Assistant brewers position.

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RyanVTBrew

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Hey guys,
I've got an interview for my dream job. I've been working the same garbage factory night shift since I was 18 (5 years) and have been interning at a new, very successful craft brewery. The brewery is looking to hire an assistant brewer under my current mentor, and an incredibly intelligent brewer.
I'm nervous. Nervous as all hell. And I don't get nervous usually. I'm just looking for insight from someone who may have had a similar interview, I guess. What questions should I expect? I've only been a homebrewer for about a year, but I knew from my first batch of about 40 that this was my passion. I'm competing with 6 other experienced brewers, ones who have actually worked in breweries.
I suppose I'm just trying to get any advantage I can. This is a life changer, and I want to make sure I get it right.
Any tips? Comments? General rules of thumb? Anything, please post it.
Thanks in advance.


Green mountain high!
 
I've never been in your position, but judging from interviews I've had in my life, lik Ford, they'll want to know what experience you have, training, etc.
 
I'm thinking: if you have a life-plan that includes you brewing for the rest of your life, that might be a good angle.

But show them that you are going to do it, with or without them.

Tell them about your own personal 5-year brewing plan, your own personal 10-year brewing plan, etc.

You want your own 2-barrel system in five years. You are currently looking for investors. Yada, yada, yada.

That's the way I would go at it. Show them that you and they have common dreams.
 
Or something to the effect that it's not a giant leap from small batch brewing at home to their system. That it'll be fairly easy for you to adopt to...
 
What I've found, is that while experience matters, a lot of times the focus is on the 'softer' side of things. Things like communication skills, interpersonal skills, ability to handle and resolve conflicts, etc. You can teach someone that shows the aptitude, a good attitude, and a willingness to learn the technical side of things a lot more easily than you can teach a d-bag how to be a respectful, contributing member of an organization.

Play up your strengths, highlighting what you feel you can bring to the job that others can't, and just be yourself.

Best of luck!
 
RyanVTBrew said:
Hey guys,
Any tips? Comments? General rules of thumb? Anything, please post it.
Thanks in advance.
Green mountain high!
Click to expand...

Learn everything you can about your employer before going in. In your case, know all their beers, their distribution range, equipment, yearly output, etc. Look at all their socia media accounts, find out what festivals or other events they organize or attend.

Talking about yourself is fine, but be able to talk intelligently about their company and their product.

Its always impressive when an applicant has done their homework and can prove they are already engaged in the job and the organization.
 
The best thing to do in all interviews is to be confident and knowledgeable about the company. Also, write down a list of 3-4 questions to ask them when they ask 'do you have any questions for us?' This will show you are very interested in the position, and it gives you a chance to see if that company is a good 'fit' for you. Keep your head up, and you will do fine! Let us know how it goes
 
Bucky_Brewer said:
I'm thinking: if you have a life-plan that includes you brewing for the rest of your life, that might be a good angle.

But show them that you are going to do it, with or without them.

Tell them about your own personal 5-year brewing plan, your own personal 10-year brewing plan, etc.

You want your own 2-barrel system in five years. You are currently looking for investors. Yada, yada, yada.

That's the way I would go at it. Show them that you and they have common dreams.
Click to expand...
I would only suggest this if you actually have well-developed plans. They've been down that road and would know right away how much thought and effort you've put into those plans. Floating some pie-in-the-sky idea, especially one that essentially says that you are going to get to where you're going even without their job, may not be seen as a positive.
 
I agree with mdbrewer1. Any interviews I have conducted or been apart of always come down to talking about what you do in your free time, family, and what your interests are (outside of brewing since that is the job). I always interview the personality, your resume tells me what your training is and what you know. I want to know who I will possibly be working with, not what training you bring to the table. I will teach you what you need to know to do the job, I can't teach you how to be a good co-worker or even friend. So be yourself and let your personality shine. The interview is so they get to know you!
 
In my experiences, companies want to know what training or experience you have. Particularly with there equipment or processes. Being familiar with brewing, even on our small scale would show that you understand the basic processes. But that's my experiential 2c.
 
I also agree with the posts regarding getting to know as much about the company as you can. Every interview I've been involved with has included that question, and several times it has been the first question asked.

Like has been mentioned, your resume will speak to your experience and training. The sit down is more to learn about who you are and your potential fit within that company. The more you know about them beforehand, the better equipped you'll be to answer that question.
 
This is the same brewery you are interning at, right? If you've been an intern there for a while it sounds like you already have your foot in the door, they may have gone that route before making it a permanent position. A lot of businesses do temp-to-hires, which is basically like an on the job interview. I'd say be prepared to have your knowledge of their setup tested, as well as some "what if" hypothetical scenarios ranging from simple fixes for clogged drains, heating element goes down mid-boil, or the yeast not finishing down to your target FG. Interviewers often like to put the interviewee on the spot to see how you handle pressure. They want to be confident that if they have an emergency they have to attend to after starting a batch and leave you unsupervised to finish a batch, you will be able to do it on your own.

Good luck.
 
All great suggestions! I really appreciate the input guys. All of this will help me a lot.
Thanks again! And keep it coming if you've got anything else!!!


Green mountain high!
 
RyanVTBrew said:
I suppose I'm just trying to get any advantage I can. This is a life changer, and I want to make sure I get it right.
Any tips? Comments? General rules of thumb? Anything, please post it.
Click to expand...

This sounds like a fantastic opportunity, and something you appear to be a fit for.

I'd offer friendly caution - don't make this opportunity into something bigger than it is. Absolutely, it's a life changer, but there will be other opportunities down the road as well. What I'm saying is: don't put pressure on yourself and treat this as though it could be your only shot. That kind of pressure isn't healthy or helpful for interviews.

Aside from that though, I'd be sure to explain to them your brewing philosophy and how you like to come up with recipes and stuff: show off the creative side. It's interesting how breweries vary from establishment to establishment, so I'm sure they'll be looking for someone creative who thinks outside the box.

Best of luck - looking forward to hearing how this turns out!
 
The hardest part is to try to leave your nerves at home. Be yourself, smile and answer truthfully. Don't force your knowledge on them unless they ask for it.

I studied architecture/landscape architecture for six years and upon receiving my degree interviewed at my dream architectural job. I was turned down because I was so excitedly nervous, I just kept telling them about everything I could do for them and how much experience I had. They were in fact interested in someone who was down to earth, calm, relaxed and friendly. It was less about the job as it was fitting in and getting along with everyone. My nerves and excitement were so bad that I got tunnel vision and just tried too hard.

Soon after, I interviewed with an aerospace engineering company which I had zero interest in doing. I went to the interview essentially not caring if I got the job. The brutal honesty I offered up knocked a dozen other potential hires immediately off the list and I was hired later that day. Just be yourself. Best of luck friend.
 
Good advice! They want to see what kind of person you really are about as much as knowledge, experience & the like.
 
TheCADJockey said:
Soon after, I interviewed with an aerospace engineering company which I had zero interest in doing. I went to the interview essentially not caring if I got the job. The brutal honesty I offered up knocked a dozen other potential hires immediately off the list and I was hired later that day. Just be yourself. Best of luck friend.
Click to expand...

This sounds familiar.

Oh, yes, now I remember...

 
Last edited by a moderator:
LLBeanJ said:
This sounds familiar.

Oh, yes, now I remember...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWCGs27_xPI
Click to expand...

Yeah, that's pretty much what went down.
Boss, "Do you know what we do here?"
Me, "You make stuff to put on things that go into space."
Boss, "Yeeeah.. do you know what it does?"
Me, "Nah, I can sketch a gorgeous landscape by hand in about 2 minutes though."
Boss, "Okay then. You like the Bills?"
Me, "Uhh... yeeeeeeah.."
 
Wednesday at 4:00! Working on the questions, and calming my nerves!


Green mountain high!
 
Got the job!!!!!!!!!! That's ten exclamation points. **** yea. That's what ten exclamation points insinuates; **** yea. Thanks to all who posted, all of the advice came into play in the interview and I truly appreciate all of it.
 

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