To ask for help for a bartender interview?

[erja]

I have an interview to be a bartender on Saturday nights.
It's only just been arranged, it's on my lunch hour tomorrow and I'm off work unwell as it is so my brain really isn't in gear.
Is someone able to help - best things to say, knowledge that'd give me a boost, things they're looking for etc...
I don't want to lose the opportunity because I can't knock my brain into gear, and I have no experience!

If you haven't worked in one before stress that you've drunk in alot so have picked up am understanding of what you want as a customer and what you would therfore deliver to a customer

It's a difficult one to come up with things to say cos every pub is different but in general if you're amenable then you're a shoe in

For barwork at the last place I worked at they didn't even really do much interviewing, they gave you a shift and if you were okay you got asked back and if you weren't they didn't ask you back

Generally they care that you’ll turn up on time, look presentable, work hard, not whinge about the crap bits of the job and possess enough smarts to pick up the till/drinks menu/etc fast, enough chat to be charming to the customers and enough integrity to not steal.

Just off the top of my head, here's a list of qualities that I'd look for (Bar supervisor experience)

• great at teamwork
• good at reading social situations eg can be chatty to those who seem up for it and crack jokes, so matching the tone of customers and trying to bring a smile to their face
• good at multitasking
• great at mental maths & cash handling
• trustworthy
• fast learner
• good attention to detail
• confident and can be assertive when needed (eg don't let aggressive customers bully you when you've called last orders and they're not having it!)
• generally happy person

If you lack experience, say that you enjoy particular bars because of how they do certain things and understand how to do it well. Eg treat others as you'd want to be treated!

If you get asked on strengths and weaknesses, a weakness you could face could be you struggle with some of the trickier cocktails but you could easily pick this up with practice.

Are you able to cover extra shifts? Change shifts quickly? How would you handle a customer who’d had too much to drink? How would you alert relevant staff to customers getting hassle? We had door staff. One male one female. The woman would keep an eye on the women’s toilets. If you’re successful in a month the customers who give don’t give you the full order in one go so you can do the drinks in one go will really irritate you! I loved my time behind the bar! And at least now you won’t have to clean ashtrays filled with fag ends,gum and beer!

When I say happy person, I mean great at the fake customer service voice and smile

My son argued with me about wearing smart clothes, then got the bar job and was told it was because he looked smarter than the other applicants.

I work in a bar and have worked in others, they aren't really looking IME, just want to know you are keen, presented ok and when you can start/what shifts you can do. If you will be able to do more than just a Saturday if they give you warning because they are short staffed etc then mention that.

Depends on the type of bar, I worked and ran high volume ones. I preferred people being able to work under pressure, that don't panic and could pull a decent pint. Oh and common sense.
Does this bar offer training? Alot require you to have some experience already. I learned over a couple of evenings helping in a local pub.

Thanks for the replies. It's a bar/club rather than pub for reference!

I’m saying this as someone who has been a bartender all her working life:

Don’t overthink it.

They’ll be interviewing you to see if you’re personable and well presented. Everything else is training.

I’ve worked in a nightclub and the general skills I used were:

Being friendly and welcoming to customers even if they were a bit on the obnoxious end of tipsy

Calm under pressure - possibly the most important one - things move quickly and you need to keep up, plus things like loud music and drunk people hollering to be served are happening at the same time as a busy queue - you need to be able to cope with the fast pace and distractions.

Some people especially after a drink can be belligerent and demanding, you need to be able to keep your cool if someone is being rude or aggressive (normally can ask other staff/doormen for help if it escalates)

Personality is a big part of it - just being friendly and open and a team player.

It can be stressful but it’s good fun if you like the music and although you will get a few bad customers most of them are just trying to have fun and understand they don’t get a drink unless they are nice to the staff!!

When I interview for bar staff I look for confidence first and foremost. Then experience. You can pick up bartending easily, but you can’t teach someone to be confidant behind a bar. It’s just learning where everything is and cocktails if they do them.

I do pt bar work and I think proactivity is key - so on your trial shift, if it's quiet at any point, try to see for yourself what could be done (polishing wine glasses with blue roll e.g.) and that'll show initiative. Nothing worse than someone who just goes on their phone the minute there's a lull in customers and doesn't pull their weight. Oh and I remember one question I was asked was to give examples of great customer service I'd experienced recently. Then good eye contact & being calm with a confident voice probably helps (banter is pretty much written into my contract).
Luckily the till does all our maths for us as mine is shite

Pulling pints doesn't come naturally (took me bloody ages, plus I learned in the heatwave when all the lagers were lively and we were pouring pints of foam during the World Cup!) and they'll be expecting some wastage so dw, just appear eager to listen and learn. For one thing, every lager is slightly different wrt how the glass needs to be positioned so a good head (5%) will form, so your Peroni technique will be different from your Camden one, etc, then some ales will take as long to settle as Guinness...you'll get to know them like old friends!

hope you feel better soon and smash the interview!