How to Succeed in Hotel Management Job Interviews

Published by Jaico Publishing House

A-2 Jash Chambers, 7-A Sir Phirozshah Mehta Road

Fort, Mumbai - 400 001

[email protected]

www.jaicobooks.com

© Peale Foundation, Inc.

HOW TO SUCCEED IN HOTEL MANAGEMENT JOB INTERVIEWS

ISBN 978-81-8495-742-6

First Jaico Impression: 2015

No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or

mechanical including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system,

without permission in writing from the publishers.

I remember the days when I was a student of Hotel Management (1980–

1983) at IHM, Kolkata. Those were days when there were very few

Hotel/Hospitality Management colleges with limited options in

teaching/learning resources. We as students and later as teachers have had

to work very hard to collect resources to be effectively transferred to our

students. At every step we felt the absence and thus, the need of quality,

“ready to use” resources for students of Hotel/Hospitality Management in

India.

Prof. Partho Pratim Seal’s book is an important step in that direction.

Having worked together as colleagues and having seen his devotion and

passion for teaching, I see the same reflected in this work. I hope and expect

that the Hotel/Hospitality Management teaching/learning community will

take full advantage of this book.

I wish him all success for this book and otherwise..!!

Arunangshu Bhattacharya

Dy. Director

Amity School of Hospitality

Amity University Gurgaon

Nobody walks alone on their journey through life. I would like to thank all

those who have walked beside me and helped me by continuously urging

me to put my thoughts down on paper and write this book. I would also like

to thank the people that I have met and worked with and shared my

thoughts regarding a positive approach to life and all that it throws at us.

The heavenly blessings of my father, the late Mr Sarat Kumar Seal and

my mother, Mrs Anjali Seal, have been a source of divine inspiration to me.

I want to thank my wife, Samita and son Swapnil, who supported and

encouraged me in spite of all the time it took me away from them.

My sincere thanks and gratitude are due to all the academicians and

reviewers of the book for their feedback, conceptualization and reviews of

the content, which helped in giving the book a superior presentation. I

would also like to thank the editorial team at Jaico Publishing House for

their prompt response, which has led to the completion of the project as per

the schedule.

I would like to thank all my students who inspired me to look at things

from their perspective and explore new dimensions in writing a

comprehensive book.

Finally, I would like to thank God for all that I have been blessed with

and I hope I will be able to give others as much as I have received.

An aspirant learner of hospitality chooses a career in hotel management

hoping for a bright future in the field of hospitality. The hospitality industry

has a dearth of quality manpower and is always in search of people. The

various hotel management colleges, institutes, vocational institutions and

even some universities, both in the government and private sector, offer

hospitality courses at the intermediate, undergraduate, and post graduate

level. Students are usually selected from these institutions through various

recruitment programs held both on and off campus.

Students often have a problem when they have to prepare for campus

interviews, as the latter involves a meticulous knowledge of their field of

interest with both soft and hard skills. Individuals may be skilled but have

problems in expressing themselves. Such students would be ignored in the

interview process so it is necessary for all aspirants to have proficiency in

language and the knowhow of expressing it.

Most of the books are prepared considering the various Indian syllabi and

not for campus interviews, which require a brief but comprehensive

knowledge about all the core subjects of hospitality as well as the basics of

making it through an interview.

Utmost care has been taken to incorporate new trends and topics in the

industry. Since the book incorporates a lot about hospitality some points

may not have been considered as it is not a text book but a supplementary

book for hospitality students facing interviews.

The book gives an overview of all the four major departments, namely,

the front office, housekeeping, food production, and food and beverage

service. The book has five sections, four for the core subjects and a section

for overall personality development.

The core subject sections have been divided into chapters. The chapter

begins with a brief introduction about the topic discussed and is followed by

questions and answers. The questions and answers are broadly based on

those asked in campus interviews, but could also be a guide for students

preparing for their respective examinations as that perspective has also been

considered while preparing the text. Students are usually nervous and tense

just before an interview. Considering this, general questions and answers

have been added to familiarise students with the pattern of questions asked.

A simple but very effective exercise is also included to relax a candidate

just before appearing for the interview.

COUNTRIES, CAPITAL, CURRENCIES AND

AIRLINES

BODY LANGUAGE

Every individual has a particular body language which gives insights into

their personality. Body language comprises gestures an individual expresses

without even realizing it. An individual’s body language could be through

their facial expression, eye contact, or any hand or body movement while

communicating with others. Eyes play a major role in body language since

they send important signals about an individual’s feelings to others. Proper

eye contact indicates confidence during an interview and trust among peer

groups and colleagues. Body language is an important soft skill which a

person should be conscious about to be successful in his/her career. A

leader should have strong body language which will complement his/her

authoritative nature and reflect confidence.

When an interviewee enters the room the panel of interviewers or single

interviewer observes the individual’s mannerisms and personality indicated

by his/her body language. Since body language leads to the first impression

of the prospective candidate a positive expression plays a major role in

selection of the candidate.

Both positive as well as negative emotions of an individual are shown by

body language. Some emotions may be constructive for a particular job, but

not for all jobs. Some common emotions are listed below.

Aggression

Slight aggression with a proper balance is suitable for the hospitality

industry. This should not however be shown with a raised voice or

aggressive body gestures, but with calmness and sincerity.

Nervousness

Nervousness is common for individuals facing an interview, but it also

reflects lack of confidence. Nervousness is usually depicted by an unsteady

voice or stammering, not making eye contact with the interviewer and

maintaining a low profile.

Attentiveness

This is a very important body language which creates an interest in the

speaker/interviewer. The signs of attentive body language are steady eye

contact with the speaker, inclination of the head, not interrupting when

someone is speaking but waiting till the speaker has made his point.

Relaxed

Hospitality personnel should be relaxed and unfazed by any complex

situation, and should not react to it. A relaxed individual will keep his head

straight, chest upright, eyes calm and have a gentle smile.

Defensive

A defensive individual will often have his arms folded, wandering eyes, and

crossed legs. An individual is defensive of private or public criticism.

An individual will usually display different body language when facing a

personal interview, in a group discussion or while having a video–call

conference. The desired body language of an individual in different

situations is given below.

Interview

A courteous attitude on entering the room, and a greeting to the

interview panel.

Sitting down only when the interviewer gestures to do so.