Hi! I was just hired as a part-time barista and my first day is tomorrow! I saw a lot of people asking about interview tips and questions, so I thought I’d share what I can remember from mine while it’s fresh in my mind.
Of course it varies by location and manager, but mine seems like a pretty chill guy so far. He let me know what kind of questions he would be asking, what kind of experience I could use to answer them, and basically that the goal was to get to know me.
—First, he asked me just to tell me about myself.
I just graduated from high school and don’t have any work experience, but I did a lot of extracurriculars in high school and volunteer often, so I told him a lot about that, my hobbies, etc. We talked mostly about me and he asked the following questions:
—When was a time that you had great customer service?
I told him about a time that a Verizon support person stayed on the phone with my mom and I for hours helping her set up her new phone, was relatable with us, and very kind. It stuck out to me because of how kind and patient he was to my mom (super important to me!)
—Have you ever seen someone not following protocol?
This one took me a while because I mostly just do volunteer/extracurricular stuff and my friends and I ran it ourselves. I exaggerated a little bit (within reason) and told him about when I was a camp counselor and some other student leaders were gossiping in front of the kids, and I didn’t want to get in their personal business but it wasn’t appropriate for 6th graders, so I took the kids and we played a game. I also mentioned how it’s important to avoid certain topics in a more professional situation or with kids.
—Tell me about a time when you solved a conflict.
I told him that I do political volunteer work often, organizing events in my school and at the state capitol. (Didn’t go into details because if he had opposing views, it could’ve ruined the whole thing— but I help organize events with National School Walkout and Moms Demand in my city.) I told him that at a party a few days ago (in hindsight, maybe I should’ve just said I was with friends or something different, not “at a party”) and two people got into a heated political debate, and although I only agreed with one side, I tried to mediate and explain to each other what the root of their arguments were before they pulled certain things out of proportion. He told me I was ‘describing how to be an adult’! :)
-That’s all of the questions I can remember right now, but he did ask if I had any and really I didn’t, but I asked him what regular shift lengths/hours are and to tell me about the training process.

My first day is tomorrow, wish me luck!