Toister Performance Solutions, Inc.

  • Home
  • About
  • Solutions
    • Vision Writing
    • Employee Engagement
    • Assessment
    • Training
    • Keynotes
  • Resources
    • Books
    • Customer Service Tips
    • Recommended Reading
    • Tools and Worksheets
    • Articles and Media
  • Events
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • Home
  • About
    • Vision Writing
    • Employee Engagement
    • Assessment
    • Training
    • Keynotes
    • Books
    • Customer Service Tips
    • Recommended Reading
    • Tools and Worksheets
    • Articles and Media
  • Events
  • Blog
  • Contact
Banner-template-1.jpg

Inside Customer Service blog

The Inside Customer Service blog features tips, trends, and analysis that can help you unlock your customer service team's hidden potential. 

  • All
  • Building Relationships
  • Exceeding Expectations
  • Solving Problems
Two people are having a job interview in a cafe.

Is It Okay to Conduct Job Interviews at Starbucks?

Jeff Toister October 25, 2018

I recently overheard someone interviewing job applicants at Starbucks. The interviewees were applying for a job at some other company, not the coffee chain. 

Try as I might, it was hard not to overhear snippets of the conversation. We were sitting outside, and the interview was two tables away. Two interviews took place during the time I was there, and they were both formal with scripted questions. 

My sense was this was for a frontline customer service job, although I really tried hard to give them privacy and not eavesdrop.

One candidate looked relatively at ease, while the other appeared uncomfortable answering questions like, "What is your greatest weakness?" in a public space. It made me wonder about the appropriateness of doing an interview like this, so I posed the question on LinkedIn, "Is it okay to conduct job interviews at Starbucks?"

There were quite a few thoughtful responses. Here is a summary along with my suggestions.

Identify Your Purpose

Quite a few people pointed out that selecting a public venue like Starbucks can be purposeful.

Perhaps you want to meet someone informally to get a sense of what they're about when their guard is down. In this sense, an interview at Starbucks is no different than taking a candidate to lunch. One person pointed out he saw a candidate act rudely toward a barista, which made it easy to rule the candidate out.

Others suggested an interview in an open space like Starbucks might reflect the company's culture. Perhaps employees work in close proximity in an open office or the customer service team is remote so places like Starbucks become a virtual office. Meeting in a place like this amounts to a realistic job preview.

These are fair points. I think what bothered me about the interview I observed is it was formal, with potentially sensitive questions asked within easy earshot of other patrons.

So before you interview someone at Starbucks or a similar location, think about why you want to conduct an interview there. Convenience shouldn't be the sole reason.

Consider Other Options

There are a lot of companies that don't have physical offices or employees working remotely are too far away from an office to come in for an interview. This makes it necessary to get creative when finding a place to meet. 

Privacy is a potential challenge with interviewing someone at Starbucks, a restaurant, or even the local library (yes, that happens). There were several good alternatives suggested by commenters on LinkedIn:

  • Phone

  • Video conference

  • Private meeting room at a co-working space

That last option is intriguing. Considering the high cost of hiring and training new employees, spending $200-$300 to secure a private space to hold interviews seems worth it if you plan on asking sensitive questions.


A Few Tips, if You Must

There was a mixed reaction from LinkedIn commenters. Some described their own awkward experiences interviewing at Starbucks, with several people writing that it left them with a poor impression of the company. Others shared that Starbucks was their go-to location for job interviews and saw it as a good selection.

Here are a few tips if you decide you'd like to interview people at Starbucks, too:

  • Have a clear purpose behind selecting the venue.

  • Be considerate of the candidate's privacy.

  • Try to make the interview more conversational and less formal.

And if you really want to make a good impression, buy the candidate a cup of coffee!


Subscribe

Get the latest posts plus 10 Customer Service Activities to Supercharge Your Team.

the privacy policy

Almost finished! Please confirm your email address.

Check for an email from jeff@toistersolutions.com. Click on the button that says "Yes, subscribe me to this list."

Once your email address is confirmed, I'll send you a link to download my workbook, 10 Customer Service Activities to Supercharge Your Team.

~Jeff

Tagsinterviewing, hiring, Starbucks
  • Inside Customer Service blog
  • Older
  • Newer

Inside Customer Service

This blog brings you analysis, tips, and trends to help you unlock your customer service team's hidden potential.

Almost finished! Please confirm your email address.

Check for an email from jeff@toistersolutions.com. Click on the button that says "Yes, subscribe me to this list."

Once your email address is confirmed, I'll send you a link to download my workbook, "10 Customer Service Activities to Supercharge your team."

Thanks!
~Jeff

Recent Posts

Blog
Customer Service is Not Life or Death (Until it Is)
about a day ago
How To Empower Customer Service Employees
about 6 days ago
How to Help Your Team Cope with Empathy Fatigue
about a week ago
How Invisible Ropes Ruin the Customer Service Experience
about a week ago
Lessons from The Overlook: Trust, But Verify
about 2 weeks ago

The Book

Cover image of The Service Culture Handbook

Recognition

MVP2018_badge_winner_CCC.png
Global Gurus 2018 Top 30 Customer Service Professional
cx-award-logo-e1527014824753.jpg
customer-service-blog-550x550.png
  • Jeff Toister
    I attended @NSAspeaker #NSAWINTER19 conference last week. Insane education & inspiration! So I’m happy to announce… https://t.co/gCYYHuhoyI
    about 14 hours ago
  • Jeff Toister
    RT @murphyjfraser: Numbers require narrative. Your customer and employee data wants to tell you a story, but are you willing to listen? #CX #CustServ #EX
    about 14 hours ago
  • Jeff Toister
    How's your #LiveChat game? Get some insights with this new report. #custserv https://t.co/8i3sJFRNIb
    about 19 hours ago
twitter youtube facebook

Copyright © 2019, Toister Performance Solutions, Inc. Privacy Policy

Toister Performance Solutions, Inc.

Toister Performance Solutions helps customer service teams unlock their hidden potential. Services include helping companies develop customer-focused cultures, voice of customer programs (i.e. surveys) and customer service training. 

twitter youtube facebook