Assistant Front Office Manager

Interviewer: Rita; Paula      

 Interviewee: Charles

Good morning, Mr. Tsai, I believe you already have some idea that this job requires frequent shift turns and immediate support for our hotel.  So you understand that we are seeking someone who is willing to do this challenging but fruitful job professionally.

1. First of all, we would like to know more about your related work experiences; please briefly introduce yourself.

A:   I majored in English and American literature in National Central University which greatly helped with my English communicating skills.  While in school, I took up a part time job working as a waiter in a restaurant to accumulate work experiences.  After graduation and military services, I worked in the Grand Hotel as Front Office clerk for 2 years.  Since I was well-trained in the English language, I was put in charge of receiving foreign guests.  It was my duty to make them feel right at home, so I always did my best to explain the services provided by the hotel and to satisfy the needs of our guests.

1.1 As you mentioned you worked in Grand Hotel before, may we ask 「What』s the most unforgettable emergency situation in your previous job?  And how did you cope with that situation in the Grand Hotel?」

A:   Mmm, there are always emergency situations in such a big hotel with hundreds of guests coming through everyday.  But there was one case that I remember very well.  We all know earthquakes are quite common in Taiwan, but for most foreigners, it』s a great shock to be faced with such a situation.  Once a senior official from Washington D.C. stayed overnight at our hotel, and as luck would have it, an earthquake happened that night.  The senior official was terribly frightened and called us in great confusion.  As it could lead to an international incident, I immediately went up to his room and carefully explained to him that earthquakes are commonplace here and that they were mostly not dangerous at all.  Furthermore, the Grand Hotel was designed to resist such earthquakes.  He finally calmed down after my explanation, and we upgraded him to the presidential suite to compensate for the shock.  Although the hotel had to shoulder the cost for the upgrade, we think it is very important that we keep such important guests happy.

2.  What can you do for us that some else cannot?  If you could get this job, what』s your expectation?  How would you make it better?

A:   I am quite devoted to my work and I』m willing to take extra shifts and handle additional tasks.  I fully understand that this is the service industry and we have to be on duty whenever we are called upon, even if we have to extra work to make our patrons satisfied.  I don』t mind such demands because I like to learn new things.  I hope I can build up a team spirit with my co-workers and provide the best service possible.  Of course I also understand that we are all human beings and that sometimes we all have to cover for one another.  So I will do my best to manage the human resources, especially under special situations such as fire alarms or unexpected absentees.

3.  Let』s imagine this situation.  You are now the front office manager at our hotel; what would you do to protect every patron』s privacy?  For example, if the female artist who recently suffered from the disclosure of her husband』s possible infidelity came to our hotel looking for refuge.  She』s very emotional and fragile.  How would you handle those media, paparazzi and meanwhile what would you do to help her get over the craziness?

A:  If our guests demand privacy, I will arrange it so that the paparazzi is kept away from all entrances or parking lots which our special guest may use when checking in and out.  I will personally see to it that no information about our guest, whether it is information about her room number or her dates of checking in and out, would be leaked.  I will suggest that our guest have her meals in the room and draw up her curtains.  If she would like, I will arrange it so that services like the spa or the salon will be reserved for her to relieve her tension.  Of course everything will be done with the highest discretion.

4.      One more question: What』s your expected salary?

A:     My understanding is that a job like the one you are describing may carry a monthly salary in the range of NT$40,000 dollars.  But I am more interested in learning about possible bonuses?

Interviewer』s Response:

    We offer three-times-per-year bonus on the three significant Chinese festivals based on your level of performance.  We also provide regular staff-training to help our staff learn and grow with the organization together.  If there are no further questions, we thank you for your time and you will certainly hear from us in 2 weeks.  Thank you and have a good day! 

Interviewer: 嘉雯 Paula   

Interviewee: 映青  

Job: assistant front office manager

A:     Please take a seat.

A:     I suppose you』re aware that we』re looking for somebody with experience in the related field.  So maybe that』s where we should begin.

A:     Miss XXX, tell us about your past work experiences, particularly what you』ve learned on these jobs and what you think are your weaknesses.

Q:  After I graduated from National Central University, my first job was front desk agent in the Grant Hyatt Hotel.  I was responsible for greeting guests and check-in/outs.  On that job, I learned that patience is very important when dealing with guests in any situation, especially when you have to greet hundreds of guests everyday.  I worked very hard and was promoted to assistant front office manager in three years.  As someone who is in charge of the front office system, I learned that team spirit is vital if we hope to provide the best services to our guests.  As to my weakness, well, I think sometimes I tend to be a bit too persistent in sticking to my principles and doing everything perfectly.  And sadly it often leaves me working overtime to perfect every single detail.

A:     All right. Well, being an assistant front office manager is not easy.  You』ll be in charge of overseeing the staff, as well as providing satisfactory guest services. Do you think you』re qualified for this job?

Q:  Yes, I believe I am.  I am an energetic person, and I always keep a high interest in things that I am not familiar with.  I am not afraid to take challenges, and I am always eager to serve.  I think that is an important characteristic for any staff in the service industry, especially for people who work in the hotel business where there are always unexpected things happening.

A:     Let』s say it』s two in the morning and one of our guests calls you and complains about a leak in the ceiling of his room.  He is very upset and demands that you handle the situation immediately.  What do you do?

Q:  Well, first, I will personally go up to his room to check on the situation.  I would formally apologize to him and help him change to a different room, preferably upgrading his room to a suite and give him some meal coupons.  After the guest has settled into the new room, I will call housekeeping to have the leak taken care of immediately.

A:     Are there any questions you』d like to ask?

Q:  I would like to know if there is any staff-training in your hotel?

A:  Yes, we offer job rotation and staff training on a yearly basis.  We』d like our staff to learn and grow at this hotel.

A:  If there are no further questions, we』d like to thank you for coming in today. We』ll give you further notice soon.

Q:  Ok, thank you.