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Interviewing Job Applicants: More Powerful with a Results-Oriented Job Description

Interviewing Job Applicants: More Powerful with a Results-Oriented Job Description

Hiring a good employee starts with a thorough interview of experience, attitude, and problem-solving ability. Unfortunately, many interviewers ramble around an unstructured conversation.

Using a job description as the base for questions and comments focuses attention on essential job requirements and minimizes emphasis on personality or irrelevant issues. Sticking to job-specific questions is the best safeguard against illegal questions.

Even when interviewers use a guided interview form, unless that form incorporates the job description as the centerpiece, attention can slide into non-essential issues.

Not all job descriptions are equally useful, however. A duties- or task-oriented job description only gets you through the basics. A Results-Oriented Job Description that focuses on desired outcomes is better because it aims attention at testing an applicant’s talents at analyzing and pursuing necessary results.

As an example of the way to use a job description when interviewing job applicants, here is the Job Interview Guide for a waiter/waitress. You’ll find seven standard questions following each major job result to ask when examining a candidate’s qualifications.

Of course, additional questions will depend on the candidate’s responses. And, when team interviewing, using a job-based structured approach ensures that all interviewers will approach the interview from the same orientation.

Job Interview Guide

A guide for interviewing job candidates to determine experience and competency regarding each job responsibility.


WAITER-WAITRESS

1. PREPARES TABLES FOR DINING
by
cleaning and covering tables; setting utensils, napkins, decorations, condiments, candles, and service plates.

What specific job responsibilities have you had in this area?

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

Where did you have these job responsibilities?

_____________________________________________________________________________

When did you have these job responsibilities?

_____________________________________________________________________________

How did you go about accomplishing these responsibilities?

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

What accomplishment in this area gave you the most pride?

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

In this area, what were some of your biggest challenges?

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

How did you overcome the challenges?

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________


2. HELPS DINERS SELECT FOOD AND BEVERAGES
by
presenting menu; suggesting courses; explaining daily specials; answering food preparation questions; offering beverages; identifying appropriate wines.

What specific job responsibilities have you had in this area?

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

Where did you have these job responsibilities?

_____________________________________________________________________________

When did you have these job responsibilities?

_____________________________________________________________________________

How did you go about accomplishing these responsibilities?

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

What accomplishment in this area gave you the most pride?

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

In this area, what were some of your biggest challenges?

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

How did you overcome the challenges?

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________


3. TRANSMITS ORDERS TO KITCHEN AND BAR
by
recording diners’ choices; identifying diners’ special dietary needs and requests; noting timing of meal progression.

What specific job responsibilities have you had in this area?

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

Where did you have these job responsibilities?

_____________________________________________________________________________

When did you have these job responsibilities?

_____________________________________________________________________________

How did you go about accomplishing these responsibilities?

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

What accomplishment in this area gave you the most pride?

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

In this area, what were some of your biggest challenges?

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

How did you overcome the challenges?

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________


4. SERVES FOOD AND DRINKS
by
picking-up and delivering items from bar, kitchen, and service areas.

What specific job responsibilities have you had in this area?

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

Where did you have these job responsibilities?

_____________________________________________________________________________

When did you have these job responsibilities?

_____________________________________________________________________________

How did you go about accomplishing these responsibilities?

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

What accomplishment in this area gave you the most pride?

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

In this area, what were some of your biggest challenges?

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

How did you overcome the challenges?

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________


5. MAINTAINS DINING EXPERIENCE
by
inquiring of needs; removing courses as completed; replenishing utensils; refilling water glasses; being alert to spills or other special needs.

What specific job responsibilities have you had in this area?

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

Where did you have these job responsibilities?

_____________________________________________________________________________

When did you have these job responsibilities?

_____________________________________________________________________________

How did you go about accomplishing these responsibilities?

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

What accomplishment in this area gave you the most pride?

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

In this area, what were some of your biggest challenges?

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

How did you overcome the challenges?

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________


6. CONCLUDES DINING EXPERIENCE
by
acknowledging choice of restaurant; inviting diners to return.

What specific job responsibilities have you had in this area?

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

Where did you have these job responsibilities?

_____________________________________________________________________________

When did you have these job responsibilities?

_____________________________________________________________________________

How did you go about accomplishing these responsibilities?

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

What accomplishment in this area gave you the most pride?

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

In this area, what were some of your biggest challenges?

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

How did you overcome the challenges?

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________


7. OBTAINS DINING REVENUES
by
totaling charges; issuing bill; accepting payment; returning change or credit card.

What specific job responsibilities have you had in this area?

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

Where did you have these job responsibilities?

_____________________________________________________________________________

When did you have these job responsibilities?

_____________________________________________________________________________

How did you go about accomplishing these responsibilities?

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

What accomplishment in this area gave you the most pride?

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

In this area, what were some of your biggest challenges?

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

How did you overcome the challenges?

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________


8. PROTECTS RESTAURANT AND DINERS
by
adhering to sanitation, safety, and alcohol beverage control policies.

What specific job responsibilities have you had in this area?

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

Where did you have these job responsibilities?

_____________________________________________________________________________

When did you have these job responsibilities?

_____________________________________________________________________________

How did you go about accomplishing these responsibilities?

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

What accomplishment in this area gave you the most pride?

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

In this area, what were some of your biggest challenges?

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

How did you overcome the challenges?

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________


9. IMPROVES WAITER/WAITRESS JOB KNOWLEDGE
by
attending training sessions; reading technical publications.

What specific job responsibilities have you had in this area?

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

Where did you have these job responsibilities?

_____________________________________________________________________________

When did you have these job responsibilities?

_____________________________________________________________________________

How did you go about accomplishing these responsibilities?

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

What accomplishment in this area gave you the most pride?

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

In this area, what were some of your biggest challenges?

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

How did you overcome the challenges?

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________


10. CONTRIBUTES TO FOOD SERVICE AND RESTAURANT SUCCESS
by
welcoming related, different, and new requests; helping others accomplish job results.

What specific job responsibilities have you had in this area?

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

Where did you have these job responsibilities?

_____________________________________________________________________________

When did you have these job responsibilities?

_____________________________________________________________________________

How did you go about accomplishing these responsibilities?

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

What accomplishment in this area gave you the most pride?

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

In this area, what were some of your biggest challenges?

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

How did you overcome the challenges?

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________




Closing Interview Questions:

What are your greatest strengths?
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

What do you need to improve?
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

What would you like to learn in a new job?
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

What would you like to ask me?
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________





Interviewing Job Applicants More Powerful with a ResultsOriented Job Description - To learn more about this author, visit Roger Plachy's Website.

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About The Author


Roger Plachy
(Visit Roger's Website) Roger Plachy and Sandy Plachy are a husband-wife human resources management consulting team. Their interest in results-oriented thinking and managing employee performance led them to establish the Job Results Management Institute, and to create the Results-Oriented Job Description. At www.jrmi.com they offer the world’s largest database of results-oriented job descriptions. They have also responded to management’s need to keep employment actions centered on job requirements instead of personality, creating management forms tailored to each job description, for interviewing, orienting, training, and appraising performance. Free family job descriptions on their site bring a results-orientation to non-work aspects of life. Roger and Sandy consult with all types of organizations worldwide, and are authors of the books, Results-Oriented Job Descriptions, More Results-Oriented Job Descriptions, Performance Management, and Building a Fair Pay Program. Roger also wrote: When I Lead, Why Don’t They Follow? At www.results-orientedthinking.com, they offer commentary about their results-oriented management approach.

Roger Plachy is a Silver author on EvanCarmichael.com
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