Barista At Starbucks: Job Description And Attributes - An Essay.

Select an organisation of your choice and explore the job vacancies available, select a specific job and carry out the following tasks, your work should be presented as a report.

1.Identify the details of a specific job role.
2.Describe in detail the job description and the employability, personal, professional and communication skills required.
3.Describe all recruitment documentation required for this position and draft an example application letter as if you were applying for this job.
4.Describe in paragraph form the required attributes you personally possess or expect to possess by the end of the course that are needed for the post in point A. Explain why these relevant skills are considered important.
5.Evaluate how the relevant skills required for the job are expected to improve the overall performance of the department and the organisation as a whole, your answer should be supported with examples.

Introduction to Human Resource Management at Starbucks

Human resource Management is largely concerned with the management of the human resources of the firm who form an integral part of the firm. It is important to seek after the right employees as they are the ones through which the employees are able to gain a firsthand impression of the firm (Cascio 2018). The given report is based on Starbucks.

Starbucks Corporation is an American company which sells coffee and owns one of the largest coffee houses around the globe. The company was found in Sydney in 1971. Currently, the given company operates in 25000 outlets worldwide (Starbucks Coffee Company 2018.).Starbucks is the primary representation of the second wave coffee which is different from the other coffee makers through its unique taste, style and quality (Bradshaw 2014).However, presently the coffee chain makes use of espresso machines which are automated in nature.

A large variety of coffees is sold by Starbucks which range from hot, cold and whole bean coffees. Apart from coffees, the company also sells Fresh juices, beverages and pastries. The stores also sell pre packed food items including beer wine and appetizers.  The given report will throw light on one such job role in Starbucks which is that of a barista. A barista can be described as a person working in a coffee shop and selling coffee to the customers. He helps them to indulge in a richer experience (Bratton and Gold 2017). The report shall briefly describe the job roles and description of a barista and then describe the contribution that a barista would be making to the success of the organization.

The primary role of a barista is to promote the consumption of the coffee in the given store by creating awareness among the customers (Wong and Laschinger 2013). His main job is to sell coffee and indulge in coffee grinding, brewing activity and management of supplies. He also has to prepare a variety of coffee drink and serve them along with cookies and pastries.

At starbucks, a barista would be the primary point of contact for a person who would be visiting the coffee house for a drink. He must be able to provide them a good experience so that they are attracted to visiting the store regularly (Chelladurai and Kerwin 2017).  Very often certain stores and houses used to find it an easy task to hire the barista as they believed that it is a simple job, however this is not the case and it is very essential for the firm to hire a well qualified barista who knows how to communicate with people and serve them the right kind of coffee that makes their day.

Introduction to Starbucks Corporation

Apart from just serving coffees and maintaining customer satisfaction in the given outlets, certain baristas are also expected to come up with new product ideas and combo meal packages. It is their responsibility to increase the sales of the stores and they should see to it that they are able to do this in a well qualified manner.

Barista Job Description

The job description of a Barista would be as follows:

Barista Job Responsibilities:

The primary responsibility of a barista is to increase the consumption of coffee in the outlet by creating a sense of awareness among the customers by indulging in activities like coffee grinding, brewing of equipment, grinding of coffee, maintaining adequate supplies at the stores and to serve a wide variety of coffee drinks along with pastries and cookies (Renwick, Redman and Maguire 2013).

Barista Job Duties:

The job duties of a Barista are as follows:

• Makes a warm environment by welcoming customers respectfully and determining the kind of coffee they would be interested in
• Creating awareness among the customers by telling them about the different coffees as offered by the given company (Pató 2015).
• Make the perfect cup of coffee for the customers and sell them in an attractive manner. They must be having the capability to differentiate between the coffee beans and understand how brewing takes place (Mader-Clark 2013).
• Increases the revenue of the outlet by attracting new customers and expanding present services
• He will also be responsible for maintaining the inventories and replenish the system whenever the need arises
• It is his job duty to promote a safe and healthy work environment.
• He will also be required to update his knowledge and stay tuned with respect to the latest trends. This can be done by reading, taking workshops and maintaining personal networks (Monster Hiring Resource Center 2018).
• He must also enhance the reputation of the coffee outlet by accepting unique customer requests and fulfilling their needs.

Skills and Qualifications required:

The barista must be a good listener

• He must be extremely good in communication
• Must have an ardent customer focus
• Awareness about safety
• Must be a perceiver of relevant skills
• Is required to be action oriented
• Profound Understanding of customer needs
• Indulge n long term client relationships.

Attributes can be described as an in built quality in a person which makes him unique and suitable for a job. These attributes are primarily inbuilt in an individual but can also be developed over the time. Given below are a set of attributes which must be possessed by me by the end of the course in order to become a successful barista.

An extrovert with an indulging personality

Having an extrovert personality is one of the essential requirements of the job role of a barista and therefore it is expected that an extrovert person with a good personality will go a long way in successfully completing the duties of the firm. A barista is required to deal with a wide number of customers and if he is unable to understand the demands of the different customers by just observing them then he might face a large number of difficulties in future.

High quality customer skills

Customer is the primary reason why a coffee store is in existence. The barista must see to it that his customer engagement skills are quite high and he is able to successfully deliver whatever the customer needs out of him. The customer skills also involve handling complaints and grievances. If a person is able to do that successfully, he will be able to become a good barista.

Ability to work under pressure

The pressure at Starbucks is very high during the peak hours. There are hundreds of customers present all of whom would like to be served their coffees on time and the correct flavor. They also tend to create confusion during the peak hours by continuously changing their mind with respect to their requirement (Verboncu and Zeininger 2015). However, as a barista the individual must have the ability to manage the given pressure as this will be a consistent part of his job. In his ability to do so the person must always remain calm and handle complaints peacefully.

Job Role of a Barista at Starbucks

Ability to work in a team as well as work individually

A barista would have a large number of waiters under him with whom he is required to coordinate and work successfully. He needs to give out orders to them so that they are able to carry out the daily operations successfully and cater to the needs of the customers. Team dynamics plays a key role in handling customer requests. The barista should essentially be a team player.

Flexibility and attention for detail

The barista is required to be extremely flexible with the different work schedules and should have an eye for detail. He must be able to fulfill all the needs of the customers. He is required to be flexible with respect to the work environment and work hours as well. If he is unable to do so then the job role is not right for him.

Multitasking is an essential attribute

Multi tasking necessarily forms an important attribute of a barista. The given job is not a desk job where he would be just doing one continuous ob. He is required to deal with a wide variety of demands, work conditions and other aspects, all of which he must be able to manage successfully (Kramar 2014).

The given attributes are considered to be very important because if the barista lacks these skills and attributes, then he will not be able to achieve success in the given work environment and the organizational goals will not be met.

The given documents are essential for the given position:

Cover letter

The cover letter can be described as an opening letter that is generally attached to a resume and describes the various reasons from the employee side stating why he is the ideal candidate and how he will be able to perform the job alternatives well (Budhwar and Debrah 2013).  The cover letter can be a brief document with limited information as to the relevant skills possessed by the candidate and the requirements.

Resume

A resume is a one page or two page documents which describes the life history details of the potential candidate. It is a short and accurate document which throws light on the background of the individual the educational qualifications, the work experience aspect and the skills possessed. The resume must be supported by relevant documents.

Very often skills tend to play a key role in determining the successful tenure of the given employee in any firm. Starbucks is strictly a customer oriented business house. As the employees are directly in contact with the customers, they are required to possess a certain set of skills that will enable them to serve the customers adequately. Given below are the reasons how skills are very important for the success of the firm.

Barista Job Description

A good communication skill will help in maintaining long term customer relationships.

It is essential for the barista to possess good communication skills. This is important for Starbucks to have relevant skills so that they are able to nurture long term skills with the different customers (Seasonscoffee.co.uk. 2018). A good communication skill goes a long way in helping the customer with the variety of choices available and serving them appropriately. According to Jackson, Schuler and Jiang (2014), when a customer is served well in an organization then they tend to visit the firm more often. This case is more relevant in the restaurant industry whereby the customers tend to be extremely picky about their choices. If this is handled well, Starbucks will be able to gain a customer for life. Repetitive purchases are essentially important for the long term success for the firm as this is a consumer industry and just one visit by the customer will not be able to satisfy the goals of the organization.

Adequate consumer skills will go a long way in increasing the revenue of the firm.

Customer skills refer to the grievance handling skills of the baristas with respect to the given set of customers. Apart from this customer skills also involve understanding the needs of the customer by mere observation, enhancing their experience and serving them right. When an organization is able to handle its customers well then they can successfully incur in high revenue rates for the organization (Marchington et al. 2016). For starbucks, if all the needs of the given customers are well managed by the given set of employees then the customers would engage in an enriching experience which would help them in making repeated purchases thereby increasing the sales of the organization.

Multi-tasking will help to manage the firm well

A customer just does not visit Starbucks for a coffee. He visits the firm to gain an ultimate experience. It is the duty of the barista to possess skills and engage in multi tasking which would then go a long way in helping the customers to retain and build their experience at the coffee house. Not only do they have to be served well, the ambience of the shop, their requirements, cleanliness, health factors and other important aspects need to be considered carefully in order to ensure that the firm is able to serve the customers well and manage the organization (Hair Jr and Lukas 2014).

Barista Job Responsibilities

Human resource are considered to be an important part of the organization as they have key roles to play in various aspects of the firm like strategic planning to maintaining the image of the firm (Marler and Fisher 2013). Human Resource in the restaurant industry, serve in direct contact with the customer and thereby they possess the quality to enhance the experience of the customers and the employees alike along with strengthening the operations of the business.

The human source adds value to a firm like Starbucks in the following manner:

1. Strategic Management

The human resource department helps the firm to attain its long term success thereby managing the talent factor at an organization and serving the customers well. It lies totally in the hands of the different employees to handle the customers well and contribute towards the success of the organization.

2. Wages and Salary

The human resource department at Starbucks is also responsible for providing wages and salaries to the various employees who would then be able to work adequately (Pató 2013). Employees tend to form an essential part of the organization and it is extremely important for the firm to understand that they need to see to it that their employees at Starbucks are being paid well.

3. Analyzing the Benefits

The human resource management team at Starbucks by providing an excellent benefit scheme. The benefit scheme works well in retention the customers of an organization and enabling them to stay with the company for a long period of time thereby reducing the costs of training and development. In this manner Starbucks will be able to save on costs and maintain long term even fits with the employees.

4. Satisfaction of employees

The satisfaction of the employees and the customers are one of the primary objectives of the human resource department especially in the Restaurant industry, and the Starbucks`s human resource department should see to it that their primary resources who are the employees are well satisfied with the firm (Purce 2014).

5. Training and Development

The human resource at Starbucks is relevant because it provides training and development to the various employees. As this is a skilled based industry, training plays an essential role in making the employees skilled as per the requirements of the outlets. Hence, if the human resource department is not able to engage itself in successful planning of the organization then they will not be able to give rise to adequate employees.

6. Safety Management

The human resource department is also responsible for the safety management of the employees at Starbucks. They have to lay down the essential policies which are very necessary to run the organization and they must essentially see to it that the life of the employees is in safe hands.

7. Compliance management

Barista Job Duties

There are a wide variety of compliances present in the organization like Starbucks. These compliances refer to rules and regulations stated by the law. It is extremely important for the firm to see to it that all the compliances are maintained well and they are required to abide by them.

Hence, human resource plays a major role in maintaining the employee relations with the coffee giant Starbucks. Successful employee relations will thereby give rise to successful customer relations.

Conclusion

Therefore, from the given analysis, the importance of human resource department in an organization can be identified. Job roles essentially outline the primary requirement for a particular role and they need to be strictly followed in order to ensure that the customers are served well and the employees are able to carry out their jobs successful. The report outlined the job description of a barista and states down the various skills and attributes that he needs to possess for long term benefit of Starbucks. It also stated the contribution of the presence of these skills n the long term welfare of the coffee giant. Hence, human resource aspect is one of the primary aspects of the organization which should not be misunderstood.

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