Conducting a Job Interview Over a Meal
A few weeks ago, as I was performing my volunteer duties, I came in contact with a volunteer who is new to the organization. I will call her Mary. Mary and I were paired together, and had the opportunity to engage in conversation, as we were getting to know each other. During our conversation, Mary shared a story with me that had left her baffled when she first heard it. The main character in the story is her family friend.
Her friend “John”, completed law school successfully and did not have any problems landing an articling position with a local law firm. With much hard work and dedication, he also passed his bar exam. After becoming a fully-fledged lawyer, he applied to a prestigious law firm he had his sights set on from the time he was in law school and was pleasantly surprised when he landed an interview. The interview was to take place at a restaurant. He prepared himself in every way possible to increase his chances of landing his dream position. John arrived at the restaurant ten minutes prior to the appointment, which gave him enough time to freshen up before his interviewer arrived. His interviewer was a senior partner, which delighted John. Upon meeting, they exchanged polite greetings and some small talk as they ordered and waited for their meals to arrive.
When the meals arrived they dug in. John decided to eat as fast as he could, so he would have enough time for the interview. After dessert had been served and the dishes cleared, the interviewer indicated that it was time to leave. John was still waiting for the interview and to his shock, he got to learn that the interview had already transpired and had not been successful. He was floored because he had no idea of when that had happened. He inquired further about it, and the senior partner informed him that the interview transpired during the meal. John still didn’t get it. When did this happen, and how? It turned out that the firm was looking to fill the position with a lawyer who was equipped to do business over meals.
As Mary told me this story, I could tell that she was still perplexed and was trying to understand what might have gone wrong. As she had not had the heart to ask John details of what had actually happened, her questions remained unanswered. As unfortunate as the story was, the outcome did not surprise me at all. Interviews done over meals present the widest range of written and unwritten faux pas, and John could have committed any number of them.
My mind went into overdrive trying to decode any of the interview taboos he might have committed:
Had he ordered the most expensive meal on the menu?
Did he have a spinach salad? This is one dish we all serve ourselves well by staying clear of when eating out, especially for job interviews. We cannot afford the luxury of worrying about the green we may or may not have sticking out of our teeth.
Did he order an alcoholic beverage? Alcohol is a very interesting topic! There are varying schools of thought when it comes to having alcohol during a business meeting. If one is not sure of the company’s rules, the safe bet is to avoid it altogether. In interviews, any amount of alcohol is a big no-no for most companies.
Did John chew and swallow his food before talking? Was he savvy with his cutlery? Or did he wrongfully dig into his meal before being invited by his host to do so? I sure hope he did not wear his napkin like a bib!
These are just a few factors that could have cost him his opportunity of joining the law firm.
Although academic and professional qualifications are of extreme importance in landing jobs, for some companies it is equally important that their personnel have good soft skills as well. This translates well to their targeted clientele. It is, therefore, good practice to brush up on our soft skills and have them as ingrained habits in our daily practice. That way we are not caught off guard should we be invited to a business dinner, a job interview over a meal, or even a sporting event with co-workers. This will help us, unlike John, to be recognized for our professional potential, and be retained for our ability to meet social outings with confidence.
