Serving People Serving Coffee Since 2005
Issue link: http://baristamagazine.epubxp.com/i/853621
66 barista magazine CONSIDER THE QUESTIONS I love interviews. I love them for the same reason I fell in love with working in the coffee industry as a barista: It's an opportunity to briefl y connect with another person, and catch a glimpse of their wants, needs, and what brought them to this place. The personal nature of these experiences is why it's so important to avoid formulaic, stereotypical interview questions—they're set up to attract stereotypical interview answers. They won't actually help you gauge whether a person is a suitable candidate for the position. The interview is just as much of an opportunity for the interviewee to assess their own suitability for the job as it is for the interviewer. Some folks who hire for their companies don't bother having lists of set interview questions for this reason, and instead look to the candi- date's resume to help guide and personalize the process. It's also smart to consider the type of position you're hiring for. If you're employing for a café, you may want to consider the qualities an ideal candidate would possess, such as good interpersonal skills or the ability to keep a level head in a stressful situation, and also the service style or café culture you're interested in upholding. Zoëy Thorson, most recently at Gimme! Coffee in New York City, shared with me one of her favorite interview questions, which is tailored to the specifi c needs of Gimme! cafés and the company's service style: "It's Saturday morning, you just opened the shop solo, and your coworker calls and explains that they will not be able to come in for three hours. You call everyone—no luck. You are stuck solo for the next three hours. It isn't the end of the world, but it will be hectic. So, you are helping the normal line of customers, and all of a sudden a tourist group of 20 come in. You now have a total of 30 people who need drinks made, and [need] to be rung up. How do you prioritize this? How do you address the customers?" (I should mention that Zoëy goes the extra mile and also has a list of acceptable answers to this question, which is another thing I'd recommend.) Talor Browne, cofounder of roaster and soon-to-open café Talor & Jørgen, and Fryd, a doughnut pop-up (both in Oslo, Norway) also captured this idea of using the interview process as a chance to really see how the individual would fi t in with the company's specifi c culture. "I always loved seeing where people could see themselves in the team after we got to know each other better," she says of her hiring methodology. "It allowed me to see if they really understood what we were trying to build and if they were a team player. We were intentionally unspecifi c when talking about the roles we'll be offering for a few reasons: One, we want to have a fl at hierarchy and a more egalitarian workplace where your workday is varied so that you avoid burn out from excess emotional labor in service, and so that people can support one another, instead of squabbling over more-de- sired roles. And two, we want to build something that doesn't exist yet, so pigeonholing people into narrow roles could be more harmful than helpful." Other great strategies for developing interview questions is to just try to make them unique, or interesting, or maybe a little funny or lighthearted to get the candidate to relax. Washington, D.C.–based Adam JacksonBey, who is just about to launch a coffee project, said that one of his favorite interview questions to ask is "Who is your favorite Ninja Turtle?" Alyssa Noble of North Carolina's Joe Van Gogh says she likes to ask people what they're passionate about. "It really opens people up and it helps the interviewer get a little more insight in to the person as a whole," she says.