Most of us enjoy a cup of Joe to help get our morning going. However, if you’d like to be behind the coffee bar rather than in front of it purchasing a brew, Costa Coffee is a pretty good place to work.
Whether you’ve just scored an interview at this coffee joint or you’ve recently submitted an application, it pays to know what the process is like. In general, interviews are about 15 minutes in the café and focus on customer service questions. However, if you need some more detail about what questions to expect at a Costa Coffee interview, I’ve got your back.
This guide goes over some of the top interview questions at Costa Coffee. Plus, I’ve thrown in pro tips and a guide to dressing right to help you ace your next interview and land a new job. Let’s get started!
Pro Tips for Interviewing at Costa Coffee
Before heading into an interview at Costa Coffee, there are a couple of tips to keep in mind. These will help your interview be a success and will increase your chances of getting the job.
For one thing, it always pays to do some research on the company. Knowing basic facts such as the company vision, who the founder is, and how many locations they have are all great talking points for your interview. Plus, they help show you care about the job and are interested in learning more about the company.
Next, you’ll want to focus on letting your personality shine through. Coffee shop positions are highly social roles that involve a lot of customer interaction. A big part of being successful at your job interview will involve showcasing your personality and how well you interact with others.
Finally, be prepared for behavioral interview questions. Practicing how to use the STAR method to answer questions can ensure you have well-rounded, well-thought-out answers that impress the hiring manager.
Dressing the Part: What to Wear to Your Interview
Coffee shops can be pretty casual places, which can make figuring out what to wear a bit tough. For Costa Coffee, the best choice is to wear smart black jeans or khakis. In terms of shirts, a blouse for women or a button-up for men is a great way to look good without looking too formal.
For those with longer hair, you may also want to bring something to tie it up with. At coffee shops, you’ll often be required to have your hair pulled back in order to keep it from falling into the food and leading to contamination.
Another thing to note is that Costa Coffee tends to be a bit strict about makeup. Wear light or natural makeup, and avoid heavy looks, or you may be asked to remove it during your interview.
Top 10 Interview Questions at Costa Coffee
Now that we’ve gone over some of the basics of interviewing at Costa Coffee let’s get down to a couple of interview questions. Below I’ve outlined some interview questions that real workers at Costa Coffee have reported being asked. Plus, I’ve thrown in what you’ll want to say to help you ace the interview.
1. Tell Me About Yourself
This is typically the first question you’ll be asked in just about any interview. With this question, hiring managers are looking to learn more about your background and any relevant skills and experience you might have. They also want to get a feel for your personality to see if you’d be a good fit for their company.
When answering this question, remember to keep your answer brief. One to two minutes should be plenty for you to answer the question and give the interviewer some insight into your background and who you are as a person without becoming too long-winded.
2. Why Do You Want to Work Here?
This next question is your chance to show off all the research you did about Costa Coffee before your interview! Interviewers like to know that you care about the company and that you know what you’re getting into before you join the team.
Try to provide specific examples as to why you’re interested in working at Costa Coffee as opposed to other cafés. Reference any interesting points you found while investigating the company’s history, and tie those into your relevant skills and background.
3. Tell Me About a Time You Had a Difficult Customer and How You Handled It
Being able to deal with difficult customers is a major part of working at a coffee shop. With this question, hiring managers are looking to see how well you can tackle difficult situations and how you’re able to turn unhappy customers into happy ones.
For this question, try to come up with a specific example where you were able to turn around a difficult situation. Make sure to list skills that you used, such as customer service skills, management, or problem-solving. This helps show that you’d be able to apply those same skills in Costa Coffee.
4. What’s Your Availability Like?
Coffee shops are busy places, often opening early in the morning. Some coffee shops stay open late, while others are open for weekend service. Costa Coffee is no different, and depending on the location, you’ll need to have pretty open availability.
The more availability you have, the more likely you are to be a fit for the company. Although hiring managers can sometimes work shifts to make sense for a new team member, sometimes they’re hiring for a particular shift. Having more open availability can increase your chances of getting the job.
5. Why Do You Think You’re a Good Fit for This Role?
This is your chance to shine and to show off what your strengths are and what you bring to the table. For this question, make sure to provide detailed answers about skills you possess that are relevant to the role. A couple of examples you can use include:
- I’m a former Barista and have extensive coffee experience
- I’m a morning person and thrive with busy, early mornings
- I love making customers’ days with outstanding service
- I’m a team player and work well with others
- I handle pressure well and can make even stressful situations fun
6. What’s Your Greatest Weakness?
For this question, employers are looking to see what challenges you might face in the role. The key to acing this question is to make sure any weaknesses you list out are actually strengths in disguise.
At the same time, you want to be honest. This question helps employers gauge your self-awareness and honesty.
A couple of example answers you can use for this question include:
- I get lost in the details, so I can sometimes take longer to complete tasks than I should
- I’m overly organized, so I can get frustrated when things are out of place
- I’m an extrovert, so sometimes I can spend too long focusing on one customer instead of helping the next person in line
7. Do You Have Any Previous Related Experience?
Coffee shops can be difficult places to learn to work in, thanks to their fast-paced environment and the large amount of memorization needed to learn to make drinks. As a result, any past experience you have in the industry can be a huge benefit to hiring managers.
If you get asked this question, make sure to talk about any past experience you have that could be relevant to the job. Remember, even if you don’t have a coffee background, having some customer service experience or cash handling experience can also be helpful in this role!
8. Do You Have Any Upcoming Holidays Booked?
Hiring managers often ask this question so that there are no surprises when you start working. Typically, companies will require you not to ask for vacation for at least a month or two after you start working. However, if you already have a scheduled and planned holiday, hiring managers can plan ahead of time to ensure there’s coverage.
Be sure to be honest when answering this question. Although you don’t want to seem as though you have no availability, in general, most hiring managers just want to be sure that they can plan ahead for the future.
9. How Would You Handle Friends and Family Asking for Freebies?
This is a big no-no in most coffee shops as it causes businesses to lose revenue. When answering this question, make sure to let the hiring manager that you wouldn’t allow this. Doing so shows your responsibility and integrity, and it shows that you care about the business.
10. How Would You Make Customers Feel Welcome?
This last question helps hiring managers understand how well you interact with customers. It’s a chance for them to learn more about your customer service skills and how well you’ll perform on the job.
If you have any past customer service experience, this is a great chance to give an example of how you’ve made customers feel welcome in the past. If not, answers like greeting customers as they come into the store or getting to know your regulars by name can work for this question.
Ace Your Interview at Costa Coffee
Costa Coffee is a great place to work if you’re interested in getting into the coffee industry. Although it’s not a craft coffee shop, it can get you the espresso handling and customer service experience needed to get your foot in the door in the field.
With these interview questions, you should have no problem knowing what kinds of questions you’ll be asked and how to respond. Just remember to dress professionally, show up on time, and be authentic.
With that said, it’s time to put that resume to work and ace your Costa Coffee job interview. Good luck!
