivated by the result of serving a customer well. I realize how simple that sounds, but in the end, what a restaurant or bar does is create an event or an experience for the customer. It may be that the customer is having a bad day, or celebrating an event, but what I do will have an impact on the moments of their lives. The way I give service to them, or the way I teach my staff to give service will impact the way in which their event is experienced. While it is good business to provide good service, it is also a part of good social living to give service that benefits others in a positive and beneficial way. What are your team-player qualities? Give examples? As a team player, my goals are based upon moving the whole group towards mutually satisfying outcomes that meet the goals of the company. It is my intention to first find my role within a team, whether it will fall to me to lead or whether it will fall to me to be a vital member. I have the ability to both lead and follow as necessary. Teams are best when there is not a leader, but a symbiotic relationship in which all of the members have vital and understood roles. It is always my goal to find my place within a team and to help to motivate others towards those goals that have been set. As an example, even when I have taken on responsibilities as a leader behind the bar, I always make sure to work alongside the rest of the workers, our goals being achieved in an effort that comes from working together rather than barking out orders. It is important to maintain authority when needed, but also important to show that you are a working member of the team, rather than one only delegating tasks. It is always my goal to work towards the tasks at hand, rather than to prove that I am above or better than the others. By creating a lowered level of competition about teamwork and higher level of mutual goal seeking, teams are better. Read More