Author: Emma Nazareno

A few summers ago, I worked at an Olive Garden in Portland for almost a year. It was one of the most harrowing experiences of my life. I had worked at other restaurants before, but never one like the OG, as we called it. First off, it was a corporate restaurant, which means there were strict procedures and guidelines for everything from uniforms to salad-making to how many chocolate mints you can give each guest. Each rule was strictly enforced by a bevy of managers.

However, despite my less-than-pleasant experiences following, my training was fairly pleasant and effective. Before I could begin working on the dining floor, I had to complete an eight-hour-a-day, five-day-long training. Before I was hired, I had to complete a 60-question, strange AI personality test, with random questions like “Do you enjoy philosophy?” and “Do you understand paintings?” asked by an unsettling blue avatar. I believe this was the first step of the “Person Analysis” element of the training process mentioned in Lecture 1 Developing Training Programs and measured personality.

So Creepy!

When I arrived to the in-person training, I was introduced to my trainer, Tiffany. She was bright, bubbly and determined to teach me everything there was to know about being an Olive Garden server. When you’re there, you’re family, after all. I trained with two other new hires.

After Tiffany began by sitting us down and introducing us to our responsibilities and each other, she had us watch some video modules, about 2 hours long, about food safety, uniforms, appropriate communication and relationships with coworkers, the online app used for scheduling, etc. She scrunched her nose and looked at us regretfully. “Sorry guys! I know they’re super boring.” The videos had pre- and post-measures as mentioned in Lecture 2, Evaluating Training Effectiveness via quizzes. According to Lecture 1 Developing Training Programs the video modules are classified as a presentation method of employee development as they are used for conveying facts or comparing alternatives.

After the videos, Tiffany told us everything we needed to know to be an excellent Olive Garden server. She had us practice carrying large oval trays on our shoulders while holding books on our heads for posture. She walked us through the menu. One by one, we pretended to serve the other trainees, and she gently corrected our mistakes. We talked together about our questions and our lives that brought us to Olive Garden.

According to Lecture 1 Developing Training Programs, Tiffany’s training approach included a mix of hands-on training via simulation and group building via group discussion and team training.

After we felt confident, we worked 3 shifts shadowing Tiffany with her tables. At first, we observed how she interacted with the guests, then we took the reins and began serving guests under her watchful eye. After each interaction, Tiffany encouraged us and gave us constructive suggestions. According to Lecture 1 Developing Training Programs, this is considered hands-on training, as it is on-the-job training. My very first table, two kind women, found out it was my first shift and tipped me $30! After that, I felt like I was ready to be a fully realized Olive Garden server.

Works Cited

Mike Cieri. (2026). Developing training programs [Lecture slides]. Oregon State University.

Mike Cieri. (2026). Evaluating training effectiveness [Lecture slides]. Oregon State University.

I chose to complete the Implicit Association Test for Age Bias since my education and future career are centered around senior care. I’m earning a certificate in healthy aging, and I plan to work in retirement home administration after graduation.

I was surprised to discover that I have a moderate automatic preference for young people over old people. I thought that I would have had a neutral bias or even a preference for older people because I truly enjoy spending time with older people. I grew up around my grandparents and have many happy memories with them. I am passionate about improving elder care public policies.

The article How to Think About Implicit Bias, helped me interpret my results. The article writes that an individual’s Implicit Bias Test results should not be used to predict an individual’s future actions and decisions, but is more useful to predict average outcomes across populations, like for example how countries with greater implicit bias have larger racial disparities in infant health problems. I realized that everyone has implicit biases, and what is important is to acknowledge and address them so that they don’t negatively impact others in a work or personal environment.

Thinking about implicit bias reminds me of my days as a server at the Olive Garden. As a server, you work for tips, so many servers develop biases based on past customers or personal beliefs. For example, I held a bias against young teenage customers because I had a table of teenagers dine and dash once. One night, I had a table of teenagers. At first, I was apprehensive and told my coworkers to keep an eye on them, but I was forced to face my bias when they were nothing but polite and left a handsome tip. In my six years as a server, I’ve learned it’s best to approach every customer with the same welcoming and charming attitude, because you really never know.

Keith Payne, K., Niemi, L., & Doris, J. M. (2018, March 27). How to think about implicit bias. Scientific American. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-to-think-about-implicit-bias/

Nabors, J. (2019, September 13). Why we must understand and address implicit bias. Office for Institutional Equity and Diversity, North Carolina State University. https://equalopportunity.ncsu.edu/news/2019/09/13/why-we-must-understand-and-address-implicit-bias-2/

Since I was sixteen, I have always held a part-time job in the food service industry. Over six years, I’ve worked in five different restaurants and been to many more interviews. At the interview for my current job, one question stood out to me. My now boss asked me – How do you make a grilled cheese sandwich? This question is not what an employer would typically ask in an interview, but it is relevant to the restaurant context and cleverly reveals important information about an applicant’s relationship with cooking and food.

According to Lecture 3, Choosing Selection Methods, this interview would be classified as structured because the same standardized question is asked of all applicants. The question is situational, which helps reveal an applicant’s future approach to the position.

According to Lecture 2, Introduction to Selection, the question has reliability because if asked the question multiple times, the applicant would answer similarly (I always make a grilled cheese the same way, and I think most people’s grilled cheese-making technique stays similar). I think the question also has validity because it can accurately provide an image of an applicant’s approach to cooking. For example, I said that I spread mayo on sourdough bread, toast the bread in a pan with some kimchi, sprinkle shredded mozzarella, kimchi, pepper and garlic powder on the toasted bread and finish by broiling the sandwich open face in the oven. This revealed that I like to use Asian flavors and unique flavor combinations, something that I use at work when developing new cocktails.

Finally, the question has strong selection utility because it is a tool that costs nothing to implement, but provides strong insight into an applicant’s experience and future performance in the workplace.

This unique interview question is an effective way to measure an applicant’s approach to job-related skills.