Hi,
I will be interviewing a Juinor from our High School Culinary Arts program for an internship with my hopefully soon to be open bakery. I was looking for questions I should ask him.
Thanks,
Joanne
Overall GPA? GPA just in his culinary arts classes? (measure of how hard he works and if it is consistent across the board or specific to one area)
best subject? worse subject?
(those two give insight into how he thinks -- math people think very differently than verbal people)
classes in bakery/pastry arts and grade for each?
classes in art -- especially in sculpture, pottery?
(has he been trained for artistic design/form/3D visualization/creation)
other activities -- extracurricular, church, clubs, etc.?
(all sources of potential work schedule conflicts)
WHY?
why do you want a job working in a bakery? (have to for credit? really interested in pastry?)
why do you want to work in one just opening?
why the pastry field and not savor (reg. restaurant)?
what will you bring to this business that will enhance the business?
how will hiring you make my life easier? my product better? my business more successful?
what is your best quality? your worst?
if you could set your work hours, what would they be and why?
what is your expectation in terms of salary? benefits?
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then throw out some hypothetical situations -- could draw them from all the horror stories on CC
such as:
your delivering a cake to a wedding and (fill in w/ some disaster), you would?????
a customer calls to complain about ---?----, you would handle the complaint by ?????
It's friday afternoon, there's a big contract due the next day, Saturday, for a ----?----, the cake isn't finished yet and needs at least another 5 hours. You ????
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be sure to emphasize:
that he WILL have to work weekends and that includes Sundays too.
that he may have to work late nights and that includes Friday and Saturday nights.
cakes are no respecters of "but I want to go out w/ my friends, etc.) -- the cake has to be made and delivered! and parties & weddings are weekend affairs
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ask for a resume -- he'd better have one! that's standard procedure today for any teen who really wants to make a proper impression when getting a job.
if not on his resume (and they should be) -- ask for references and then call them.
And their attendence. The reason I ask about grades and attendence is because I need people who are responsible and recognize their responsibility. I am not a McDonald's where someone has to wait an extra 30 seconds to get their fries if you call in sick. I do weddings. This is a one-time shot to do it right at an event where a bride has planned it her entire life and is spending a LOT of money on the event! The expectations are WAY higher for me than they are for the burger flipper. If I plan 4 staffers at an event, then I HAVE to have 4 staffers!
Ask them "when you have a term paper due, what is your process for getting it done?" I'm not impressed with those who brag about how well they work under pressure and they wait until the last minute. I need someone who is going to think ahead. Someone who is going to make sure the equipment is packaged up and ready to go for the next catering. SOmeone who is going to look ahead and let me know if we are running low on something that we need for the wedding the next weekend. Someone who is going to look around and foresee that "this will be a problem later if I don't fix it now." I don't want someone who fiddle-farts around until the last minutes so that now *I* have an emergency to take care of.
I am a weekend business, so I ask about extra curricular activies. A basketball player or a cheerleader is NOT going to work out very well in my business if they have games every weekend and I have weddings every weekend.
(When I was a teenager, I worked in the movie theaters. Even at the age of 15, I was amazed at how many kids took a job at a theater and then whined because they had to work every friday and saturday, and the manager had to explain to them (AGAIN!) ".....guess when people go to the movies? ON THE WEEKEND! Guess when I need people to work? WHEN PEOPLE GO TO THE MOVIES, WHICH IS ON THE WEEKENDS!")
I am not here to provide you a job. You are here to help ensure that I make a profit, which in turn provides you a job.
I had an interview once that asked this "What question did we Not ask, that you were expecting?" I've always thought that was a good one. Something to keep him on his toes.
I had an interview once that asked this "What question did we Not ask, that you were expecting?" I've always thought that was a good one. Something to keep him on his toes.
That's a good one. Written that one down!! 
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