Hello Students!

I hope you enjoyed our visit from Starbucks Senior Recruiter Kate Dove this past Thursday!  Below is some additional guidance on interviewing that she provided.  I hope you find it useful!

Cheers,

KC

MICROSOFT TEAMS INTERVIEW TIPS

o   Clothing – Clothing patterns and colors will contribute to the appearance of the video. Avoid clothes with lots of designs or patterns, as well as solid outfits with bold, bright colors. Black and neutral colors look best on video.

o   Act naturally – Use gestures, facial expressions, notes and graphics just as you do in face-to-face meetings. They add life to your meeting and keep your presentations interesting.

o   Speak naturally – The microphones can easily pick up the sound of conversation, so there is no need to shout. Participants should speak one at a time to ensure that everyone is understood.

Why Starbucks?

Starbucks leaders love to hear from candidates about the passion they have for the company and how you feel connected to Starbucks. The links below will help you better understand our company culture and may help you prepare to share some examples of why you want to work at Starbucks. It will also help you put together any questions you may have about being a partner and the Starbucks culture for the end of the interview.  

• Being a Starbucks Partner – this video gives an overview of what it’s like to work at Starbucks.
• How Starbucks is being a good neighbor – this video is an example of how we are connecting locally to the communities.
• The Starbucks College Achievement Plan – Providing partners with the opportunity to complete their college degree.
• Starbucks Stories & News  – Look into this website – dig around – there’s some really cool stories here  But my favorite, is how we uplift the everyday for our customers: #LilyEffect; these stories inspire me and it’s why I’m so proud to be a partner!
• Starbucks Benefits – A look into our benefit offerings  

Tips to Prepare for your Interview 

Here is the process I’ve learned to use to help me prepare for interviews. Interviewing is simply telling stories!

1. Think about the top 3-4 strengths / capabilities a Store Manager needs to be successful – Jot them down.  

2. Under each of these strengths / capabilities jot down 2-3 stories (clear examples) about how you have built a strategy to get results. 

·       Hiring managers want to be able to get a clear idea of how you think as a leader – develop your people, creatively solve problems, collaboratively work with your peers and cross functionally etc… Be sure to think of a few examples where the result you were expecting went the other way, and explain how you were able to check and adjust, or about what you learned from this experience that has helped you be a stronger leader.  

3. It’s important that a candidate is specific, concise and clear in their communication, where each story (or example) should include a beginning, middle and end.  The best way to tell your story is to use the STAR format framed out in more detail below.

·       Situation: Based on the question, share a recent situation in which you found yourself.

·       Task: What did you need to accomplish? Be clear about what you needed to achieve in this particular situation/example.

·       Action: What did you do? Why you choose this solution it and what were the alternatives?

·       Results: What were the outcomes of your actions? Share specifically what you accomplished through your actions – include metrics if applicable. Did you meet your objectives? If you didn’t get the desired outcome – what did you learn from this experience? Have you used this learning since?

 Top 3 Common Interview Missteps

1. The first most common mistake is…Giving very general answers. “I typically drive my business through top customer service and on the spot coaching of my team.”  While that may be an ok general answer – give us an example how you did just that. Paint a clear picture for the hiring managers. They want to be with you observing what top customer service and on the spot coaching looks like, framed within an example you share. 

2. When asked, “What questions do you have for us,” you respond, “None, my recruiter answered them all.” 
   • This is YOUR opportunity to interview US, to ensure this role is a great fit for you.  This part of the interview is as important as the questions we ask you. It shows you are curious and have done your research to  understand the role. 
   • Come prepared with 2-3 questions geared towards a Starbucks leader that leads a team of Store Managers. You may ask the same questions you asked me to get a different perspective from a leader very close to the business.   

3. Spending too much time on one answer, stay succinct and to the point. Spend 3-4 minutes on each question to ensure you have time to ask the team questions at the end of the interview.  

For additional details and preparation, please visit our career site: https://www.starbucks.com/careers/find-a-job/faq