Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf Interview

I saw a job advertisement  for a Back-of-the-House/Pantry cook position for Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf at Jobstreet.ph, and saw that they had a ‘one-day recruitment caravan’ happening every Wednesday at their select branches from January up to February. So I decided to show up at their Greenhills branch last  and give it a shot. After all, it was an opening for my dream job, I’d stood three hours in a crowded bus just for it

I got there at 10 AM and waited with a few others and sat by their outdoor tables after I passed my CV and got an evaluation form with a few questions on it, which I answered like cakewalk. The questions are easy and personality-based rather than the usual abstract exams. While waiting, I found out that the people sitting with me at the table somehow knew someone I also knew—small world huh? The two girls beside me knew the reservations officer at the hotel I used to intern at. And the guy sitting across me kept looking at me, and then asked me if I ever worked at SM Fairview once. I did. Turns out he knew the manager of the resto there that I used to intern/part-time in, so he must’ve seen me there once.

Our table sat and waited around to be interviewed; I was only interviewed at around 1:30 PM! In fact I was asked to take a lunch break and just come back later for the interview. And then I was eventually interviewed. It was an OK experience, the interviewer was pleasant. She looked like the typical HR officer I run into in past interviews. Of course the typical questions are asked:

-What made you apply for work in our company? If the entire world were honest we would all say the need for money and a job but no, we come up with some made-up sugared answer.-What is your idea of good customer service?-What can you bring to the team aside from serving the customers well?-What are your plans five years from now?-What are your strengths? Weaknesses?
-Are you still single? Do you have a significant other/boyfriend? Why do you want to ask about my boyfriend how dare you

And other typical questions.

I had to remind the interviewer twice or thrice that I was NOT applying for the Barista position (in fact I found that I wasn't even qualified for it because I just saw their advert now and it said they needed a graduate of four-year HRM, I'm only an HRS graduate! So HRS graduates, you can try to push your luck, too). 

The first time I said it, she ignored it like she didn’t hear it and kept the talk like I was applying for Barista. I had to remind her again, at the end, that I was NOT applying for the Barista position and I had a mad love for kitchen work that my love for coffee has not yet surpassed. And then I was apparently overqualified for the position I wanted. Huh? How can I be overqualified? Your advert said you needed a vocational graduate for that position. I was exactly qualified. In hindsight, I am even underqualified to be a Barista. 

Overqualified is the euphemism they say when you are discriminated because you ‘look’ like you don’t fit in a job. This happened to me too in Fernandina Hotel. So tall and slim and kinda-pretty girls can’t work in the back of the house what madness is that

I passed and was given endorsement for final interview at their main office a day after. So it turns out the ‘one-day recruitment caravan’ is not truly a one-day thing, be warned.

I showed up in their office by the Eastwood area. It's at Unit 4, 108 E. Rodriguez Jr. Ave, Brgy. Bagumbayan, Libis, Quezon City. How in the world do you get there? Well, thankfully the Filipino Bum blog had a list of directions of how to here: http://filipinobum.blogspot.com/2010/09/my-coffee-bean-interview.html

Brought along two buddies so they could pass their CVs too. My appointment was 3PM but I was only interviewed past 4. And so companies shouldn’t be annoyed if their employees are late; they are setting great examples.

And then it turns out your ‘interview’ lasts only around two minutes.

Interviewer is the strict, older-woman kind. Asks questions quickly. Asks another one even if you haven’t finished your sentence yet. You can’t sell yourself much. Doesn’t even make eye contact. And then the debate of why I prefer Back-of-the-House duty resurfaces again. I got sick of the question and told her a blunt truth born out of an irritation that I probably should not have said, but I’m glad I said it. I can’t bear to be fake in interviews, how you supposedly sugar everything makes my head ache.

I was told that I’d be called within a week if I was considered for the position. If not, then not. Cool. Fine with me. If you hear this being said to you, this is the end. You should know it.

Anyway, got a few more job calls after that, so it’s not much of a loss, especially if they kept insisting on the Barista position which I wasn’t too enthralled by because they put up an ad calling for a back-of-the-house cook and then tell you in person that they aren’t looking for that anymore/slots are full. Absolutely reminds me of the Hotel interview I had when HR lied to me because I was also ‘overqualified’ to work in housekeeping.

Not discouraging anyone, if Barista’s your dream job, I’d say go for it, but be prepared to go back and forth a few times and wait a few hours.

Here's the link for their job advert:

http://www.jobstreet.com.ph/jobs/2012/2/t/80/3119210.htm?fr=21