Job Interview For Bouncer/Doorman - What To Wear/Expect?

[Burdzthewurd]

First "real-world" job interview post-college (until I get personal training certification). Saw an ad on Craigslist and emailed my resume to the guy who posted the job, he just said to come to the bar between 12 and 4 on Tuesday. So for anyone who is a bouncer or tried out for a job like that before:

- What should I wear? Is black polo shirt and khakis ok, or dress shirt better?
- Bringing resume is standard?
- What sort of questions besides job history should I be prepared for? I don't really think this is a job that is about upward mobility, so do I just lie about having goals to make a career out of it?
- Will I be discounted for being too small? I'm 6'0, 250, lift 4x/wk, can bench my bodyweight, yada yada but I'd have no shot against some 6'5, 300 pound guy.

The bar itself is casual and western-themed, and the bouncers wore black t-shirts/jeans IIRC when I went there, so I wouldn't think a suit would be necessary.

[NT!]

i would say expect to answer questions about defusing situations, being able to handle customers, etc. most bars are not looking for a bouncer who is just some meathead looking to crush skulls at the first sign of trouble.

don't lie about anything, tell them you are looking for a good full-time job, that you have other interests which you are pursuing during the day but it won't conflict with work.

as for being too small, it totally depends on the bar. i have a friend who is a doorman at a popular bar / music venue and he weighs about 140 pounds. other places you need to be a black belt in something or have military training or god knows what. they'll tell you there what you need. but being big is certainly not enough in and of itself in most places.

[vqchuang]

A Tapout T-shirt?

[danvh]

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A Tapout T-shirt?

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This is an interview man..Affliction shirt LDO

[fartman77]

T-shirt that says "I has big ego"

[egocidal]

strap yo self

[2/325Falcon]

Be nice until the cooler tells you it's time to not be nice.

Awesome documentary.

[Hopey]

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Be nice until the cooler tells you it's time to not be nice.

Awesome documentary.

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"When darkness descends and Jordan prepares for the club scene, a different personality emerges. He stands around itching for excitement. He wants you to start trouble. You look at him wrong, you say anything controversial and Jordan is in your face. And you don’t want to get him started. Once Jordan starts fighting, he will beat you down."

[Adebisi]

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Be nice until the cooler tells you it's time to not be nice.

Awesome documentary.

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These guys were built to bounce. Everything about them, from their looks, to their attitude to their lifestyle says, bouncer. So what you have to wonder is what on Earth do these guys do during the day.

They do 2 things and 2 things only. They go to the tanning salon. It’s like Frank says, “A tan makes you look 100% better, I do it for my personal self-enjoyment I call it. It’s like women when they do their hair, their nails…” But they only go to the tanning salon 3 or 4 days a week. So what do they spend the rest of their time doing.

Well, since they were 12 years old they have been collecting every article, souvenir and photo printed about their idol, Sylvester Stallone. If you ask really nicely they’ll even let you peek inside their scrapbook. Actually they have about 70 scrapbooks from all the years they’ve been doing this. And in case you’re curious. They think Sly would make a great bouncer, even if he seems a little short.



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[bkholdem]

I used to be a bouncer.

I would go wit hthe dress shirt.
Bring resume
your hight weight should be sufficient, bouncers work in teams (unless this is a solo gig, then I would not want it)

If you have a chance to talk about your skills related talk about your calm demeanor, your ability to verbally de-escalate situtions, and your patience. Qualities like these are much more valuable than size/strenght in this field of work.

Clubs want to avoid lawsuits. The less hands on work you have to do the better for the bar. You want to be able to calmly resolve situations through verbal communication.

YOur size and strenght will be obvious, I would not even mention it unless sepcifically asked. You don't want to come across as a tough guy. YOu want to come across as confident, but calm and rational. (they don't want you smacking around drunks or throwing them out the back door, they want you to be patient with them, keep your cool, and ocnvince them verbally to leave). In the event of a fight they want you to break it up and get the people out, but not to fight them.