Chipotle Job Interview: What to Wear, Questions and Answers

Teenage Boys / Men 

• Dress Code: Aligning to Chipotle’s crew member dress code would include a wrinkle free polo shirt, casual slacks such as khaki’s and closed toed shoes.  For the polo shirt, ensure that the bottom two buttons are buttoned at a minimum.
• Elevated Attire: Elevating your attire one level above the dress code of the company might include a crisp, wrinkle-free button-down shirt, dress pants and dress shoes.  If you don’t have any of these items in your closet, try to borrow them from a friend or family member.  Afterall, you are looking to make money so ideally you are not having to spend money upfront.  A thrift store is another idea to pick up dressier clothing items or shoes that you may not have on hand. Ensure that any facial hair is well groomed.
• Clothing / Accessories to Avoid: sneakers, jeans (never an option for an interview no matter how casual employees dress on the job), hats, visors, “loud” jewelry, large brand logos on your clothing, excessive cologne.  

Teenage Girls / Women

• Elevate Attire: Women don’t typically wear polo shirts on the regular so we will jump right to an elevated look for your job interview.  A professional polished look might include a blouse, button down shirt or sweater with dress pants or a knee-length skirt.  For shoes, opt for closed toe shoes as that is what you will wear on the job.  If you choose to wear jewelry, make simple choices such as small hoops or a basic necklace.  
• Clothing / Accessories to Avoid:  Sneakers, jeans, crop tops, tank tops, any clothing that is ripped or has holes as part of the style, sandals, high heels (while these are closed toed shoes, they are just much too fancy for a job interview at a fast casual restaurant), excessive perfume.

What to Say

Now that we have outlined interview attire that will give you a professional look tight off the bat, let’s review how to interact with the hiring team at your Chipotle job interview which may include the site general manager.

• If you are seated when the interviewer comes out to meet you, stand up, make direct eye contact and greet the individual by name.  “Hi Tom, nice to meet you.” If a handshake feels comfortable to you, offer your hand.  
• Beyond the initial greeting, try to use prospective team members names a few times throughout the interview.  This will set you apart from 99% of the competition.  It might feel strange the first time but using someone’s name regularly in conversation can quickly become second nature. “That’s a good question, Sally.  An example of me demonstrating strong customer service at my last job is that I would proactively ask a customer if they needed help if they appeared to be looking for something.  Additionally, I would try and make customers feel welcome by smiling and maintaining a positive attitude.”   If you are a high school student interviewing for your first job, you can absolutely draw from your life skills helping around the house or at school to answer questions.  You want to demonstrate that you have a strong work ethic, can handle hard work and are willing to go the extra mile.
• Other basic interview questions and sample answers:
  • Question:  Can you give me an example when you worked as part of a team?
  • Example Answer: Each Christmas our school organizes a toy drive for community families who need extra help buying presents.  For the past three years, I have volunteered to sort through gifts and organize them by age along with the rest of the volunteers.  The work gets done quickly as we all have a designated job and make an effort to communicate often. OR “At my last job, following the store clean-up procedures was part of the job if I was on a closing shift.  The other team members and I would review the list and divide up responsibilities so that the work was equally distributed.  We would play music to make cleaning more enjoyable.”
  • Question: Tell me how you might handle a challenging situation you might encounter with a customer such as an incorrect order.
  • Answer: First, I would apologize to the customer that they received the wrong order.  Next, I would offer an appropriate solution that I learned in my training.  It might involve getting the customer the correct order as quickly as possible. I will maintain a positive attitude throughout the entire encounter.  
• A seemingly easy and common question asked during an interview is “Tell me about yourself.” Prepare your answer in advance of the interview and keep it to 3-5 sentences.  A sample answer might look like this:
• “I am a junior at Arvada West and am looking for a full-time summer job to help fund my college education.  I just finished my third season playing on the varsity soccer team. I am also a member of the school’s student council and volunteer at my church on a regular basis. I am a good communicator and would like to continue to hone my customer facing skill set.”  As you can see, the answer is highlighting skills of teamwork, strong work ethic and customer service – all attributes and qualities a team leader wants to see in a candidate.
• It is perfectly normal to feel a bit nervous before and during an interview.  If you happen to get stumped on a question and can’t think of an answer after a few minutes of thought, ask the interviewer if you can come back to that question later in the interview.  
• If a job description was made available during the application process, give it another read the day of the interview so that the job responsibilities are fresh in your mind.
• Ideally your cell phone is nowhere in sight.  My recommendation is to leave it in your car in the parking lot to avoid any calls or text messages you could receive during the interview.
• No gum chewing or eating of any kind during the interview.  Totally fine to accept a glass of water if offered or bring your own if you feel you may need it.  
• Demonstrate strong body language throughout the interview.  Sit up straight (no slouching) and keep your attention and eyes focused on the interviewer.  
• Smile and don’t be afraid to show your personality throughout the discussion.  People hire people after all!   And remember, you don’t have to be perfect – there is no such thing.  Even if you feel like you give a “wrong answer” to a question, move on and focus on doing better for the next one.  

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