The last job I had was my senior year of high school as a barista at Black Rock Coffee Bar. I decided to apply for the position because my two older sisters worked at the same coffee stand, and they loved their jobs. The job description called for excellent customer service, being able to memorize many drink recipes, and make quality drinks for customers. My experience matched the description closely, but it also called for a lot more than what the description entailed. Being a barista in a small coffee bar was harder than I expected. Working five to six hour shifts while standing the entire time was exhausting. I also worked in the summer, which are busier times for coffee bars in Oregon because of the nice weather. This meant that there were almost always long lines of cars, and we had to work very quickly but correctly. There hardly no room for error because if you mess up a drink, not only does it slow down the line because you have to remake it, but it also leads to customer dissatisfaction. So, the description did not make clear the true amount of work and energy needed for this job. Being a barista may look easy, but it was an extremely exhausting job for me. Unfortunately I do not have the posting available at this time.
3 replies on “Job Descriptions”
Grace,
Well done on your post! I can imagine being a coffee barista is a unique dynamic and takes a person with patience to be able to handle a fast paced environment. I can only imagine how hard it is to remember people’s drink, I’ve been to so many coffee places where the people ask for toffee coffee bibbidi bobbidi boo drink. I’m like I’ll just take iced coffee. I’m interested to see what the job description actually says. Great job!
Grace,
I have had many friends work in coffee shops too and it can be a very fast paced job. Job descriptions are tough because they can tell main aspects, but leave out the stressful situations that come with it. I get businesses don’t want to scare applicants away, but they should still explain the hardships. Thanks for a great post, that was very insightful!
Grace,
I enjoy reading your post a lot, and after I read, being a barista is a very interesting position. I didn’t realize that working over five hours is exhausted. After I have tried it, I felt how you feel now. There are many things this position has to handle and make sure quickly and correctly. Like, each person orders different from their own style. Some are simple, but some are complicated.
Thank you for your experience!