What to Expect during the Bob Evans Interview Process
The Bob Evans hiring process often features very simple and straightforward procedures. Applicants traditionally interview onsite at restaurants of choice. An attending manager, often a restaurant manager or district manager, administers job interviews and ultimately makes final hiring decisions. Interview formats most often used during the hiring process include 1:1 sessions. Hiring personnel use the personal but informal meetings to gauge personality traits and discuss the sought-after position. The interview process concludes in about a week or two, regardless of final determinations.
Entry-Level Jobs
For the average entry-level applicants, the Bob Evans hiring process includes a single, face-to-face job interview with a manager. The job interviews carry very informal and candid expectations of applicants. Workers should still dress in professional clothing during interviews; however, candor between hiring personnel and prospective employees generally includes relaxed and loose discussion.
Examples of Entry-Level Interview Questions
Interview questions vary by specific position. Examples of interview questions encountered by servers include:
- What is your biggest failure and how did you learn from it?
- What is your greatest accomplishment?
- What is your ideal leadership style?
- Can you do the job?
- Tell us about your last job.
Interview Formats for Cooks and Managers
While servers, bussers, dishwashers, and hosts generally sit through a single job interview during the hiring process, managers and cooks often spend additional time vying for employment. Cooks and managers sometimes attend as many as three job interviews with various Bob Evans staff. Restaurant managers, kitchen managers, and district managers often conduct separate interviews with aspiring cook staff, while restaurant managers, district managers, and regional managers share hiring duties for managerial candidates. Overall, 1-to-1 interviews prove the most common type of format workers encounter during the hiring process.
Family Values, Dedication, and Availability
Bob Evans takes pride in family-oriented values. During the interview process, applicants should demonstrate the same type of values in responses to inquiries and in non-verbal communications. Sit up straight, speak in polite and articulate manners, and express gratitude for the opportunity at all times. The restaurant chain regularly hires courteous and friendly individuals. Interviews often end within ten minutes. Despite the short nature of each hiring session, applicants should try to engage personnel as best as possible with direct, on-point answers and even ask questions about daily operations, expectations, and responsibilities. The subject of availability also comes up during job interviews. Applicants who possess the ability to work flexible work schedules often receive preference over other workers.
Additional Interviews
Successful applicants may need to return for an additional interview to finalize paperwork and begin training. If offered a position, new-hires typically receive notices within a few days of the decisive interview. Managers may make offers prior to the end of the final interview or handle hiring via telephone. Salary negotiations may take place during the additional interview to finalize hiring status, although most negotiations stand reserved for managerial candidates only.
Bob Evans Cashier Interview Video
Video Transcript
Interviewer: Please describe your job title and primary duties.
Bob Evans Cashier: So, at Bob Evans, I was working front of house and I was working back of house. I was a host. I was a server. I was a cashier. I was, as they call it, hot side kitchen prep, and I was also a busser as well. This was another employment… another job to where it was a potential management position, but I kind of let that one slip through the cracks. When I was there, I did a bunch of everything, and they tend to cross-train employees in multiple areas, so that’s something you could expect going forward in the process of being hired at Bob Evans.
Interviewer: What was the work environment like?
Bob Evans Cashier: It’s a corporate environment. To my knowledge, no Bob Evans are franchised, so much like a dictatorship, for lack of better terms, management’s able to make quick and effective decisions regarding things, and it allows the company to operate more smoothly, I believe, because of that. It’s very rigid in how they operate. They like to have brand recognizability, so that way, if you’re eating at a Bob Evans on the west side of Ohio as opposed to the east side of Ohio, it’s the same experience that you get there.
Interviewer: What was your favorite part about working there?
Bob Evans Cashier: At Bob Evans, my favorite thing about working there, once again, would be the serving. It allowed me to interact with our guests directly, the people who allowed me to have a job. With no guests, you don’t have no work. And to be able to make their day a bit better by providing them an exemplary service and meal, it was definitely very rewarding to feel that at the end of the day.
Interviewer: Please describe the application and interview process.
Bob Evans Cashier: Typically, they don’t ever put hiring signs on the front doors, like other restaurants. You have to submit your application and resume typically via online. Then the hiring manager for that particular location, they’ll reach out to you and want to schedule an interview. Once you get that interview scheduled, it’s typically you get the decision as to whether or not you’re hired during that interview. It’s a one-step interview process. You have to take a background check, but no drug screen. They want to make sure that, at least at this location, you have no crazy felonies, or you’re safe to work around children, something like that.
Interviewer: What questions did the interviewer ask during the job interview?
Bob Evans Cashier: During the interview, they went over basic arithmetic. They need to know that you’re able to do basic counting procedures, because of the cross-training availability that they have. They also ask you your customer service ability, the ability you have to speak to people. Being bilingual at that location was a selling point as well, for you to get hired, so they were interested in knowing if you have the ability to speak amongst different languages. They would also ask if you have reliable transportation and if you were a punctual person that could be relied upon. Mostly, they were questions that were geared towards the individual candidates’ own personal… Lost my words. The drive that you have, the drive that you have as a person. You know, I mean these are things that they could only figure out after the fact of hiring you, but they’re still going to ask you. That way, if you don’t make the cut, so to say, they’ll be able to go back and retroactively say, “Well, look, we asked you this, so what’s the problem?” They’re basically kind of just tidying up their end before they hire you.
Interviewer: How were you notified that you received the job?
Bob Evans Cashier: It took them a day to get back to me after the interview. They contacted me at first via the phone. I answered the phone, and then we talked about it, and I accepted the offer over the phone. Then they sent me an email with paperwork to fill out on my own, W2, stuff like that, and then we set up a date for me to come in and start training, and to receive my uniform.
Interviewer: What set you apart from other candidates?
Bob Evans Cashier: When I was applying for Bob Evans, at this point, I had developed a somewhat long list of skills and attributes that could be very much so applicable to the business that Bob Evans runs. For a candidate at this position, something along the lines of having prior restaurant experience. Customer service is a big one. They actively like people who are pursuing higher education. I believe that they have a tuition reimbursement program of sorts, after an allotted amount of time, so I believe that a combination of all that is what helped set me aside from other potential candidates. They really like to hire people that have aspirations. They’re looking for people who are trying to do better.
Interviewer: What other advice would you give to a job seeker looking to gain employment?
Bob Evans Cashier: For a job seeker looking to work at Bob Evans, having a strong customer service background is very big, and also having the ability to want to grow and learn. It’s a type of company to where if you try to learn, they’re going to be able to offer you that and help you grow within the industry. You may start out as a dishwasher, but you very well could easily end up being a manager.
Bob Evans Waitress Interview Video
Video Transcript
Interviewer: Please describe your job title and primary duties.
Bob Evans Employee: I was a server at Bob Evans, which basically means I’m a waitress. I waited on tables, took care of customers, took their order, got their food trayed up, took it out to them, got them drinks. I made salads, made deserts, and handled their checks and pretty much anything for the customer’s needs, I handed that out to them. I did all that and worked closely with other workers and my managers.
Interviewer: What was the work environment like?
Bob Evans Employee: Overall, I really liked working at Bob Evans. I made some really good friends there. We worked as a team. That was one of Bob Evans biggest things – they really believe in teamwork. If the food is up and ready to take out, and you’re busy with a table, generally you try to work together and try to get it trayed out for them, especially if you’re busy. So, it’s a very team-oriented environment there a lot, and it’s really nice.
Interviewer: What was your favorite part about working there?
Bob Evans Employee: My favorite part about working at Bob Evans was meeting new people. I actually one time had a table, and the people were from France. So, I mean, I worked in a little town, and it was just a little local Bob Evans, and you get to experience a lot of new things and meet a lot of new people. Some people are really nice, and you see random acts of kindness. It really opens your eyes to a lot of good in people and a lot of new experiences.
Interviewer: Please describe a typical day as an employee.
Bob Evans Employee: I worked the dinner shift, which if you’re working part-time, that’s the shift that you would work. I would come in and swipe my card, clock in, and before I got assigned to a section, I would go over to the drink station and would prepare coffee and get some iced tea started for the other servers who were already on the floor. Then, my manager would come over and assign me to a section, which usually has about 10 to 15 tables in it. You have a partner, so you split that section up evenly. Then, I would go make sure all the tables were clean, they all had sugar and salt and that sort of thing. Then, I would wait for someone to get seated in my section. Then once they were seated, I would take their drink order, go get their drinks, then I would come back and take their order, put their order in the computer system. Then if I got another table, I would start the process again. Then, eventually my food would be ready and it would show up on a screen. Then, I would tray it up and run it out to the person, check back with them a couple times, and all my tables. I would bring them their bill, and they would leave. Bus their table, and that was the day.
Interviewer: How would you describe the application and interview process?
Bob Evans Employee: I went in and turned in a resume and an application. They talked to me briefly, but not really a lot. Then, they called me back about two days later, and I went in and had a longer interview with an assistant manager. They called me back for a third time, and I had it with a head manager, and it was at that time they hired me. About two interviews, plus handing in the application.
Interviewer: What questions did the interviewer ask during the job interview?
Bob Evans Employee: They wanted to know if you had any background working in the customer service industry. They wanted to know if you worked with people, how you deal with stressful situations, what you would do if there was a problem, can you work well with other people, and can you work on a team – that sort of thing. They also want to know if you have any experience with fast food. Then, they also wanted to know – this question surprised me and it shouldn’t have – they wanted to see if you knew the company. It’s really important to them that you know the company.
Interviewer: What set you apart from other candidates?
Bob Evans Employee: Confidence always helps. I’m good with people, I like to help people. I also dressed up for the part, too. I dressed nicely in a blazer. I smiled a lot, which helps, too.
Interviewer: What other advice would you give to a job seeker looking to gain employment?
Bob Evans Employee: I would tell them to research the company, first and foremost. Know a little bit of what Bob Evans is about. That definitely helps. Look at their menu. That was the hardest part for me, getting to know the menu. So, if you know a little bit about the menu beforehand, you’ll have the upper hand, with some dishes like that. Practice with some people, smile, and get used to working in the service industry. And any experience would help, so I think that would set you apart.
