Page Personnel Logo

Main menu

  • Home
  • Jobs+

    Browse for Jobs

    • https://www.pagepersonnel.com.hk/
    • Banking & Financial Services
    • Customer Service
    • Digital
    • Engineering & Manufacturing
    • Finance & Accounting
    • Healthcare
    • Human Resources
    • Insurance
    • IT
    • Life Sciences
    • Marketing
    • Procurement & Supply Chain
    • Sales
    • Secretarial & Business Support

    Searching for a job?

    • Searching for a job?
    • Submit your CV
    • Resume templates and tips
    • Salary guide
    • Salary comparison tool

    Looking to return to Hong Kong?

    • https://www.pagepersonnel.com.hk/
    • Get in touch

    Search for Jobs

  • Contracting+

    Looking to hire?

    • Looking to hire contractors?
    • Hiring Contractors - Free Guide
    • Why Hire Contract Workers
    • FAQs for Employers

    Thinking of a career move?

    • Thinking of a career move?
    • View Contracting Jobs
    • Benefits of Contracting
    • FAQs for Contractors
  • Recruiting+

    Recruitment expertise

    • https://www.pagepersonnel.com.hk/
    • Banking and Financial Services
    • Customer Service
    • Digital
    • Engineering and Manufacturing
    • Finance and Accounting
    • Healthcare
    • Human Resources
    • Insurance
    • Life Sciences
    • Marketing
    • Procurement & Supply Chain
    • Sales
    • Secretarial & Office Support
    • Technology

    Looking to hire?

    • Looking to hire?
    • Recruitment services
    • Page Personnel Skillchecker
    • Outsourcing / project recruitment
    • Salary Guide
    • Job Advertising: ReachTalent

    Start a Hiring Conversation

    • Request a call back
    • Request a call back
  • Advice+

    Job Search Advice

    • Job Search Advice
    • Resume templates and tips
    • Interview
    • Salary negotiation

    Career and management

    • Success
    • Career progression
    • Managing/building relationships
    • Productivity

    Market insights

    • Market insights
    • Salary Guide 2021
    • Salary Comparison Tool
    • Market updates
    • Contracting

    Popular articles

    • Salary guide 2020
    • 8 guaranteed ways to stand out during the hiring process
    • What it takes to be a successful secretary
    • 五種方法教您如何克服面試緊張情緒
    • 第二次面試會聊些什麼呢?
    • 提升員工參與度的五種方式
  • About+

    About Us

    • Who we are
    • Recruitment services
    • Our leadership team
    • Diversity & inclusion
    • Media releases
    • Awards
    • Reviews
  • Join PageGroup+

    Join PageGroup

    • Join PageGroup
    • About PageGroup
    • Why choose us?
    • Your role here
    • Use your skills
    • FAQs
    • Apply now
  • Contact+

    Contact us

    • https://www.pagepersonnel.com.hk/
    • Find our office
    • Looking to hire?
    • Submit your CV
    • Feedback
Sign In
Saved jobs (0)
Saved jobs (0)
Sign In
Login or Sign up
Search for a job

You are here

Home>Advice>Job Search>Interview>Dine your way to that job: handling breakfast interviews

Dine your way to that job: handling breakfast interviews

by Annabel Chu
-
27/06/2018
Dine your way to that job: handling breakfast interviews

Last month, I organized a breakfast session for a management trainee programme in an investment bank. The candidates were visibly nervous during this breakfast session, and rightly so. A breakfast interview is almost equivalent to receiving that job offer. You’re almost at the tail end of the interview process and have one final hurdle to face before you get that job.

Breakfast interviews are a common practice for executive candidates, but in recent years, some sizable organizations and MNCs have been known to invite junior candidates for such casual interviews as well. There could be many reasons for doing so, but a breakfast setting is usually more informal and conversational, designed to help you relax. With the delicious spread, it is easy to get carried away and forget that you’re in a job interview. If you’re not careful, you might let your guard down and divulge too much personal information.

When you’re invited to a meal or an interview over a cup of coffee, you’ll need to be equally prepared. Here are some topics your conversation should cover, and some of the basic “dos” and “don’ts”.

1. Prior to the interview

Do some research about the restaurant – get the exact location, find out what’s on the menu and if there is a dress code. Doing this research beforehand will give you an idea of what you can order, especially if you have food allergies or need to follow a strict diet.

2. During the interview

Table manners

Your safest bet is to shadow the interviewer. While your meal at the restaurant is usually paid for, order conservatively and do not pick the most expensive items on the menu. For example, if the interviewer is having a light breakfast like coffee and sandwich, do not order a full English breakfast. Stay away from “difficult foods” like a squid ink pasta or a giant burger, and try your best not to order alcohol, as you want to stay focused.

Enjoy the meal slowly and do not speak with food in your mouth. Remember that this is an interview with your potential boss, so you’ll need to practice proper dining etiquette.

Topic selection

The interviewer might still pose you some traditional interview-style questions. Tell them something which is not listed on your resume. For example, your strengths, an interesting project you’ve handled before, or an exciting hobby and try to tie this in with the job scope.

Sometimes the interview can get very personal. My candidate once met an interviewer who shared his life experiences and the lowest points in his life. My candidate was unfazed and shared a similar experience that he encountered. Remember that there may be a hidden agenda behind every conversation. Your hiring manager will be observing how you deal with stress, if you have proper etiquette and social skills. Do not let your guard down in any circumstance.

3. After the interview

Let the interviewer to check the bill. Express your appreciation for their time and the meal. Ask for a business card or contact details and send a follow-up e-mail to them. In the thank you letter, emphasize your interest for the role and highlight key skillsets. It is also a good idea to recap some specific topics that you’ve covered during the meal.

4. Various interview formats

Sometimes there may even be multiple interviewers in the meeting and the interview could take place as a long table luncheon, cocktail night or even happy hour session. Don’t forget to come prepared with an arsenal of topics that you can converse with the interviewer(s) about and don’t forget to interact with the other candidates or potential colleagues who are seated around you.

Once in a while, I meet candidates who are invited to networking events, where they will need to mingle with guests and stand out from the other interviewees – think The Apprentice. Before jumping into the event and making yourself the centre of attention, observe the environment, identify who you’d like to talk to and adopt the most suitable approach. You can even do your homework before the event to see who might be in attendance.

Remember to give your full attention to everyone you speak with and leave a good impression. Your interviewer may try to talk to as many candidates as possible and might only spend around 10-15 mins for each candidate, so you’ll need to be engaging and keep the conversation going.

My final advice? Step out of your comfort zone. You might meet an old friend at the event or enjoy talking to certain people more than others. However, you never know who you might meet and who might be evaluating your performance so try to be more open-minded and connect with as many people as possible.  

For more tips on how to ace that interview, visit our job search section.

Previous article
Remedying hiring issues in Hong Kong’s healthcare industry
by Melisa Woo
Read article
Next article
Top 2018 trends in logistics and supply chain operations
by Page Personnel
Read article

Join over 50,000 readers!

Get a free weekly update via email here and help kick start your career.

Popular Articles

  • Top contract jobs in 2020
  • Six common interview questions
  • How to write a winning resume
  • How to get promoted faster
  • Three CV mistakes to avoid
Page Personnel Logo
  • Read our BlogRead our Blog
  • Follow us on FacebookFollow us on Facebook
  • Follow us on LinkedInFollow us on LinkedIn
  • Watch us on YouTubeWatch us on YouTube

General

  • Change Country/Region
  • Michael Page Hong Kong
  • Page Executive
  • Investor site
  • PageGroup corporate site
  • Email Disclaimer
  • Site terms
  • Privacy policy

Jobs by function

  • Banking & Financial Services
  • Customer Service
  • Digital
  • Engineering & Manufacturing
  • Finance & Accounting
  • Healthcare
  • Human Resources
  • IT
  • Insurance
  • Life Sciences
  • Marketing
  • Procurement & Supply Chain
  • Sales
  • Secretarial & Business Support

Contact

  • Feedback
  • Looking to hire?
  • Submit your CV
 

Our Offices

  • Admiralty Centre

Accreditations

ISO27001 Accreditation

Page Personnel (EA Licence No. 58960) is a brand name of Michael Page International (Hong Kong) Limited 米高蒲志國際(香港)有限公司 (Company No.176887, EA Licence No.60630) is part of the PageGroup. Office address: Suite 1408, Admiralty Centre Tower 1, 18 Harcourt Road, Admiralty, Hong Kong