The average job interview lasts 40 minutes. However, 33 percent of employers decide whether they’ll offer you a job within the first 90 seconds—at least according to Undercover Recruiter, a popular career blog. They recently posted an interesting infographic based on a survey of 2,000 bosses. It clearly illustrates how important it is for hospitality professionals to connect favorably with their interviewer—using both nonverbal and verbal methods—as soon as they walk through his or her office door.
Why is this so essential? The answer is likeability. You might be the most exciting chef, the most accomplished concierge, or the most experienced housekeeping manager, but if you fail to convince your interviewer that they will actually enjoy having you on his or her team, you’re likely to fail at landing the job as well. Consider these five simple ways to build rapport quickly at your next hotel or restaurant job interview.
1. Show interest in your interviewer’s experience.
Sure, you’re nervous. Everyone is when interviewing for a hospitality job. And you’ve probably spent most of your time over the past several days practicing answers to potential questions and attempting to squash that nervousness rather than thinking about things you can do or say to put your interviewer at ease. Fortunately, making small talk is one of them—and it doesn’t take much preparation, especially if you keep it purposeful. If your interviewer doesn’t launch directly into their own questions as soon as you’ve taken a seat, you can get things rolling yourself with queries such as, “How long have you worked for Hotel ABC?” or “How did you get your start at XYZ Restaurant?”
2. Observe and then imitate him or her.
Mirroring—or subconsciously imitating the gestures, speech patterns, and attitudes of others—often occurs naturally in social groups. Purposefully mirroring your interviewer can help you quickly establish rapport. While you don’t want to take on a completely different personality or be someone you’re not (which would come across as fake), subtly matching his or her demeanor, tone, hand gestures, posture, and other body language will facilitate a nearly instant connection and make both of you more comfortable. This skill will come in handy in your chosen hotel or restaurant job as well.
3. Show your personality.
Hospitality—whether your goal is to work back of the house as a kitchen manager or upfront as a guest service agent—requires an engaging personality. Make sure you smile and convey friendliness during the interview. If your pre-interview research revealed a hotel or restaurant culture that appreciates individuality—or even expects it—you can go even further. While you don’t want to force jokes into an interview, appropriate humor and shared laughter build rapport.
4. Create a conversation, not an interrogation.
Unless this is your very first hospitality interview, you’ve probably already learned the importance of asking questions that show you’ve taken time to research the hotel or restaurant, its history, and its current needs. However, you may not realize that you don’t have to save these questions until the end of your meeting. Look for ways to interject them naturally throughout the interview, and you’ll create a more genuine back-and-forth conversation that will forge a connection between you and the employer.
5. Communicate your gratitude.
Don’t just thank the employer for his or her time, sound like you really mean it. Tell him or her how much you appreciate the opportunity and that you enjoyed the conversation. Ask for their business card and follow up with a gracious, well-written email within 24 hours after your interview. Many hospitality job seekers mistakenly believe that thank you notes don’t matter, but they are wrong. When it is meaningful (i.e. sincere and effectively communicating your interest in the hotel or restaurant as the next step in your career), an emailed or hand-written thank you can cement the rapport you’ve built with the employer and put the odds in your favor if he or she’s deciding between multiple qualified candidates.