How To Get The Job: Part 1 Trying Get A Dreaded Phone Interview

This series is inspired from my seven years experience listening to the good, the bad and the truly hideous interview. About half the applicants I turn away could have done the job and done it well. This guide will lead qualified candidates to avoiding major pitfalls on how to navigate the interview process.

Getting Started: How to get a Phone Interviews:

Applications are read and sorted into three piles, “Yes, No, or Maybe”

An application falls into the “Yes” pile if there is:

• Open availability—in the service industry this is the BIGGEST impact to whether we consider you.

• Relevant experience. Corporate/franchises see candidates will little to no experience as a risky investment. Labor/training is the most expensive factor in running a business. Managers want to minimize this major “controllable” cost. A Candidate with no experience might apply at a “Mom and Pop” store where managers are more willing to train an inexperienced candidate.

• The Position is Open. If the openings are for sales and you apply for HR assistant even if you are qualified for sales you go to the “No” pile.

• Versatility and Flexibility: Demonstrating on your resume willingness to do more than one job shows you are eager. We want eager people and applying for more than one job position shows you're eager. It also says you’re versatile and able to handle more than one thing—all good traits in high demand.

If the resume outlines these traits, congrats, you're hire-able. The human resources gate keeper will call you with a few follow up questions and a quick phone interview. The yes pile is not a sure thing.

You might get a phone call because you are in The Maybe Pile:

You got to the “Maybe” file because:

• Your availability happened to be the time slots needed to be filled.

• You have no experience but there are no experienced candidates available so we will train.

• Your experience, while not directly related was in seasonal work of some sort or was some kind of part time school work related gig. Finding this information out takes more time on the reviewer's part and since he or she is usually skimming, you're lucky they caught this tidbit.

• You didn't apply for an available position but for some reason our applicant pool is low and we decided you might fit the job available. If you fall into this category you put A LOT of faith in the the gate keeper and honestly, most of them are not very thorough so you are really really lucky.  

Those are the factors in getting your first phone interview.  Seems pretty simple right?  It's not,  the "no" pile is far larger than the "yes" and "maybe" combined!  

Next time, I'll cover the phone interview plan.  For now let's hear from you!  

Let Me Know:

-Anything you felt I missed or glossed over?

-Share a story of a memorable phone interview!

-Was my advice helpful?

-Do you have further questions or concerns?

Was this guide helpful? Help a friend and help a friend: share it please and thank you!

Please check out the next part of the series here.

3 Things Baristas, Don't Want to Discuss & 9 Brighter Topics of Conversation:

When I'm on the clock, it's all about the job. Who I am, what I think and believe,has to fall away. I need to provide a premiere experience for my guest. Of course, there are topics my guests should know are off limits. These things include:

1. Saying hateful things about other races, religions, or sexual identities. I'll try not to be a jerk, but silence is tacit agreement.

2. Trying to convert me to another faith. There is literally no polite way to tell someone “No”. Even if I personally appreciated the injection of faith into my work day, I'm responsible for other employees who may be uncomfortable with this.

.

3. Trying to sell makeup, jewelry, or any direct sales item to me or my co-workers. Why are you pressuring someone who has to be nice to you to buy something they probably can’t afford?

Friendly reminder: please avoid the above three subjects with hospitality, food service, and retail staff.

Now you know, we don't want to hear about controversial subjects particularly when our jobs prohibit us from contributing to the conversation. Some suggestions I have when you want to make conversation with your serving staff:

1. Keep it light and breezy with some smooth weather conversation.

2. Talk about you. I like hearing about your kids/grand kids/ nephews or nieces /pets. I like hearing you have a promotion or that your friend is visiting .

3. Tell me about a trip you took. This is especially popular if you did something on a thrifty budget I might be able to mimic.

4. Tell me about your new diet, sugar substitute, milk substitute, or update me on how your pursuit of gluten free is going. Personally, I know a lot about healthy eating and different dieting techniques, but more generally, service people are always running into special diets and allergies. Most of us are interested in hearing more about why we're making drinks a special way. If it's a diet we want to know if it was effective. Hearing about your allergies or struggles can help us deliver a safer allergy free food to you.

5. Talk about a food or product you like. I'm in retail/food service. Stuff like that is kind of my wheel house.

6. Tell me about a book, movie, or TV show. We're all watching popular media, chances are good I've seen it or heard of it. Even if I don't know it, you might be introducing me to something new I could be enjoying.

7. Tell me about something local that's going on. There's always a farmer's market, fair, play, or some other local flavor I'd like to know more about.

8. Feel free to talk about your holiday plans. This is a way to positively share your faith and include us in a way that doesn't pressure us to make any statements about our faith. We all want to hear about a fun party! Graduations, weddings, and birthday parties are fun celebrations we also like hearing about.

9. Give us a complement. I love recommending my hair stylist (Cost Cutters all the way!), telling you where I got my $1.50 eyeliner, or how I like my brand of khaki pants. My one caveat is to be careful NOT to slide into hitting on us. Personally, I've never enjoyed this kind of attention, though the jury is out on whether this is generally welcome in the industry.

Finally, please look for your best opportunity to speak with us. There's quite a few regulars I enjoy talking to, but no matter how curious I am about their trip to Alaska or how long it's been since I've seen them, I'm way too stressed/busy to chat with them if there is a line. When traffic is heavy please refrain from starting a conversation with us. If you're enjoying a chat but new guests arrive: please understand if we have to cut you short. It's not you, it's the job.

Join the Conversation:

-Has someone ever said something inappropriate to you while you were working and what did you do?

-Are there any places you visit regularly to say “Hi” to the team? What did they do that created that feeling of connection for you?

-Did I miss another fun light topic you like to bring up with service workers?

Enjoy this post and want to read more like it?  Try: The Dumbest Question You Could Ask Your Barista

What On Earth is That Barista Doing Instead Of Talking To ME?!

I've recently had feedback from my manager through my boss that some guests are unhappy with my service because I always seem preoccupied and I always seem to be doing more than one thing at once. First I was outraged: of course I was preoccupied, there is a never ending laundry list of cleaning, food preparation, restocking, and learning company updates. Now, I realize how clouded my own vision is. I have six years in food service, and eight years under the retail/hospitality banner. My main volunteer platform as a kid was planning and preparing events—I have a wealth of experience in what else someone might have to do to to be prepared for a guest that a lot of the world doesn't have.

If you have ever wondered why your barista is so busy when there are no guests or why she seems distracted, stressed, or overwhelmed when you just wanted to know what is in the samples, then this is your article!

First let's talk physical numbers. The Corporate owned otherwise known as Freestanding stores require that at least two baristas work together (which means there are always three so that someone can cover breaks). Corporate does this so someone can be ready to talk you a guest through an order, make small talk, or answer questions.

However, in contract stores like mine, there is often only one barista. When I work, I am both the barista and the acting manager.

Whether there are a million people or ten people coming through the shop there is a base level of work that needs to be completed so the station is clean, stocked, and ready to receive guests. One person is barely able to do that base level of work on his or her own. That one person is even less able to do this work when guests come in and not only want something but also want to chat.

Of course the barista is graded and reviewed based of his or her ability to “amaze and connect with” guests. This means that he or she is going to try to give you that personal experience even if it is wildly difficult. Attempting to give you the same experience you'd get in a store with three to five people catering to you is actually the first stress I want to bring up. Most baristas know whether or not he or she is failing to give you the service you want and even if he or she doesn't know how to fix it he or she feels pressured to try.

He or she may truly want to talk to you. A random conversation is a great way to relieve the monotony of work, but with the sink water running, the oven humming, and possibly an espresso machine steaming, it might be legitimately hard to hear you. Two of my baristas have a hearing difficulty. They often have to ask the guest to speak up or repeat something and I've seen guests get frustrated.

Of note as opening lines go “How are you or how is your day” are bad conversation starters for most food service people. I can promise you that working in food service is dirty sticky work. Your barista is minimally physically uncomfortable. There are at least three and upwards of seven timers running ready to constantly beep and scatter the barista's attention. If you've placed more than one drink order or if you have more than two adjustments to a regular drink, your barista is mentally preoccupied trying to remember it all and order it for maximum efficiency.

Also your barista is required to be perky and cheerful with you, which is probably the opposite of how things are really going, asking “how are you” and having to lie about it to maintain the illusion of perky joy the company wants can be exhausting and taxing.

While it's not your fault, he or she may have interrupted a delicate cleaning procedure where proper timing makes the difference between a clean shiny area or a dull chemical mess that needs to be cleaned and redone. Cleaning steaming pitchers, sinks, and floor drains for example often takes a noxious chemical compound at a very high temperature and a lot of scrubbing. As soon as the chemical goes from near boiling to unpleasantly hot, it significantly decreases in effectiveness, which means more scrubbing and more time.

Also remember, the whole time the barista is working with this cleaner there is the potential for splashing that may burn since the water is hot, or slowly be destroying his or her skin because the chemical is caustic. He or she is wearing gloves for protection, but each guest is another time to take the gloves on and off that risks fluid in the gloves or fluid from the gloves splashing onto exposed skin.

There are a lot of products with 24 or 48hr shelf lives. The barista has to go through make sure he or she has enough for the day, all of which has to be done are the right time. Too late and her or she will run out, too soon and he or she will throw the work away. So a guest coming in or deciding on a drink five minutes earlier or later will play a big role in the barista's life.

I can't speak for all stores, but mine has a storage at the right place problem. For example, I have a walk in fridge that has milks for drinks. I need to restock those milks from the back, which happens a least once a day. The goal is to restock just once a day after closing because there is only one team member working and it takes 10mins to get the milks and put them in the fridge. If a barista has to make a run while open, they have the added stress of knowing with certainty there will be at least one upset guest.

There is a lot going on before a single guest steps on the scene. Your barista appreciates that you want an A+ experience and they really want to provide that. Assuming the person behind the counter is doing something else when you step up to place an order and assuming she never actually insults you, maybe you could find it in your heart to be more understanding if she's flustered or clearly stressed.