Job interview in a bakery

[Tiger Black]

There is a local bakery in my town, and they are looking for a night baker. I applied and was upfront about not having any baking experience. They've gone through a couple more experienced applicants and they haven't worked out, so now they are down to me. They want me to come in tonight and work for a few hours "on the bench."

What does that mean??!! I am freaking out a little. I have food experience, but no baking. Any advice? Anything I should know going in?

[pastrygirl]

They'll show you around, maybe have you mix or portion a few things, see if you seem to get it, see how you move.

Is it bread or pastry or everything? You must bake a lot at home to be applying for this job, if that is the case, don't freak out. Professional kitchens will do things differently, so pay attention and follow directions, an established business has standards and needs to be consistent.

Have fun and good luck.

[gfron1]

My only advice is meaningless if you don't already do it - be precise with all measures and weights! I can't tell you how many people I've sent away when they've mucked up my easiest recipes because they didn't use a scale. Good luck though - if you're a night person this will be a fun job .

[Truffle Guy]

If you are actually going to interview be prepared like any interview. Many people don't realize that an interview is not just the employer's chance to ask questions but also the prospective employee's opportunity to ask questions. I always was a bit concerned when people had no questions, it seemed to me they just wanted a paycheck. Also...avoid questions about pay, that's best done after an offer is actually made.

If you have not gone in yet (I just noticed the date), take heart that part of the problem with the other applicants may actually be their experience. Unless it is a brand new bakery, there probably are already recipes/procedures and most likely the owner is looking for someone to follow directions and ensure consistency. I've had several employees who decided to add their own spin to my product and unless they ask me first, I find that type of experience/skill much more of a problem than someone who wants me to teach them exactly how I want things done.

Good luck and don't be shy about asking questions. Any good teacher is looking for a good student and wants to share their knowledge/experience. If you don't understand something, be sure to speak up as you will learn much more from your questions than from just listening.

Let us know how it went and what happens!

There is a local bakery in my town, and they are looking for a night baker. I applied and was upfront about not having any baking experience. They've gone through a couple more experienced applicants and they haven't worked out, so now they are down to me. They want me to come in tonight and work for a few hours "on the bench."

What does that mean??!! I am freaking out a little. I have food experience, but no baking. Any advice? Anything I should know going in?

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[Tiger Black]

Erk, I'm afraid I didn't have any questions. Everything that they would require of me was spelled out and I am a regular customer at this place, so I honestly couldn't think of anything to ask. I hope that doesn't work against me. I do think you're right in that experience was most likely the problem for the people they interviewed before.

It's bread, for the person who asked. I do bake a lot at home and have worked in kitchens, though cooking doesn't really apply that well to baking.

Even if I don't get it I am pretty pleased I even got the interview.

[tan319]

Erk, I'm afraid I didn't have any questions. Everything that they would require of me was spelled out and I am a regular customer at this place, so I honestly couldn't think of anything to ask. I hope that doesn't work against me. I do think you're right in that experience was most likely the problem for the people they interviewed before.

It does give you another chance to consider weather you want to work graveyard/all night shifts.

My last job entailed that and it wrecks you.

Unless you have a penchant for sleeping during the day and / or there's  nothing else happening

I can only wish you luck

It's bread, for the person who asked. I do bake a lot at home and have worked in kitchens, though cooking doesn't really apply that well to baking.

Even if I don't get it I am pretty pleased I even got the interview.

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[gfron1]

just for posterity sake, I always ask, "I'd like to hear more about what you're looking for in a good worker."

[gfron1]

This advice has been mentioned numerous times in other similar topics so I'll forward it on here. If you get the job - great! If not, and your personal situation allows, offer to work for free for a specified amount of time (one month, three months - enough to make it worth both your and their time), in order to get more experience and provide them some free labor. The key is to define the experience in both time and scope so you don't end up feeling taken advantage of.