These are McDonald’s interview questions — and how to answer them

McDonald’s employs more than 120,000 people in the UK, just more than the population of Stockport. This has helped the global fast food chain to perfect an efficient and optimal recruitment strategy, akin to its pioneering, Happy Meal box assembly line.

Similar to John Lewis, McDonald’s has published its full set of job interview questions. As well as giving job seekers an exam cheat sheet, the list of questions (and suggested answers) provides an excellent template for HR managers seeking tips on how to hire right.

Below, we break down the questions that McDonalds asks hopeful crew members and managers — plus its unique BEST interview format — and what responses the restaurant looks for from job hunters hoping to step through its famous golden arches.

McDonald’s interview questions: revealed

McDonald’s interview guide shows that it begins by asking every candidate to discuss their background. But finding out about an applicants’ career history isn’t the real goal here.

Rather than asking candidates to read off their CV, interviewers relay specific questions about how a person’s career has shaped their beliefs and values. That way, recruiters can see if a candidate aligns with the firm’s core values and company culture. Questions include:

• Tell me about a project from your past that brought you the most energy?
• Tell me about a time you joined a team – how did you go about earning their trust?
• What is the most unpopular stand you have taken in your career so far?

Three of McDonald’s’ corporate values relate to ensuring that every team member feels valued. These are Inclusion, Community, and Family.

The firm has chosen to make Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) a major part of this early interview section, signalling the importance of this concept. Questions on DEI include:

• Describe how your career has been enhanced by exposure to diverse people, places, or experiences. Please provide a specific example.
• Tell me about a time when you changed your style to work more effectively with a person who thought differently than you or had a different background than you.

McDonald’s BEST method

Next, the McDonald’s interview progresses into the restaurant chain’s unique BEST question structure. Each section targets a specific area of proficiency that McDonald’s has judged to be important to achieving its key business objectives.

Here’s what each area stands for, and what it means when broken down:

• Building blocks = is the candidate motivated and driven to succeed?
• Execution proficiency = can they help McDonald’s to meet SMART objectives?
• Strategic proficiency = will they help the brand to delight customers and beat rivals?
• Talent proficiency = can they work in a team?

Combined, they enable applicants to provide evidence of what they’ll bring to a job, such as customer service skills or ability to teamwork.

1. Building blocks example questions include:

• Tell me about a time you identified an issue no one else could see. What did you see that others didn’t?
• Tell me about a project you were responsible for that you would do differently if you had another chance

2. Execution proficiency example questions include:

• Tell me about a time you achieved a project under strict time constraints. How did you go about prioritising the tasks
• Tell me about the most successful initiative that you led or were involved in. Why did you know to go after it? What was the result?

3. Strategic proficiency example questions include:

• In this ever-changing business world, what do you do to try and anticipate the customer’s needs? Please provide an example
• What were some of the key business needs of your customers in a previous role? What have you done to address these needs?

4. Talent proficiency example questions include:

• What do you think most often gets in the way of change? How do you overcome these challenges?
• Give me an example of a time when you helped the team you were on reach an important project milestone. What steps did you take to motivate your peers?

How should candidates answer McDonald’s interview questions?

Throughout each interview at McDonald’s, markers will score responses using a 1-5 scale system. Scores of:

• 1-2 are considered an ‘inhibiting performance’
• 3 are considered an ‘enabling performance’
• 4-5 are considered an ‘enhancing performance’

This scoring system ensures that an applicant receives a balanced score for all four areas of inquiry. As an example, let’s look at three responses to the question on strategic proficiency.

Question: In this ever-changing business world, what do you do to try and anticipate the customer’s needs? Please provide an example.

Response 1.) “In my previous retail job, I noticed sales had surged for a new product and we would soon run out of stock. I placed a sign on the display unit that read ‘Going Fast’ so that customers would know to purchase the items quickly.”

1/5. The candidate has noticed a problem but their solution is being led by what is easiest to deliver, not what the customer needs, inhibiting their performance.

Response 2.) “In my previous retail job, I noticed sales had surged for a new product and we would soon run out of stock. After placing a re-order to boost stock levels, I offered customers an alternative, similar-looking product from the shelf.”

3/5. The candidate has noticed a problem and taken steps to ensure that customer needs continue to be met, enabling their performance to meet expectations.

Response 3.) “In my previous retail job, I noticed sales had surged for a new product and we would soon run out of stock. After placing a re-order to boost stock levels, I collaborated with the manager to create a list of recommended alternatives using previous sales reports.”

5/5. The candidate has noticed a problem and used customer data from multiple sources to mitigate the impact, enhancing their performance to above-average.

What can SMEs learn from McDonald’s interview questions?

McDonald’s is one of the world’s most successful franchises for a reason. The business is incredibly joined-up, thanks in part to its interview format which incorporates important branding materials such as values and mission statement.

McDonald’s still addresses the individual contributor and whether they are suitable for a role. But its BEST question format then appraises them within the context of the organisation’s overall master plan; from smaller team-based goals to wider market strategy.

When designing your interview questions, don’t just think about whether the applicant can meet the job description. Design an assessment method which enables hiring teams to identify candidates who will complement the existing team and align with the work culture.

This will ensure that instead of a workforce of expert, siloed individuals, you create a cohesive team who can work together productively to supercharge growth.