Starbucks Interview: What to Wear, Questions & Tips

What to Say

Now that we have outlined interview attire to help you make strong first impressions with the hiring team, let’s review the most important thing for your job interview and that is how you conduct yourself during the actual interview. 

• If you are seated when the Starbucks store interviewer comes out to meet you, stand up, make direct eye contact and greet the individual by name.  “Hi Rachel, nice to meet you.” If a handshake feels comfortable to you, offer your hand.  This is the best way to build connection right away.
• Beyond the initial greeting, try to use prospective partners 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, Don.  An example of me working in a fast-paced environment would be the summer camp that I worked last year.  Each day I was in charge of 10-12 middle school kids and we rotated activities every 45 minutes.  I found that clear, regular communication with the kids kept everyone organized and on track.” 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.  Our teamwork and efficiency was often complemented by the shift supervisor and even the store manager at times.”
  • Question: Tell me how you might handle a challenging situation you could 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 would 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’m originally from California but my family moved to Colorado two years ago. I have been swimming since I was two years old and am on the Varsity swim team at Mullen.  In addition to wanting to earn money for regular expenses such as gas and meals out, I am also saving for a senior class trip to London next year.  I’ve never been to Europe so I’m excited to work hard and earn the money I need for the travel expenses.”  As you can see, the answer is providing a bit of personal background on the candidate (where he is from, sports / clubs) and goes on to discuss motivations for earning money and working.  It is short, sweet and answers the question.  Practice answering this question in advance of the interview until it comes out easily.
• 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.