The Lunch Interview

Have you ever been invited to a lunch interview or perhaps a dinner interview?

Basically, I'm referring to an interview that is held in a restaurant, where you meet with an interviewer(s) in a restaurant!

I once had a lunch interview with the two co-owners of a recruitment firm I was interviewing with.

They had already met with me in their office for a "standard" face to face interview then decided to follow up with me in a lunch setting to discuss the job and their company with me in more detail.

In this case, the two ladies I was interviewing with were both social people and they figured it would be a nice idea to meet in a social setting and I found the experience quite interesting even though I turned down their job offer and didn't end up working for them!

(In this case I decided to stay where I was working for the time being and I ended up accepting a new job elsewhere.)

In my experience, here are some things you consider if you're invited to a lunch interview:

1. Try to determine how the interview will take place ie. what is the goal? What I mean is, will you actually be asked specific questions as you're eating or is it more a social invitation where the interviewer is in a "getting to know you" mode and is simply trying to meet with you in a social setting to learn more about you? There could be a difference.

2. Unless told otherwise, dress like you normally would for a regular interview. If you were planning on wearing business attire because it's a business interview, I'd suggest wearing business attire to the lunch interview unless you're told otherwise by the interviewer.

3. Let your interviewer take the lead. When ordering, follow the lead of the person or people you're interviewing with in terms of what food you order and as far as alcohol goes, it's usually best to avoid it. It's probably best to stay away from finger food and any food that could be messy to eat, too!

4. Remember your table manners. The interviewers might be paying close attention to how you eat especially if the job involves taking clients out for dinner. As far as the bill goes, if the interviewer invited you out for lunch, they should be expected to pick up the bill.

Interviews can be stressful enough on their own but the lunch interview can make it more stressful if you're not sure how to handle it.

In that regard, try to find out ahead of time when you're invited to a lunch interview why this mode of interview was chosen so you can understand what to expect.

If the interviewer says "let's meet for lunch to discuss the job" then be prepared to discuss the job as you normally would but in a social setting.

If the interviewer says "we'd like to take you out for lunch to discuss a job offer" then they've indicated they have chosen a social setting to discuss the offer they'd like to make you.

If you can't determine the exact purpose for the lunch interview ahead of time, assume it's a "real" interview and be prepared to eat and discuss the job at the same time.

When you're about to leave, remember to reaffirm your interest in the job, thank the interviewer for lunch and try to find out the next step in the process before parting.

A quick follow up phone call or email doesn't hurt either.