By Karen Wetzel | Editor
Everyone has their own interview style and reflecting on your experience as a candidate is a good way to hone your interview skills. However, there are additional techniques experts recommend as effective ways to interview a candidate.
According to The Hartford, beyond a candidate’s resume, “The interview allows you to get a sense of intangibles, such as passion, initiative, goals, cultural fit, attitudes, and communications skills." They offer these tips: |
- Put the applicant at ease. Make eye contact. Have a brief ice-breaker conversation at the beginning of the interview.
- Ask open-ended questions. Plan ahead and ask all candidates the same questions for comparison later. Ask follow-up questions for a deeper dive.
- Wine Industry Consultant, Roger Brooks suggests, “Ask for specifics about previous success stories and skills. Did they come prepared with examples, and are they demonstrating obvious enthusiasm for the job?"
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- Know the rules. Keep the conversation about the applicant’s personal life to a minimum. Steer clear of questions that could be considered discriminatory or inflammatory (race, gender, national origin, religion, disability, marital/family status).
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Stephen Seaholm, estate director at Nickel & Nickel Winery shared his technique. “My approach to interviewing is focused on allowing the candidate to speak freely to reveal their true self and capabilities. I avoid conventional questions like strengths and weaknesses to encourage genuine, unscripted responses. I prompt candidates to describe how they’ve handled past situations as this will reveal their problem-solving abilities, helping me gauge their fitness for the role.”
As there is no one-size-fits-all approach to hiring across various roles in the wine industry, below are recommendations for role-specific interview questions for some of the more sought-after jobs. |
Wine Distributor Sales Rep |
1. “How do you see the distributor’s role in today’s selling environment?” |
- Get them talking. Ask them to describe the relationships between the distributor, sales rep, and buyer to gauge their understanding of the industry.
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2. “What is your selling style or approach?” |
- Do they subscribe to the “open, body, proof, and close” format? Do they see their role as transactional or consultative based on service, trust, and relationships? How does their style align with your company’s approach?
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3. “How ‘tech savvy’ are you?” |
- Do they have the experience, knowledge, and ability to learn new technology?
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4. How do you stay organized and manage your time?” |
- It is impossible to succeed in sales without being well organized. Ask for examples of how they’ve managed their time, calendar, and client list in previous roles. Do they use a to-do list, and how do they ensure timely follow-up?
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The bottom line is this: Be prepared, be direct but respectful, and be careful. |
Being a successful sommelier or wine buyer takes more than wine expertise. According to TalentLyft.com, they also need exceptional customer service skills. I would add they also need to be able to communicate well, educate others, lead by example, and work with a diverse group of people. TalentLyft recommends asking three types of questions: |
- Role Specific – “What's your process for selecting which wines to recommend to customers?"
- Situational – “You work at a high-end restaurant, and a customer complains their bottle of wine is corked. What steps would you take to resolve the situation while preserving customer satisfaction?"
- Soft Skills – “Tell me about a time you had to work collaboratively with someone to resolve a customer complaint related to a wine recommendation you made. How did you approach the situation, and what was the outcome?"
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Wine Educator /Tasting Room Staff |
Wine educator roles come in many forms, but working in a tasting room is the most popular. Star Staffing, a recruiting firm in NorCal, recommends these interview questions for tasting room staff and educators: |
- Why are you interested in working with wine? Do you have wine knowledge, credentials, or experience with wine?
- Have you ever worked in a customer service role?
- Have you ever presented or demonstrated a product to customers? Can you give an example?
- Tell me how you would deliver exceptional customer service.
- Are you familiar with the legal guidelines around serving alcohol?
- How familiar are you with our portfolio?
- Do you have experience using a computer or point-of-sale system?
- Are you available to work on weekends and holidays?
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It’s important that both the interviewer and interviewee come prepared by conducting research and compiling questions. As the interviewer, learn more about the candidate on LinkedIn in advance and try to anticipate questions they might have. Remember, they are interviewing you too! |
Metrics from the Winejobs.com Index, which tracks the rise and fall of job postings at wineries, retailers, and distributors: |
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