Every industry is slightly different when it comes to the best way to recruit talent. The way you find candidates and the questions you ask during interviews vary. This is no different for the food and beverage industry.

The food and drink sector is a service-based industry. Sales recruiters are looking for candidates who not only have strong experience, but also excel at customer service, communications, working under tight deadlines, and knowing the products they work with. This is often the focus in the job interview.

To help you recruit talent and hire the best candidate for the job, we’ve put together a list of a few job interview questions to ask food and drink sector professionals:

1. What drives you to be in the food and beverage industry?

This will tell you about why they are working within the industry. Do they have a passion for it? Is there a specific interest? It can also tell you about the candidate’s projected career path within the industry.

2. Tell us about your approach to dealing with customer complaints. How do you handle difficult customers?

Food and beverage professionals will deal with their fair share of customer complaints. How a candidate handles them will be the difference between making it right and potentially losing out on a customer. This question will give you insight into how the candidate operates when things don’t go according to plan.

3. What is one thing you think is missing in the industry?

Everyone has ideas as to how they can improve things. Asking this question gives you an idea if the candidate thinks in an innovative manner. It will also give you some insight into their drive and willingness to be successful.

4. How do you keep up with food and beverage industry trends?

The food and beverage industry changes fast. Those who can adapt to change and stay up with trends are often most successful. Asking this question will tell you whether or not the candidate is forward thinking and dialed in within the industry.

5. What is the most significant accomplishment in your career to date?

This question will give you an idea of the type, scope, and scale of projects the candidate has been involved with in the past.

More Recruiting Tips and Advice

Want to hire better people? Check out these blog posts that outline great tips and advice for improving your job interview skills:

Experienced vs. Inexperienced Sales Candidates. How Should Your Interview Strategy Change?

3 Ways to Ace a Sales Interview

5 Best Practices to Follow After a Sales Interview

SalesForce Search is a sales recruiting company which specializes in the recruitment and placement of sales professionals. We recruit salespeople in every sector of the economy including, software, manufacturing, financial services and medical devices. Find the right salesperson for your organization, start your search here.