SAGE Dining Services Interview Questions
& Process

I had a phone interview that lasted over an hour with the corporate recruiter. A week later, she scheduled an in-person interview at the school. I arrived early and met the Regional Director. We spoke for 5 minutes, and then he asked me to prepare lunch for a parent/teacher event. I worked in the kitchen for 2 hours. I wasn't paid for this time, which I believe is illegal. Later, I saw on Indeed that I was not selected. It felt like they just needed free labor.

I went to the office for my in-person interview, where they asked me some basic questions and let me ask my own. Then I had to edit a writing sample within a time limit and answer questions about my editing decisions, which is pretty standard for a writing job. They gave me a booklet about benefits and tried to explain the complex time-off policy. The process also included a drug test and a credit check. While I understand these are sometimes necessary, I was surprised to have them for an interview. The detailed way my contact went through my credit report with me was uncomfortable, and she mentioned I'd need to maintain good scores to keep my job. She also reached out to a former employer I hadn't provided contact information for and hadn't warned might be contacted. My contact felt this was the best way to get genuine information, but I found it rude not to give my former boss, who was already retired, a heads-up. My contact made me uneasy about the whole situation, even though I'm a professional in my field and was ultimately offered the job. Because I dislike being threatened with termination before even starting, and while I get the point of contacting people without warning, I don't agree with the rudeness of it, I accepted one of the other two offers I had. I used the salary from this company to negotiate a better offer at the job I preferred.

I got a phone call initially, and had a brief chat with some basic questions and learned about the job. Then they asked if I was interested. I was then scheduled for an in-person interview the next week with the director, which went really well. The food director was super nice, explained everything clearly, and was a great listener to my questions. About a week later, I was called back for another interview directly with the Chef, and the process was pretty much the same, with them being very explanatory and attentive to all my questions.

I applied online and then a manager called me. We chatted for about half an hour about my background and the company. They set up an in-person interview for the next week at their HQ. It was cool because I was still working full-time and they scheduled it for the evening. The interview was mostly me talking about my experience and a quick company overview. There was also a technical part with two whiteboard problems. They offered me the job the very next day.