Hospital Cook Interview Preparation Guide

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It is important that each dish is prepared to perfection even under pressure. I have specifically developed strong multitasking skills to ensure that I can complete tasks efficiently even without available help.

When you prepare food for the general public, it is important that you keep things safe for not only your customers, but also for yourself and your coworkers. If you have a food safety certificate, this is a great time to present it. At the same time, you can mention some of the safety tips that mean the most to you. Even if you do not have a certificate, you should be sure to list some of the things you would do. “I would ensure that all of the ingredients I use are fresh, I would wear gloves and wash my hands often, and I would always let other employees know if I am walking behind them with a hot dish or pan.”

This is usually an invitation to talk about yourself on a personal but not intimate level. Stress such points as your family background, length of time in the community, work with community groups, hobbies, and interests. End by focusing on your work experience, work values, aptitudes, and qualities and how these are relevant to the job in question.

The skills of being one of the best chefs and the skills of preparing some of the greatest dishes.

Making a main course dish that looks presentable to a guest.

☛ I am punctual, and I know the importance of starting my shift on time.
☛ I work well in a team but can get tasks done on my own.
☛ I work well under pressure.
☛ I am organized, and will always have my workstation ready for rush hour.

Rushes are a common part of the daily cooking routine, and it is important to be prepared for situations that arise. In response, I follow streamlined and efficient approaches to each dish to ensure that they can be completed during busy times.

Tests technical skills.

Describe your specific career plans and how this job fits into these plans.

This question may sometimes be phrased in more subtle ways, such as “What are some areas in which you can improve?” “How have you grown over the past few years?” or “Where do you see yourself needing to grow in the next few years?” It is not a good strategy to avoid mentioning shortcomings because you may come across as dishonest, defensive, or weak.

Working together has a team.

This is another question aimed at determining how well you know your work. Be specific as to what you believe is the right set of activities to ensure smooth services.

Seamless service is the basis of any food service organization. To ensure this, I make sure that there are sufficient stock and levels of food supplies available to line stations at all times.

Always made sure my workstation is clean and sweet floors.
Checked inventory and made sure all prep work was done.

When preparing food, I confirm that all of the tools have been cleaned and sanitized. I also utilize only fresh ingredients that have been appropriately stored at adequate temperatures. Finally, I double check that my hands are washed and wear gloves.

Reveals duty expectations.

You want to emphasize how this position will use your existing skills and develop additional skills. You might also mention the company’s reputation as a leader in the industry, a fair employer, or a good corporate citizen, its reputation for providing high-quality training to staff, and other relevant considerations.

By doing them step by step.

Say you would like a job that keeps you active and you will enjoy the challenge of working under pressure.
Say you have a passion for food and enjoy cooking.

By fallowing up on my schedual.

Your strengths should present you as an efficient and committed worker who can perform the job competently. Other strengths required in every job are honesty, dependability, enthusiasm, and cooperation. Mention them if appropriate.

☛ Tell me about yourself.
☛ Why did you apply for this job?
☛ What do you know about our company?
☛ What would you say are your strengths?
☛ What would you say are your weaknesses?
☛ What do you see yourself doing in five years time?
☛ What do you enjoy most in your current (or most recent) job?
☛ What do you enjoy least in your current (or most recent) job?
☛ What is your greatest career achievement?
☛ Why do you want to leave your current/previous job?
☛ How would your colleagues say about you?
☛ What single thing would you most like to change about your current job?
☛ What has been the biggest career disappointment?
☛ Do you prefer to work alone or with colleagues?
☛ What other job have you applied for recently?
☛ What is your reaction to criticism?
☛ How does this chef job sound to you?
☛ What is your current boss like?
☛ Why should we give the job to you?
☛ In what environment do you work best?
☛ What are your your hobbies?
☛ When was the last time you cried?
☛ Do you have any questions that you would like us to answer?

☛ What situations, during the last year, have kept you from fulfilling your job duties and coming to work on time?
☛ How do you handle situations that could cause tardiness or absenteeism?
☛ Everybody misses work sometimes. What are some legitimate reasons to miss work?
☛ During the last year, when your replacement hasn’t shown up and your manager asked you to stay late, what percentage of the time have you stayed late?
☛ What outside situations would affect your dependability on the job?
☛ Why do you think dependability is important for a restaurant cook?
☛ When you do not show up for work, how does it affect your co-workers?
☛ How many unscheduled absences did you have with your previous employer?
☛ How often are you late for work?
☛ Where does your employment fall in your list of priorities?
☛ Do you have your own transportation?
☛ Could I call your previous employer and ask how your attendance was and what would they tell me about your attendance?

☛ If you suddenly had a lot of work to do and other prep cooks weren’t helping, how would you handle it?
☛ What would you do if you were asked to prepare a sauce you had never prepared before?
☛ Imagine you have a question about something but the chef isn’t around. What do you do?
☛ In what order would you place different ingredients (vegetables, meat, fish etc.) in the refrigerator?

☛ How did you fill downtime at your last job?
☛ What situations kept you from fulfilling your job duties or from coming to work on time at your last job?
☛ What do you feel is an acceptable amount of days to be absent in a calendar year?
☛ Think about the last time your manager critiqued your work. How did you respond?
☛ What about your character makes you a good candidate for this job?
☛ How have you responded in the past when you found another employee was stealing?
☛ Priorities often change suddenly throughout the day. If you are asked to quickly do another task, how does that affect your mood? What if it's the third time before noon?
☛ How do you handle situations that could cause you to be tardy or absent?
☛ Tell me about your last performance review. What was mentioned about how you could improve? Any re-occurring themes?
☛ How have you responded in the past when your replacement calls in sick and a substitute will take over an hour to come in?
☛ 24/7 operations are like relay races where you take the baton, run with it and then pass it on smoothly. How do you make seamless transitions on shift changes?
☛ During the last year, when your replacement hasn’t shown up and your manager asked you to stay late, what percentage of the time have you stayed late?
☛ Give an example of when you did something without being asked. Can you give me another example?
☛ Tell me about your most frustrating experience as a __________ (job title). Listen and then ask, how did you handle it?
☛ Describe a recent problem you had with one of your manager's decisions. Listen and then ask, how did you handle it?

Shows creativity.