Working interview
The main style to interview a chef is to do a working trial shift or a short period of time in the kitchen.
The reason for this is to see how you get on with the other chefs, to see your knife skills and how you plate up food.
Kitchens are small close teams, this format is very good for both sides, to see what you think about the kitchen and the team.
These are normally a couple of hours, often over a lunch service. It will help the candidate decide knowing how the kitchen is run during service. 2. Skills test / menu test
Some clients will give you some produce on a tray and ask you to cook a dish. Clients are looking for your creative side, to use the produce in the best way. Stop and think before you start cooking. Always think about your timings, if you have 30 minutes, make sure you can cook it and serve it within that time. The two areas people slip up on is timings and not working in a clean / organised way.
Trade test:
You might get asked to cook a classic dish or a traditional dish. These classic dishes are often french classic’s, in our chef shop you can buy cookbooks like the ones on the left from the Roux brothers. Trade tests are fantastic as they will help to see your knowledge of the classics. Trade tests are sometimes to watch how you prep an item, like fish to watch your knife skills. Dont panic under pressure, you can do it, just think what your doing. 3. Sit down interview
Traditional sit down interview where you will be asked a range of questions. Below is a list of sample questions. Do research the place before hand and look smart. Turn your mobile phone off (including smart watches ie Apple/samsung watch if you wear one, or take it off as they do not normally look right with a shirt). Remember clean shoes, have a spray to make you smell fresh and have a mint before you go in.