With over 28 world-class resorts across the United States, Westgate Resorts is one of the largest timeshare companies in the country Landing a job with this prestigious hospitality company provides tremendous opportunities for growth and career development However, getting your foot in the door requires nailing the interview.
In this comprehensive guide, we’ll overview the most common Westgate Resorts interview questions along with proven strategies to wow hiring managers with your responses. Whether you’re applying for a front desk, sales, managerial or other role preparation is key to stand out from the competition and secure a position at this renowned resort chain.
Let’s get started!
Why Do You Want to Work for Westgate Resorts?
Westgate’s interviewers will want to know what attracts you specifically to their company and brand. Highlight your admiration for their first-class properties diverse locations, and commitment to excellent service. Share that you’re drawn to their culture of teamwork and opportunity for career growth within the organization. Convey your passion for contributing to Westgate’s continued success.
What Experience Do You Have in Hospitality or Customer Service?
Even if the role isn’t directly customer-facing, Westgate wants candidates with hospitality mindsets. Discuss any relevant experience such as hotel, restaurant, retail, or other service-focused roles. Highlight your commitment to delivering exceptional guest experiences. If lacking direct experience, describe your natural ability to connect with customers.
How Would You Handle an Angry Customer?
Delivering five-star service requires diplomacy. Share an example of when you turned an upset customer into a happy one. Demonstrate patience, active listening, empathy and problem-solving skills. Convey that customer satisfaction is always the top priority, regardless of how unreasonable demands may seem.
Why Should We Hire You?
Summarize your most relevant qualifications for the role. For example, if applying for a sales position, highlight your proven ability to drive results by developing rapport with prospects and uncovering their needs. Or for a manager role, emphasize your experience optimizing team performance. Convince the interviewer you’ll excel in the role and align seamlessly with Westgate’s service philosophy.
What Are Your Salary Expectations?
Avoid bringing up salary unless the interviewer asks. When asked, provide a reasonable salary range based on research of averages for the position in your location. Say you’re open to negotiate based on the total compensation package. Don’t undervalue or overprice yourself. Convey you prioritize finding the right fit and growth opportunities with Westgate above salary alone.
Where Do You See Yourself in 5 Years?
Share your professional goals aligned with growing your career at Westgate. For example, you could see yourself in a more senior sales or management role, overseeing multiple properties, or anything that shows ambition yet realistic advancement. Highlight your interest in long-term development through Westgate’s training programs and investment in employees.
Why Are You Leaving Your Current Job?
If changing roles, avoid bashing your past employer. Keep it positive and focused on seeking new challenges and opportunities to expand your skills, which led you to explore options at Westgate. You could share being drawn to Westgate’s culture, stellar reputation, or exciting growth trajectory.
Tell Me About a Time You Went Above and Beyond for a Customer.
Going the extra mile is key at Westgate. Share a story demonstrating how youmade a customer’s experience exceptionally memorable. For example, perhaps you upgraded a guest to a better room due to maintenance issues, resolved a billing error, or recommending a local attraction that became the highlight of their trip. Highlight actions that surprised and delighted the customer.
How Would You Deal with an Unhappy Team Member?
Westgate wants leaders who can maintain morale. Describe how you’d have an empathetic one-on-one talk to understand their concerns. Outline how you’d find solutions, whether modifying their responsibilities or connecting them with training resources. Convey your people-focused management style aimied at helping every team member thrive.
Tell Me About a Time You Dealt with a Difficult Coworker
Candidates may be asked to share an example navigating a teammate with a challenging personality or work style. Focus your answer on the value of patience, communication, and finding common ground. Discuss how you modeled professionalism and kept interactions productive. Share any lessons learned about bringing out the best in teammates.
Have You Ever Made a Mistake at Work? How Did You Handle It?
Be honest and own up to a past mistake. More important than the error itself is how you discuss the lessons you learned and how you would handle it differently moving forward. Demonstrate accountability, problem-solving ability, and commitment to continuous improvement.
Why Is Customer Service Important?
This common question tests your understanding of Westgate’s service philosophy. Discuss how positive customer experiences keep guests coming back and builds brand/reputation. Share how you would ensure customers feel valued through attention to detail, active listening, and exceeding expectations. Outline how you personally find meaning in delivering excellent service.
How Would You React if a Customer Yelled at You?
Staying calm under pressure is crucial. Share that despite feeling upset, you’d respond professionally by listening attentively and expressing understanding of their frustration. After letting them vent, you’d calmly work to find a resolution, keeping your own emotions in check. Portray confidence in defusing tense situations.
How Do You Handle Stressful Situations?
Hotel hospitality can be fast-paced. Share proven strategies for managing stress on the job—like focusing on one task at a time, taking short breaks to recharge when needed, and maintaining perspective on what you can control. Convey that you thrive under pressure and pursue solutions rather than let stress overwhelm you. Provide an example of a high-pressure situation you handled effectively.
What Are Your Strengths?
Choose strengths aligned with hospitality skills like customer orientation, communication, work ethic, positivity, etc. Back each strength up with a specific example. For instance, if you say “teamwork”, describe a project you collaborated successfully on. This adds credibility to your strengths.
What Are Your Weaknesses?
Nobody’s perfect, so be honest while framing your weakness positively. Share a limitation you’ve been actively working to improve. For example, you struggle with public speaking but have been taking a course to become more confident. Demonstrate self-awareness and a commitment to growth.
Why Should We Select You Over Other Candidates?
This is your chance to summarize your fit. Highlight your mix of relevant qualifications, passion for hospitality, and alignment with Westgate’s brand. Convey genuine enthusiasm for the role and culture. Explain why you’re the ideal candidate to help Westgate deliver world-class service experiences.
Do You Have Any Questions for Me?
Prepare at least 2-3 thoughtful questions to show engagement and interest in Westgate’s mission. For example, you could ask:
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What attracted you to Westgate Resorts?
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How would you describe the work culture here?
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What training programs does Westgate offer for professional development?
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What qualities make someone successful in this role?
With preparation for these common Westgate Resorts interview questions, you can impress hiring managers and earn a coveted role with this leading hospitality brand. Showcase your customer service mindset along with your qualifications. You’ll be providing five-star experiences to guests in no time!
10 Ways to Nail Your Next Interview
Interviews can be tough stuff. They’re incredibly nerve-wracking but also exciting since they hold the key to the next chapter in your career. It’s time to make the best first impression in your interview now that you’ve dealt with resume tips.
Whether you’re interviewing for your dream job or just taking the next step in your career. Here are 10 tips that will help you nail your next interview while working in Orlando or anywhere.
1 | Show up on time | We can’t stress enough how important this one is. A survey by Career Beacon found that 258 percent of interviewers thought being late was a big reason why someone didn’t get the job. Showing up late tells your interviewer that you don’t value their time. They’ll be left wondering if you’ll be showing up late for work.
Traffic and other delays are likely to happen, so plan for them when you schedule your interview. Don’t schedule other appointments or make plans too close to the start of your scheduled interview.
The best practice is to plan to arrive around 5-10 minutes early. Arriving late is an automatic no-no. But even if you show up too early, your interviewer will be scrambling to accommodate you. If you think you’ll be late because of traffic, you can use the time in the parking lot to look over possible answers and any notes you may have made.
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2. Dress for success (and the job you want!) | Interviews are mostly about you and your skills, but how you look can make a big difference in how people see you. That’s why dressing for the job is one of our top interview tips.
How you dress is more than just what you wear to your interview. It can give your interviewer insight into your interest and qualifications for the role. If you wear a t-shirt and shorts to an interview for a job in an office, it will look like you are either not qualified or aren’t taking the interview seriously. In fact, 424 percent of interviewers surveyed by Career Beacon say that candidates who dress too casually are more likely to be turned down.
When in doubt, it’s better to overdress than to underdress. Plus, you’ll feel more confident during your interview by dressing the part!.
Wearing something memorable can also help you stand out. On the other hand, make sure that your interview attire is professional and not distracting. You want your interviewer to focus on your responses, not the bright floral pattern on your skirt.
3. Take the time to learn more about the company and the person interviewing you before the meeting. No one expects you to be an expert on a new organization. However, according to data from Twin Employment Training, 47% of interviewers said they wouldn’t hire someone who wasn’t knowledgeable about the role.
Showing that you’ve done your research will show your passion and excitement for the job. Being prepared will also help you feel more confident during your interview.
Some things you should be sure to research include:
● Company mission and values
● Your interviewer’s role
● Skills that are valued by the company
● Products and services offered
The job posting can also give you hints at specific skills that the interviewer is searching for.
Another thing that research can help you decide is whether this is the right company and role for you.
4 | Use the S. T. A. R method | A lot of the time, people will ask you questions that start with “Tell me about a time you…” or “Tell me about a situation.” ” These are behavioral questions that help an interviewer learn more about how you approach different situations.
They are interested in hearing your story, but more so in what it says about you as a person or worker. The S. T. A. R method is a great way to make sure you cover all your bases. S. T. A. R stands for situation, task, action, and result.
● Situation: Paint a picture for your interviewer. Provide the context without going into unnecessary detail.
● Task: What was your role in the situation and what were you responsible for?
● Action: What did you do to address the situation at hand?
● Result: Here’s what happened after your actions. What were the achievements and outcomes?
5 | Be honest | Interviews can be stressful and feel incredibly high-stakes at times. However, you still want to get the job on your own merits and based on who you are. When in doubt, honesty is always the way to go.
It goes without saying that you shouldn’t lie in an interview. It’s not impossible to give a good, professional answer that will help you get the job, though!
It’s okay to say “I don’t know” when someone asks you a hard question. Daniel Space, a human resources consultant who works with strategic staffing partners, says that a similar comparison can also be useful. Just explain to the interviewer how you came up with the idea and how you would solve the problem or handle it in the future.
Even if you don’t have the right answers to every question, interviewers will always appreciate a genuine candidate.
6 | Ask questions | There is no such thing as a dumb question. This is true, even in an interview setting!.
You can show that you’re interested in the job by asking questions about the company, the job, or even the interviewer. Interviewers will often leave time for your questions at the end. One of the worst things you can do is say you have no questions. It doesn’t leave the interviewer with a strong final impression. So, make sure to come prepared with a few. Here are some of our favorites:
● What is your favorite thing about working at [company]?
● What does career growth look like for this role?
● What does a typical day look like for this role?
● What is the company culture like?
Interviews aren’t a one-way affair. It’s okay to ask questions to help decide if the role and company are right for you.
7. Say something interesting. Most interviewers and hiring managers talk to dozens or even hundreds of applicants. If you can stand out in a sea of applicants, you have a better chance of getting the job.
You can stand out by giving answers using the S.T.A.R method and showing relevant experience.
But there are more ways to be memorable outside of your professional experiences. Maybe you’ve run the Dopey Challenge at Walt Disney World or you like to skydive as a hobby. Sharing these little fun nuggets about yourself can also help an interviewer remember you when making hiring decisions.
8 | Make a connection | Interviews are about more than just your skills. A survey on LinkedIn found that 2092% of hiring managers thought soft skills were just as important as hard skills or even more important.
Interviewers are often looking for someone who will be a good fit within the organization. They’re looking for someone passionate and willing to learn – while having the necessary skills. By connecting with someone, you show the interviewer that you’ll be a good team player if they hire you!
9. Ask for feedback. During an interview, don’t be afraid to ask for feedback as long as you don’t go too far. Interviewers are often happy to answer questions about your skills. During your interview, consider asking questions like:
● What parts of my resume stood out to you?
● What skills do you feel I might be lacking?
This can give you an opportunity to alleviate any concerns the interviewer might have. It also shows that you are willing to take feedback and improve.
Questions about your interview skills should be reserved for after your interview. It’s helpful to know what went wrong so you can do better next time. It will also make a good impression if you interview with them again in the future.
10 | Be yourself | Don’t be afraid to let your personality shine. It’s the best way to make sure you’re finding the perfect next role for you.
There’s no need to lie or rehearse answers that don’t feel like you. If you’re genuinely interested in a role or company, that excitement will naturally come through in your answers.
However, adding a personal flair doesn’t mean being unprepared or unprofessional. You should be fine for your interview as long as you follow the tips we gave you above and your own style.
Other things you can do to level up your interview game
Interviews aren’t copy and paste – every interview and interviewer is different. There are many more things you can do to make a good first impression, depending on the job or the company. From practicing possible answers to sending a thank-you note after the interview, there’s no reason you shouldn’t be able to make a good impression!
And once you’ve nailed your interview, make sure to familiarize yourself with workplace etiquette.
Consider a job with Westgate Resorts if you’re looking for a new chance or want to move up in your current job.
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When you check in at Westgate Resorts, there’s a LOT to check out! Your vacation is waiting! Plan your next trip today or call 888-852-2959 or 407-355-2690 to talk to a vacation planner.
Interview with Mark Waltrip – COO for Westgate Resorts
FAQ
What are the core values of Westgate Resorts?
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