Kinsa Group Blog

Does being overqualified for a food & beverage position mean that you’ll be disqualified from consideration?

Not if you handle the interview right.

True, many employers are reluctant to hire overqualified candidates.  Recruiters fear that an overqualified employee will be dissatisfied, demand more money, expect fast promotion or even jump ship.

As a job seeker, you need to recognize these concerns and effectively address them if you want to get the offer.  Use these tips to handle an employer’s concern that your qualifications outstrip the available position:

Realize that nobody is a “perfect” match.  Reassure yourself with the fact that a recruiter rarely (if ever) finds a candidate who is an exact match for the position in terms of both skills and experience.  Most finalists are either too heavy or too light in some aspect of their qualifications.

Never misrepresent yourself.  Even if you’ve managed to gloss over your depth of experience in your résumé, it will come out in the interview.  So never try to sell yourself short.  If you do, you may be perceived as dishonest and therefore rejected, or you may wind up with a job in which you’re extremely frustrated by the lack of challenge.  At the end of the day, honesty is always your best policy.

Prepare answers to common interview questions.  If you’re overqualified, you will likely be asked a question similar to one of the following.  Make sure you’re prepared to respond effectively and allay a prospective employer’s concerns.

• How will you stay motivated in a job that doesn’t make use of many of your qualifications?  If the hiring manager is worried that the available position won’t stimulate you enough, sell yourself – not your abilities.  Explain that you can never be overqualified in your enthusiasm, your desire to mentor or your quest for knowledge.
• It’s not likely that you will be offered a promotion any time soon.  Is this okay with you?  Obviously, you don’t want to convey the impression that you’ll gladly languish in a position ad infinitum.  Instead, say something like: “I’m eager to learn as much as I can about your organization while carrying out my daily responsibilities.  While I understand that a promotion is not likely in the short-term, I’m confident that if company circumstances change, you will offer further opportunities to me.”
• I’m concerned about your willingness to stay here long-term.  Won’t you become bored or frustrated?  If a recruiter seems concerned that you’ll leave for greener pastures, demonstrate your proven track record of loyalty.  Offer examples of how you found opportunities for growth, even in positions you held for several years.

Look harder for positions that better match your experience level.  Choose your opportunities carefully!  As a job seeker, you owe it to yourself to critically evaluate the merit of any position for which you may be overqualified.  Consider:

• Would you truly be happy in this role for an extended period of time?
• Is the compensation range adequate to meet your financial needs and desired standard of living?
• Does the position fit into your long-range career development plans?

Make sure you don’t continue down the interviewing path too long – only to realize that you want a higher level job than what the employer is offering.  If you do, you may wind up burning a valuable bridge.

As national food & beverage recruiters, Kinsa works with top employers from coast to coast.  We can help you find a professional, executive or C-level food & beverage position that is ideal for your experience level and specialization:

• Executive Management

• General Management

• Sales

• Marketing

• Operations & Plant Production Management

• Research & Development

• Food Science

• Quality Assurance 

• Food Safety

• Human Resources

• Engineering

• Maintenance

• Supply Chain and Purchasing

• Warehouse Management

• Finance & Accounting

Could asking few simple questions help you land your next food & beverage job?

Absolutely.  Here’s why.

An interviewer judges the questions you ask as carefully as the answers you give.  Asking irrelevant or ubiquitous questions (i.e., what are the work hours for this position?) shows a lack of preparation for the interview (and a lack of interest in the job).  Asking germane questions, on the other hand, shows that you understand the job, the potential employer and the food & beverage industry.  The right queries signal your genuine interest, help you get the vital information you need and ultimately impress the interviewer.

Regardless of the type of food & beverage job for which you’re applying, asking savvy questions during the interview can be the difference between getting the offer and going home rejected.  So what should you ask about, and how?

Every interview is unique.  Some recruiters and hiring managers will only give you one opportunity at the end of the interview to ask questions.  Others will ask for your questions at multiple points, so be sure you have several intelligent queries prepared.  To give yourself an advantage in your next interview, consider asking one or more of the following:

1. What was the company’s biggest strategic decision this past year?  How did they come to this decision?  You want to work for a company that is proactively planning its future.  These questions demonstrate that you are thinking ahead.  They may also clue you into what you will need to do to stay current in your field and continue adding value for the employer.
   
2. What would a successful first year in this position look like?  Ask this and you will get a general idea of what the interviewer will expect you to have mastered/accomplished in a year’s time.  Additionally, it will help you gauge whether the expectations for the job are realistic.
3. What are the three main factors you will use to select the right person for this job?  This question will help you understand what kind of employee the interviewer is seeking (and if you’re the right kind of person for the job).  It will also allow you to counter by discussing important skills or qualities the interviewer lists which you may have forgotten to mention.
4. Is there anything you are still questioning about my candidacy that would prevent you from offering me this position? – or- Can I clarify anything about my skills, experience or work style further for you?  These questions solidify your genuine interest.  They also show that you’re open to constructive feedback and eager to provide reassurance that you will make a great employee.
5. What are the next steps in the hiring process?  This is a great wrap-up question.  It will help alleviate your anxiety after the interview, by giving you some idea about the company’s hiring time frame.

Type up a list of the questions you want to ask – and take them into the interview for reference.  Remember, you may not have the opportunity to ask all of the questions you want, so be sure to prioritize them.  Ask the questions you genuinely want to know the answers to, not just the ones you think will impress your interviewer.

Ultimately, asking the right questions will help you determine if you’re a good fit for the job available.  Kinsa Group can help you find that great fit and ensure your long-term career success.  Our experienced and highly specialized food & beverage industry recruiters go to great lengths to match you with the ideal food & beverage opportunity.

Contact Kinsa Group today for more assistance with your executive food & beverage job search.  From food science and engineering, to executive management and quality assurance, we provide immediate access to a wide range of the industry’s best food & beverage career opportunities.

When preparing for big interviews, most food & beverage professionals focus on what they’re going to say – about their work experience, accomplishments, goals, strengths and weaknesses.

While it’s certainly essential to know how to speak intelligently in an interview, it’s just as important to know how to listen.  A good recruiter will critically evaluate your listening skills as closely as he will your speaking skills.  In a market where competition is fierce, your ability to truly listen will help you make a better impression and may tip the scales in your favor.

Hone Your Active Listening Skills

In an interview situation, active listening is much more than just waiting for your turn to talk.  It involves not only hearing the words that are said, but also fully comprehending what the interviewer is asking you to do.  Use these tips to enhance your listening skills and perform better in your next interview:

Give the interviewer your full attention. Try to remain focused during the interview and devote your full attention to what the interviewer is saying.  Develop the habit of reminding yourself to focus every time your attention begins to drift.  Throughout the interview, maintain appropriate eye contact and avoid the temptation to formulate your response while the interviewer is still speaking.

Listen with your ears, eyes and brain. Communication experts say that only a fraction of the meaning of any conversation is in the actual words that are being said.  To understand the interviewer’s true meaning, you must glean other nonverbal cues from his tone of voice, posture and facial expressions.

Adopt an active listening posture. Show that you’re listening through your posture.  Sit with your shoulders set straight, while inclining your body and head slightly toward the other speaker.  Your hands may be used to take notes, or be folded either on the table or your lap.

Think before you speak. The more poised you are when you speak, the more intelligent your response will be.  So take a moment after hearing the question to formulate your answer.  A second or two of silence will help both you and the interviewer organize your thoughts and prepare for the turn in conversation.

Confirm understanding. If the interviewer asks a complex or multi-part question, paraphrase what he’s asked to confirm your understanding before beginning your response.  This will help ensure your response is both complete and accurate.

Answer the question that you’re asked. Listen carefully to the entire question before you answer it.  For example, the question “When do you feel that experience matters?” is significantly different from “How do you feel that experience matters?”  Make sure you pay attention to the nuances of each question and that you accurately answer what’s asked.  Avoid rambling answers that stray too far from the question posed.  If the interviewer wants to know more about something, he will ask you to elaborate.

Becoming a better listener won’t just help you land the job you want; it will make you a more successful professional.  So try incorporating a few of these tips into your next interview.  Do so and you may soon be listening to your next job offer!

Contact Kinsa Group for more assistance with your executive food & beverage job search.

If you’ve ever been on an interview, you’ve probably heard this one:

“Tell me a little bit about yourself.”

Sounds innocuous enough, but in reality this is an extremely important question.  Interviewers ask it for a number of reasons:

• to get a sense of what you feel is most important about yourself;
• to see how well you’ve prepared for the interview;
• to find out why you think you’re the best candidate for the job;
• to see how you handle yourself in an unstructured situation;
• to see how articulate you are;
• to find out what type of first impression you make.

There is a lot riding on your response to this question, so make sure you knock it out of the park.  Here are a few quick tips for answering the “tell me about yourself” interview question the right way:

• Be brief.  Keep the answer short – no more than two to three minutes.
• Develop and include your USP.  Your Unique Selling Proposition, also known as a personal branding statement, is a one-sentence description of who you are, what you greatest strength is and the major benefit that a potential employer will derive from this strength.  Plenty of help for developing your USP is available online.
• Practice, practice, practice.  Write your answer out, then rehearse it until it’s second nature.  The better you know your pitch, the more poised and confident you’ll sound.
• Cite examples.  When you develop your answer, include one or two examples that best demonstrate why you’re well-qualified for the available postition, or highlight your most important accomplishments.  Quantify these results whenever possible (e.g., cost-savings, market share, measurable process improvements, increased revenue, etc.)
• Stay focused.  Make sure your response clearly focuses on the experiences and accomplishments most relevant to the available position.

The “tell me about yourself” interview question offers a great opportunity to set yourself apart from your job competitors.  So don’t waste it.  Take advantage of your time in the driver’s seat by selling yourself, creating a great first impression and setting a positive tone for the rest of the interview.

The Kinsa Group is committed to the success of your career search in food & beverage.  With over 25 years of experience placing high-level executives and managers with top employers in the food and beverage industry, we have the resources and connections to match you with the ideal opportunity.  Contact us today or Search Jobs online.

Right now you may be asking yourself, “Why would I need to go on an informational interview?”

As an experienced food & beverage industry professional, you may think that an informational interview would be a waste of your time.  Because typically, informational interviews are associated with job seekers who are new to the employment market, or have no clear direction for their careers.

But conducted properly, even a seasoned professional can benefit from an informational interview:

• Expand your professional network
• Set yourself apart from the crowd in a competitive job market
• Gain valuable insider feedback on potential future job openings
• Sharpen interview skills that may have become a bit “rusty” from disuse
• Practice selling yourself and your personal brand

In short, this type of interview can provide you with invaluable visibility, information and practice – all in a low-stress setting.

Tips for Successful Informational Interviews

• Do your homework. It goes without saying that you’ll get out of the informational interview process what you put into it.  So read industry journals and annual reports, and study operating principals, product and financial information for any company in which you’re interested – before making phone calls.
• Use your networks. Leveraging these contacts will distinguish you from entry-level job candidates, get you in front of key decision makers more quickly and make potential employers take you seriously.
• Find out how your skills will translate. If you already know how your experience will benefit a potential employer, now is the time to say so.  But if you’re unsure where you might fit into a different sector of the food and beverage industry, the informational interview provides a perfect opportunity to find out.
• Be honest. Since you’re not interviewing for an available opening, be candid about your professional strengths and weaknesses, as well as career goals.  If your skills, desires and priorities are not a match for a particular organization, it’s always better to find out up front.  In this case, the interviewee may be able to connect you with potential employers that are more in-sync with your needs.
• Ask about next steps. If you’re intrigued by the prospects with a potential employer, take the initiative and find out the next step in being considered for an available or upcoming position.  And if the connection is not there, ask if the interviewee knows anyone else with whom you should speak.  But be sure to do so tactfully, so that you leave behind a positive and professional impression.

A Final Thought
Informational interviews can happen anywhere and anytime – not just in the board room.  So keep an open mind and seize potential opportunities whenever they present themselves, because you never know who might be helpful in your career search.

Jump Start Your Career Search with The Kinsa Group

If you’re in the market for a new job, or are just curious about what kind of professional food and beverage jobs are available right now, please call us today.  As national recruiters specializing in the food & beverage industry, Kinsa Group offers a variety of excellent career opportunities.

It’s like a bad dream.

You’re in an interview, dressed to impress and feeling totally in control of the situation, when the unthinkable happens – the interviewer asks a question that completely stumps you: 

“If you could have dinner with anyone from history, whom would it be and why?”

“Why is a manhole cover round?”

“Which fictional character would you say best describes you?”

If just reading these questions makes beads of sweat pop out on your forehead, you’re not alone.  In an interview situation, most of us would be stopped in our tracks by off-the-wall questions like these.  But that’s the point:  interviewers ask odd questions intentionally, to see how well job candidates thinks on their feet and respond to stress.

Because unusual interview questions can be about virutally any topic, they’re nearly impossible to prepare for.  Still, here are a few quick tips to help you handle them more effectively:

• Keep your composure.  The question was meant to throw you off your game – so don’t let it rattle you.  Keep your face neutral and recognize that this is the wacky question you’ve been anticipating.
• Take your time.  Smile, take a deep breath and avoid the temptation to blurt out an answer.  Don’t panic – if you have to take a moment to gather your thoughts, it merely demonstrates that you think carefully through a situation before responding.
• Relax.  When it comes to unusual interview questions, your answer is not as important as how you handle the situation.  In fact, most don’t have right or wrong answers.  So take the pressure off yourself.  You don’t have to be brilliant, you just need to answer honestly.

If you’d like some practice answering off-the-wall questions, consider the following popular ones:

• If you could be any character in fiction, whom would you be?
• If you had only six months left to live, what would you do with the time?
• If someone wrote a biography about you, what do you think the title should be?
• If you were a _________ (insert:  car, animal, salad dressing – you get the picture), what kind would you be and why?
• If you won $50 million in the lottery, what would you do with the money?
• How would you rate me as an interviewer?

Seeking a Job in the Food and Beverage Industry?

Register with Kinsa today.  Our team of food & beverage industry recruiting professionals will listen to your needs, match you with a perfect career opportunity, and then prepare you to ace the interview.  Click here to learn more about our unique services for food marketing, food production, food scientist, food safety, research & development and executive management professionals.

Congratulations – you’ve been invited in for an interview with a leading food & beverage employer.  This opportunity really has potential, and you want to nail the interview.  Now what?  Review this list of tips to make sure you have all your bases covered:

• Revisit your resume.  Make sure you know dates of employment, responsibilities, professional accomplishments, starting and ending salaries, etc. for each position.
• Practice your answers to common interview questions, enlisting a friend’s help if necessary.  Common questions include:

           – How would you describe yourself?

           – What is your greatest strength/weakness?

           – How do you define success?

           – Why do you want to work here?

           – Why should we hire you?

• Conduct a self-assessment.  Make sure you can clearly communicate your current skills, strengths, weaknesses, motivations, interests and work values.
• Go online or visit the local library to learn all you can about the company’s mission statement, financials, organizational structure, products and services – so you can speak intelligently about them during the interview.
• Bring along extra digital and paper copies of your resume.
• Select an appropriate outfit, bearing in mind both the position and corporate culture – then dress one notch above what would be expected.  When in doubt, go with a business suit.
• Call a day or two ahead of time to confirm directions, parking, interview time and interviewers’ names.
• Do a practice run to make sure you know the route.  See how long it takes to drive there, factoring in rush hour traffic if applicable.
• Prepare a list of professional and personal references.
• Bring along breath mints, a small note pad and a pen – just in case.
• A day or two after the interview, drop off hand-written thank you notes to each person who interviewed you, thanking them for their time and emphasizing your specific qualifications for the position.

Share Your Experience

What interview questions have stumped you?  We’d like to know.  Leave your comment below, or contact us via e-mail.

Need More Interviewing Help?

We at Kinsa Group want to do all we can to help you land the perfect career opportunity.  If you need assistance or would like additional resources to help hone your interviewing skills, please contact us directly.