Company Background
InterContinental, also known as InterContinental Hotels & Resorts, operates as one of several brands under the company banner. The worldwide hospitality group maintains nearly 200 properties across the globe and conducts hiring for a variety of positions in hotel operations and customer service on a regular basis. Applicants in search of jobs with the hotel chain must successfully navigate the hiring process, which may span a few days and up to a couple of weeks, on average.
What to Expect During the Average Interview
A typical InterContinental job interview includes a brief question and answer session with a single hiring representative. Typically in the form of a department supervisor or a district/area manager, the hiring official walks applicants through an average day in the position in question and fields questions related to the job and the hotel industry, in general. One interview generally represents the extent of total interviews encountered during the hiring process. Managers may experience multiple interviews and varying interview formats, depending on location.
Team Players and Open Availability
Job seekers must present professional and appropriate behavior during InterContinental interviews. The hotel chain looks for employees who possess strong work ethics and open availability. Many workers start out in irregular schedules as InterContinental associates and graduate into more regular shifts overtime. Willingness to work in team-oriented settings and take shifts available rank highly as desirable traits among prospective employees.
InterContinental Interview Questions
InterContinental job interviews screen candidates for open availability, among other qualities, using industry-standard questions, such as: "What do you enjoy the most about the hospitality industry?", "Are you a shy or outgoing person?", and "Have you ever held a position in customer service before?"
Final Considerations
Formal attire may help workers drive home professional personalities and demonstrate a serious attitude toward gaining employment. Hiring officials make formal job offers both during and after the final interview. Applicants should expect to receive job offers on-the-spot; however, the hotel chain may take up to a couple of weeks to let candidates know of formal employment.
InterContinental Hotels Front Desk Associate Interview Video
Video Transcript
Interviewer: Please describe your job title and primary duties?
InterContinental Hotels Front Desk Associate: I was a front desk intern. I was basically in charge of checking people in and out, resolving any issues that they had with the rooms. And if they had any other concerns like if they wanted to for example, book a helicopter then I was in charge of finding those resources for them and telling them how much it was and then doing it for them.
Interviewer: What was the work environment like?
InterContinental Hotels Front Desk Associate: It was fun, fast paced. I really enjoyed my time. The environment itself with everybody else is very welcoming but the building itself was very posh, high class.
Interviewer: What was your favorite part about working there?
InterContinental Hotels Front Desk Associate: The food. Food was free. If my memory serves me right and we would basically get the same food that the customers would get but a day after, not leftovers but they would remake it for us. And so I thought that was really good because some of the food was good.
Interviewer: Please describe the application and interview process.
InterContinental Hotels Front Desk Associate: I applied with my high school because it was a program through my high school and the application was online. Then we went as a group, did a group interview in the Intercontinental Hotels Group and Conference Center. And after that took about a week for them to go through the applications and they called me back after a week.
Interviewer: What questions did the interviewer ask during the job interview?
InterContinental Hotels Front Desk Associate: They asked very basic questions like, why do you want to work here? Why should we choose you as an employee? Describe a time that you had to deal with a customer, a positive experience and a negative experience dealing with a customer.
Interviewer: How were you notified that you received the job?
InterContinental Hotels Front Desk Associate: It took them about a week. I got a call from them.
Interviewer: What set you apart from other candidates?
InterContinental Hotels Front Desk Associate: I think with my strong customer service, I was previously working at Chipotle and Five Guys. So I think that gave me an up over all the other candidates because they saw that I was already used to moving in a fast-paced environment. I saw that I already had a strong customer service set of skills, and they saw how good I was at being personable with customers. And so I think that’s what set me apart.
Interviewer: What other advice would you give to a job seeker looking to gain employment?
InterContinental Hotels Front Desk Associate: Just be prepared because there is no part-time opportunities, it’s solely full time. Your schedule has to be pretty open, so that includes the weekends because you have to be prepared for your boss to call you. If your… Say someone calls out, you’re going to be the first person that they run to, and you have to be prepared to say yes to go work, to go cover someone else’s shift.
