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  • #16
    Re: Getting a job?

    When my daughter went for her first job, she spent weeks refining her resume and then dropped off more than thirty in a day. She got three replies, and staff turnover in retail is high. I wouldnt be surprised if there were fifty applications for every job, so you should expect more rejections.

    I agree with stinky, you need to stand out and be prepared to work at getting the job.

    Also try dropping off your resume and then go back in a day or two to follow up with a "Hi, I dont know if you remember, but I dropped of my resume yesterday and wondered if you had a chance to look at it yet". Chances are they havent, but you persistence will move it further up the pile.

    Cockiness and/or arrogance will count against you. How you think of yourself affects how others see you, perhaps aim for a quiet confidence in your abilities.

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    • #17
      Re: Getting a job?

      Originally posted by 6E75747374737A736E75747070786F74737A1D0 link=1302761951/12#12 date=1302885717
      The places I went in today, I came with a smile and I wasnt as nervous as the places that advertised with a job. I just said "ey, is it okay if I just drop in my resume" and they either said "sure" or "Ill pass it off to the general manager".
      Just a tip for you mate, never just hand your resume to a staff member.....they more often than not end up in the bin(I have seen it many a time).The staff member who takes your resume will size you up on the spot and it could be any reason that it will end up in the bin.....eg. looks, arrogance, age, name, address, where you have worked, where you went to school etc etc.......some staff members will not care who has trained you, and they could even feel threatened if you were really good??

      Always ask to see the manager/ owner ! and use your head wait for a really quiet time to do this.....dont go into a cafe at 8.45 in the morning and expect them to drop what they are doing, this will be seen as very annoying and probably not good for your prospects.

      personal presentation and hygiene( clean hands and nails hair washed etc etc.) must also be of a very high standard, neat attire !......no thongs tshirts etc.( this tip is super important you are on display to the public and must be presentable.)

      Maybe try some franchises first, you could try and get your foot in the door just as a crew member. try GJs, hudsons,coffee club etc....

      good luck mate

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      • #18
        Re: Getting a job?

        While all the training is nice until you can regularly do the 50 to 150 shots an hour that the busy people do you are just a beginner. What is the industry standard for a good barista?

        In the printing industry there are a lot of people who an work a machine but there are a lot less that can get it to run all day at even 80% of what it is capable.

        So you have proved that there are 8 coffee shops that dont need anyone presently. If this means it is time to give up and try something else is up to you.

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        • #19
          Re: Getting a job?

          Originally posted by 4B404170414E465D412F0 link=1302761951/11#11 date=1302884251
          4 applications is not very many after all there may just be no vacancies at these 4 businesses

          I would suggest that after 40+ applications and a few weeks you need to change strategy if you have had absolutely no response.
          I dont want to discourage you but you havent made many applications.

          I just started work yesterday after 16 months of unemployment.

          I havent bothered to count (this time) how many applications Ive made in that time.

          Its not the type of work Im qualified for or like to do and the money is terrible (but better than the dole).

          I need a job of any kind at the moment to keep me sane (sort of) and will have to keep looking for what I do best.

          Persist and youll eventually get there.

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          • #20
            Re: Getting a job?

            <rant> Need to get experience... so that I can get a job... to get some experience on a machine... so that I can get a job making coffee... so that I can gain experience... to become gainfully employed as a barista...

            Its unbelievably frustrating riding this nonsense work/experience merry-go-round. I cant get a job, because every job I see and manager or owner I meet wants 2-3 years experience - Ive even seen jobs advertised wanting 4 years! How do I get in? Ive done enough training, both in Australia and in NZ (and got ripped off one time, but thats another story), but every day that Im not at a machine, my skills and knowledge are fading, making it even harder when I do get trials.

            Yes, Im a bit slow just now, but I can get faster, WITH PRACTICE. I cant get practice when employers arent willing to give us newbies a fair go. I understand that employers want someone who can just jump on a machine and go, but its not quite as straight forward as that: even trained and experienced baristas will have to adjust to new ways of doing things (eg using a different machine, grinder, stuff kept in different places, different POS systems, etc) when they start a new job. I have plenty of experience working in cafes in other roles; as a kitchen hand, sandwich hand and dish hand - but I really want to be working as a barista because I love coffee and I have taken the initiative by starting to become trained as as a barista! Im beginning to think Ive made a huge mistake.

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            • #21
              Re: Getting a job?

              Well perhaps go up to the cafe manager that you havent done the 3 years experience but ask him if you can demonstrate your skills anyway. You have nothing to lose.

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              • #22
                Re: Getting a job?

                Yeah, I have done. But they invariably say that Im "too slow". I usually only get to make them one or two coffees, then it inevitably gets busy and another barista jumps on the machine: trial over.

                The exchange seems to have a pattern, with the owner or manager asking (as one owner did this week): "Ok then, make me a trim latte". So I make him a latte, after discovering which jugs they use for skimmed milk, after finding the milk (hidden in refrigerated cupboards with opaque doors), asking him about how theyd programmed the volumetric keypad buttons (Ive come across some strange programmings, so I always ask if I dont know), after asking about the automatically dispensing grinder (Im used to Mazzer manuals), and figuring out the lever-type steam control (Im used to knobs). Yes, it took me a little longer than it should have. Then comes the inevitable "Yeah, the coffee was pretty good, but were looking for someone who can already do X kgs per day, and youre not fast enough."

                Its not that I cant make the coffee; its that I cant get regular access to a machine (because I cant get a job... to get the experience... to get the job... Oh yeah, we covered that) to practice and get my speed and consistency up.  Its not a fair trial or honest appraisal of what I can do.

                I am willing to come into a cafe and work for free for a few hours - best case: I get a job; worst case: I get some experience and the employer gets X hours of free labour -  but Im not being given the chance. I dont even get a look-in in many cases, because I dont have 2-4 years under my belt already.

                Its crazy. I mean, there are about 80 barista jobs available in central Sydney that Ive come across in the last week or so; I notice some of these jobs have been available since I arrived in November (or re-advertized, as the positions arent being filled). Employers need employees, right? Well here I am! No, Im not as fast as a World Champion barista, but I could be, with some experience!

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                • #23
                  Re: Getting a job?

                  Its crazy. I mean, there are about 80 barista jobs available in central Sydney that Ive come across in the last week or so; I notice some of these jobs have been available since I arrived in November (or re-advertized, as the positions arent being filled
                  Rofl! I always thought there was a bit of a conspiracy behind the same jobs being advertised in the same places for several months on end for baristas with 3 years experience or more. I get the feeling they probably already have temporary staff and on the off chance they can find a barista with experience they will probably cut the hours of some of the less permanent staff.

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                  • #24
                    Re: Getting a job?

                    Originally posted by 2F6B3D2E5B0 link=1302761951/22#22 date=1326282787
                    Rofl! I always thought there was a bit of a conspiracy behind the same jobs being advertised in the same places for several months on end for baristas with 3 years experience or more. I get the feeling they probably already have temporary staff and on the off chance they can find a barista with experience they will probably cut the hours of some of the less permanent staff.
                    No doubt! But then, why dont cafe owners spend the time with their staff to train them and make sure they get the skills? Its in the interests of their business after all.

                    Ive been in cafes here in Sydney where Ive known that I could have done a far better job with my limited experience than the barista making the coffee, who has probably been making the same crap coffee for months or years, losing the cafe business. This was particularly the case at the airport, where I was served brown water as a long black - tasted like a single ristretto shot diluted with 240ml of hot water. Ive even applied for jobs with the airport foodservice companies, and heard nothing. Thats another thing thats beginning to grate on me, but Im told that thats the norm these days: dont expect to get even an acknowlegement. Thats why Ive been doing the rounds on foot, handing out my resume.

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                    • #25
                      Re: Getting a job?

                      You wrote immediately above:

                      ".....Ive been doing the rounds on foot, handing out my resume...."

                      You are doing the right thing, dont lose hope. Try some of the cafes owned / run in conjunction with a coffee roastery. They are more attuned to quality rather than simply outright speed. You are looking for a coffee house not a regular "cafe" (an eatery with a coffee machine....), so maybe you are just looking in the wrong places. We like being an "employer of choice" and that is, one where people approach us and want to come work for us, job advert or not.

                      Regards,
                      Attilio
                      very first CS site sponsor, passionate coffee roaster and right now in the throws of expanding our own in house coffee house due to continuing growth and increasing demand.


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                      • #26
                        Re: Getting a job?

                        Thanks for the advice and kind words, Attilio. Sounds like you are an employer that understands the predicament of newly qualified baristas. I am of the belief that if an employer shows that they do genuinely care about helping a keen employee develop their skills, then employees will respond positively and put the effort in.

                        There are several ads for positions in new concept roasteries in Sydney... I should give them a try; Im keen to find out about the roasting process too.

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                        • #27
                          Re: Getting a job?

                          Ive thought about buying a used commercial or semi-commercial machine to practice on at home, but I cant in all honesty afford one - especially with no income or support, nor to buy the coffee and milk to practice with. I used to have a little Breville machine, but it didnt have the tank pressure to properly extract shots (only 3.5 bar, I think), and the steam wand was stuck in a inconvenient fixed position, making it difficult to steam milk effectively. Would love to have a decent professional-grade machine!

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