Serving People Serving Coffee Since 2005
Issue link: http://baristamagazine.epubxp.com/i/853621
"LOOK FOR ENERGY IN A POTENTIAL EMPLOYEE. LOOK FOR DRIVE. OFTEN THAT CAN OVERCOME ANY LACK OF EXPERIENCE." —ANDRIEU DOYLE Be careful not to ask questions for the sake of keeping things inter- esting though. You might just confuse your interviewee. Zoëy recalls that one of the weirdest and hardest questions she's ever been asked was to name fi ve varieties of mushrooms. Ellan Kline, a retail trainer for San Francisco's Ritual Coffee Roasters, said that the strangest question she was ever asked was, "Why is the sky blue?" (Alternately, Ellan says the best question she's been asked was, "What are three praises and three criticisms your coworkers would have of you?") In other words, it's OK and even great to stray completely off track when interviewing, but make sure what you're asking is still relevant to determining whether the candidate will be a good fi t for the position. THE REAL-LIFE WORK ENVIRONMENT Though more common in the restaurant industry than the coffee world, having potential employees work a trial shift prior to making your fi nal hiring decision can not only help you decide if the person is a good fi t, but also give the candidate insight about the job for which they're applying. That said, there are a few reasons why this isn't always appropri- ate. First of all, you can actually run into potentially sticky issues with labor laws (check to see what they are and how they apply). Also, it should go without saying that you shouldn't ask someone to work for free, especially if you don't end up hiring them. Then you just wasted time they could have spent elsewhere making rent money. It's a moral gray area for many, especially among those who have also worked in the restaurant industry, but quite a few folks I inter- viewed for this article, from all over the country and from a variety of positions within the coffee industry, mentioned that some of the worst and most frustrating experiences they've had with interviewing was being asked to do uncompensated labor. If you really want to evaluate someone's bar skills or give them a chance to experience what it's like behind your counter, go for it. Just make sure you're up front about what that is going to entail and what the time commitment will be. (And don't give them menial work. That's just off-putting.) When I had interviewees come behind the counter at the cafés I managed while at Irving Farm, I explained that these were opportu- nities for the would-be hire to observe and, in a way, "interview" the café, i.e. see whether they enjoyed the experience or not. I encouraged them to ask lots of questions about our systems and policies, and to try to gauge if they liked the vibe and felt comfortable with the energy and atmosphere. I always told them, "I want to hire people who gen- uinely want to work here, and you should have a chance to honestly assess what we have to offer you just as much as we want to honestly assess what you have to offer us." MONEY MATTERS People don't like to talk about money. I once had an interviewee admit to me that they'd actually been shut down by the person conducting the interview for that very reason, when they had inquired about compensation, by the person conducting the interview. This is something that I would argue staunchly that the coffee in- dustry as a whole could improve on. Very few coffee job listings men- tion salary or hourly rates—if you're lucky, they'll give you a range. Most of them, though, just tell you that the wages are "competitive." There's very little guidance or data available on what that means, however, at least specifi cally related to the specialty-coffee industry. I've also been surprised more than once by interviewees who don't know what the current New York City minimum wage is, or that it's going up at the end of this year, and next year, as well. I've asked them how they'd know if they ended up with a job that paid them less than minimum wage, and they didn't have an answer for me. Be upfront about what you can offer in terms of compensation and benefi ts. I've actually cut interviews short with individuals who were looking to make a career change into the coffee industry and expressed doubt at being able to maintain their current living situation with baris- ta pay (which is something we could save for an entire other article). HOW IMPORTANT IS EXPERIENCE? I talk about this a lot: Don't worry too much about experience. Folks who do the hiring as well as folks who are looking to get hired in coffee fi xate on this point: Experience isn't the most important quality in a candidate. I love telling people that I've hired amazing folks through Craigslist and even through very strange restaurant staffi ng agencies in New York City. Andrieu Doyle, director of origin operations at Indianapolis-based Hubbard & Cravens Coffee & Tea Co., says, "Look for energy in a potential employee. Look for drive. Often that can overcome any lack of experience." Zoëy adds, "At this point, I don't even care what's on a résumé as long as it shows that they have held jobs for more than six months and are in- terested in coffee. But honestly, all of the questions that I ask about their interactions with their coworkers and customers are the most important. 68 barista magazine