Avoid these 3 common mistakes to win your next barista trial!
BY LUIS TREDICUCCI
Following the reopening of the bustling coffee industry, barista jobs have been popping up all over Melbourne, so we designed this blog to help you land that dream job behind that dream machine! As with any job, there are common dos and don’ts. This blog was written to make sure you tick all of the right boxes during your trial. A few main takeaways from this piece include to be humble, be open to adopting new processes and styles of coffee making, and be confident. So let’s unpack this all below in hope of you landing that job.
The Melbourne coffee industry is like no other, with certain paradigms and standards often shifting faster than we can keep up with. It’s for this reason we have designed this blog to help with some simple things, obvious as they may be to some, to help you score a job at your favorite cafe.
Although there are many technical facets to the specialty coffee industry, this blog is purely coming from an interpersonal and team working perspective, as I am a firm believer in hiring the person, and not hiring for the skill. This is obviously very dependent on the cafe and scenario, however, you may still find it useful!
Firstly: be humble.
Far too often baristas walk in and act as if they can do a better job than the manager and their team, which can be a real put off. Unless the position advertised is for a senior position that requires your authority or leadership, don’t go in with that approach. Whoever is hosting your trial will be looking for your ability to follow orders and work within a team, and If you can do this it will be seen as a huge advantage. Later down the track once you’ve landed the job, your input and expertise will be valued. This directly relates to the next point.
Work within the cafe’s process
There are many different ways to make a coffee, and you should use your expertise in doing so, however, do not change the whole process and style of the way they make coffee during your trial. They will likely be using coffee from a different roastery with different brew recipes, so try and follow the processes provided. Failing to do so won’t rub well with the manager, as it shows you can not work within their business and are difficult to manage.
Don’t be scared
As you’re aware, a large part of being a good barista is chatting and creating relationships with customers whilst on the machine. If you act yourself and are comfortable interacting with customers and other staff, the hiring manager will see this as a huge positive. This doesn’t mean throwing out your number, so find a happy medium!
This confidence should also be exercised within your tasks. It can be a little awkward during a trial as you may not know the cafe, process, or people, however, the manager running your trial will be aware of this so try and make it work to the best of your ability. If you have a minute, clear some tables or some glasses, stock the milk, wipe the bench. This will show you have initiative and the hiring manager should see the future benefit of that.
And finally, Ask questions
It can be a humble way of showing that you are knowledgeable and familiar with the role. When the manager is inducting you, orientate yourself and ask questions about the process, the coffee recipes, and where things go. This will not only show that you are eager, but also convey your understanding of how a cafe operates. This will suggest to the hiring manager that you won’t require excessive training. This is an attractive feat to any busy manager!
So to wrap things up: Be confident in your ability and during your interactions, paying respect to the process and style of the cafe you are trialing at. Exercise your eagerness by asking relevant questions, in a humble way. Last but not least, tend to the needs of customers, teammates and management. Show them you are a personable, hard-working individual that can show initiative when necessary, then you will be an asset to any team - good luck!