Hospitality Interview Practice for Spanish Speakers (Australia)
Practise the questions a hospitality worker interview commonly asks, and see where your English needs work before the real interview. Built for people who moved from Latin America and Spain and are interviewing in Australia.
What a hospitality worker interview asks
Employers often ask these questions. You can practise any of them out loud, with feedback.
- A guest is angry about their room and is raising their voice. What do you do?
- Tell me about a time you handled several guests at once during a rush.
- A guest asks for something you are not allowed to give them. How do you answer?
- How do you keep service warm when you are tired at the end of a long shift?
- Tell me about a mistake you made with a guest and how you fixed it.
What Spanish speakers commonly say in English
These are habits, not mistakes about intelligence — your first language works differently, and it shows through under interview pressure.
False cognates
Often said: I'm actually working on it (meaning currently).
Instead: I'm currently working on it.
Missing 'do' in questions
Often said: You have experience?
Instead: Do you have experience?
Adjective placement
Often said: The interview technical was hard.
Instead: The technical interview was hard.
Progressive overuse
Often said: I am wanting to learn.
Instead: I want to learn.
Missing subject 'it'
Often said: Is very important.
Instead: It is very important.
How interviews run in Australia
Talking about your own work
Confident but humble. "Tall poppy syndrome" — don't oversell. Let achievements speak.
What interviewers here tend to value
- Team spirit ("mateship")
- Humility
- Honesty
- Outdoor enthusiasm
- Resilience
What catches people out
- Overselling yourself
- Being too formal
- Not being genuine
What is expected of your English
How much English a job needs depends on the role and the employer. Frontline adverts often ask for basic or working English, for example so you can follow safety instructions, and office roles often ask for more. The job advert is the best place to check. You do not need to sound like a local speaker.
An accent is normal. What helps most is making what you did, and the result, easy to hear in every answer.
Asked about local experience?
Many interviewers in Australia ask if you have local work experience. Type the job you did in Latin America and Spain. See job titles an interviewer here may use for it, three points for your CV, and a short answer you can practise. Explain your overseas experience (free tool)
Reading about it only takes you so far
Answer a few of these out loud. You will see where your English needs work, and what to fix first. A first look takes about a minute. The full check is 3-5 questions, about 12-20 minutes. Free, and you do not need a card.