A top hospitality leader in Asia gave a piece of advice for anyone interviewing for a job: Ask a lot more questions than you think you should.
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Michael Janssen, the general manager of Hilton Singapore, leads a team of about 500 staff at the five-star hotel, 1,080-room property in the middle of Singapore’s upscale Orchard shopping district. He stepped into the role in September, following decades of leadership in hospitality at IHG Hotels and Resorts in Asia and Europe.
Janssen told Business Insider there’s one thing that irks him about people interviewing at his hotels: They don’t ask enough questions.
“You’re lucky if you get one — you hardly get one or two questions,” he said. Interviewees are often shy and scared to ask, he said.
“I would really encourage everyone to ask at least four to five questions to really understand the business, and maybe get some career advice like, ‘How did you get to this position?'”
“Because as leaders we are happy to share, and maybe that can inspire the candidate or help them decide whether this is the right position they’re looking for,” Janssen added.
He said that interviews are not a one-way street; the process involves two parties coming together to determine the best fit for the role.
Janssen said that one thing he always asks his potential hires during interviews is what their dream is and what they want to become further down the line in their career. He’s looking for people who dream big.
Janssen said he started his hospitality career as a waiter in Germany and worked in a hotel kitchen before rising through the leadership ranks.
“When you’re a waiter, I don’t think anyone will say, ‘I want to become a general manager,'” he said. “But why not?”
Hilton has more than 600 hotels in nearly 100 countries. It also owns the Waldorf Astoria and Conrad luxury hotel chains.
Career coaches and executives have previously spoken to Business Insider about the importance of asking questions in interviews. Paddy Lambros, the CEO of recruitment agency Dex, said he starts his interviews by having candidates ask him questions.
“It speaks to just their level of interest, their level of engagement,” Lambros said in a July story.
