Table of Contents

1. Where You See Yourself in 5 Years
2. Why You’re Looking for a New Job
3. How You Feel About Your Current Company, Boss, or Coworker
4. Your Hobbies
5. Your Work Experience

We’re not telling you that it’s okay to lie about everything when you’re in an interview, or even on your resume, but there are certain instances where it’s okay to embellish the truth. 

Here are the 5 special hospitality interview questions where you have permission to bend the truth a little bit to help secure that job offer.

1. Where You See Yourself in 5 Years 

No one knows the future, and times are changing faster than ever it seems, which makes it even harder to plan things a year in advance let alone 5! It’s okay to not know what you want your future to look like. There’s a simple answer to this question, they just want to hear that you aren’t going to leave the organization within a year. 

You can say something like, “I’d like to see myself grow into a management role in the organization and lead a small team of employees.” or “I’d like to learn more about the [insert skill or program here] to prepare myself for a leadership role.” 

Avoid saying something like, I’m planning on growing my family, or I want to return to school to further my education. While those might be true, it’s a red flag for the company that tells them you are not a long-term employee. 

2. Why You’re Looking for a New Job

We all know why people look for new jobs, you’d like a higher salary or a new title, or maybe you didn’t agree with your company or current team members. But during an interview isn’t the time to say any of those. 

A great answer to give here is something like “I’m looking for a role that allows me to take on more responsibility,” or “I’m looking to make a transition from the housekeeping department into the food and beverage department.” 

3. How You Feel About Your Current Company, Boss, or Coworkers

No company is going to want to hire an employee they think will be unhappy, or will trash their reputation. If you take an interview as a chance to talk about how much you don’t like someone or something they’ll see that as a huge red flag. 

If you get asked any questions about what you don’t like at your current company or about your boss or coworkers you can simply say that you are looking to join a company or team that more closely aligns with the values that are important to you, or an organization or managerial styles compliment your better. 

Bonus points here if you show that you researched the company’s values by stating a few you saw on their website/social media that align with yours! 

4. Your Hobbies 

If you get asked what you like to do outside of work, please don’t mention how many hours of Netflix you watch, or that going to raves is your favorite pastime. 

Pick one or two hobbies that are more professional, even better if they can lend some type of skill to the role you’re applying for. For example, if you’re applying to be a chef, you could mention that you like hosting dinner parties for your friends. Or if you’re applying to a creative role, you could say you’re taking a pottery class, or you enjoy going to museums.

5. Your Work Experience and Duties

Be extra careful here, you never want to say that you are an expert at anything you will need immediately in the new role if you aren’t! 

But it’s okay to embellish your skills if it’s something you can easily learn and something that won’t ruin your performance in the new role. 

If you are missing a specific type of skill or experience for the new role, you can also mention that maybe you’re not as familiar with it yet but you are eager and excited at the opportunity to learn it. That can also go a long way for an interviewer.