Host / Hostess Interview Questions & Answers

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A host or hostess greets customers as they enter a restaurant, takes their reservation or puts them on a waiting list, gives them menus and shows them to their seat.

Whether you're a job seeker preparing to be interviewed for the role of Host / Hostess or an employer preparing to interview candidates for Host / Hostess position, these Host / Hostess interview questions will help you prepare yourself for the job interview session.

Host / Hostess Interview Questions

Below are a list of some skill-based Host / Hostess interview questions.

1. What is your reason for applying to the company?
2. Briefly discuss your experience in the field of Host/Hostess
3. What skills are mandatory for this position?
4. Describe three qualities you possess
5. What is the important skill you have learnt that would assist you in your Host/Hostess position?
6. What is the most recent thing you learned that you think will help to get this job?
7. What is the role of the Host/Hostess? What will you do well? What might be hard?
8. How do you deal with an angry customer?
9. How would you handle guests who are unhappy about a long wait time to be seated?
10. How do you ensure customers are comfortable when waiting to be seated?
11. A customer enters and demands to be sat immediately. There is a one-hour wait. What would you do?
12. What does the word “hospitality” mean to you, and how does it apply to being a Host/Hostess?
13. What do you enjoy most about the hospitality industry?
14. What do you enjoy most about being a Host/Hostess?
15. Why is it significant to smile at your guests?
16. How would you accommodate customers with special diets/allergies? What menu items would you recommend?
17. What would you say to a group of guests leaving the restaurant who had a bad experience?
18. Describe a situation when you had to motivate someone in your workplace
19. On busy nights, how do you ensure customers who must wait are comfortable?
20. How would you describe your job to others who think it to be not a good job?
21. How will you serve a V.I.P Guest as compared to a regular one?
22. What would you do if the phone started ringing just as you greeted a guest entering the restaurant? 
23. What would you do if a party of 10 came in claiming to have a reservation, but it was not on the books? 
24. What would you do in case of an emergency?
25. How do you take criticism?
26. How do you handle tense situations with customers? coworkers? Use examples to support the answer.
27. From the Job Description, What areas are you good at and which ones do you think you should be trained in?
28. What are the most important aspects of a Host/Hostess career that will add value for our company?
29. What according to you, are the most important aspects of this job?
30. How would you deal with a difficult customer?
31. What strategy do you use for seating guests at a table to avoid tension among the wait staff which leads to slower service.?
32. What according to you, are the risks in this job and how do you overcome that?
33. How do you maintain this sort of job for a longer period?
34. Describe the steps to manage the activities for this job?
35. Describe the best customer service you have personally experienced. What did you enjoy about it, and how do you try to apply that experience to your work?
36. Describe a time when you made a mistake as a Host/Hostess. How did you resolve it, or what did you learn from the experience?
37. How do you feel about working in a fast-paced environment?
38. Describe a time when you felt overwhelmed at work. What did you do to manage or overcome that feeling?
39. Tell me about a time you had a conflict with a coworker or supervisor and how you resolved it.
40. Tell me about your multi-tasking abilities.
41. Do you have experience working long shifts? Are you comfortable working on your feet for significant amounts of time?
42. Why should you be hired for this role?
43. What are your expectations from the company?

Host / Hostess Interview Questions and Answers

Every interview is different and the questions may vary. However, there are lots of general questions that get asked at every interview.

Below are some common questions you'd expect during Host / Hostess interviews. Click on each question to see how to answer them.

1. What is Your Greatest Weakness?
2. What is Your Salary Expectation?
3. Tell Me About Yourself
4. Why Do You Want To Leave Your Current Job?
5. Are You a Leader or a Follower?
6. What is Your Greatest Strength?
7. Do You Have Any Questions for Us?
8. Why Should We Hire You?
9. What Is Your Greatest Accomplishment?
10. Why Do You Want This Job?

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