Barnes & Noble Barista Interview Questions & Reviews

Interview Details – Interviewed first with the Cafe Manager and later the same day with the Store Manager. Both of them were pretty relaxed and casual (I got the feeling they were in need of someone in a hurry). They asked me pretty basic questions--example of superior customer service, working well with coworkers. They asked if I had any experience as a barista and availability.

Negotiation Details – Haha, no real negotiation. If you have experience, you might be able to add $.50 or so to your hourly wage.

Interview Details – My local B&N had "open interviews" once per week. I completed the brief, one page application and brought it with me to the weekly interviews. I sat down with a store manager and chatted for about twenty minutes. I then received a call back two days later, at which time I met with a store manager (a different one this time) and had a roughly thirty minute interview. They asked me the basic questions about previous employers, strengths, weaknesses, etc... After that interview, I went through a third round with yet another store manager. Similar questions, though this time the focus was more on how I work with other people and my customer service skills. They offered me a job at the conclusion of that interview. A lengthy process, but well worth it--it was a great position that I held for almost five years.

Interview Details – Filled out an application at the customer service desk and briefly spoke with the store manager; was hired for a cafe position on the spot. Was only asked about education and availability in terms of hours and days per week I could work (applied for a summer job). Did not negotiate pay; when asked about what would be acceptable, I said anything - and was offered just above minimum wage in my state.

Interview Details – The interview was decent. They should come up with different questions other than the generic "have you ever encountered a situation where...", those are such bore and don't really give insight as to what kind of person is being hired. The managers who do the interviews aren't exactly considerate of the questions potential employees have. Simply dismissing concerns will cause what happened to me, quitting after 2 weeks of working. If someone asks twice why they weren't given the position they put down on their application it's a big red hint, take it. Don't lie and say you need to hire Batista because you're short on staff and then have the new employee find out during orientation that someone else got hired as bookseller. There's no use in fooling anyone, the truth gets around eventually.

Negotiation Details – Not able to negotiate, I even told the managers who did the interviews that I wouldn't be a good fit for the cafe and they simply dismissed that. I think I'd know my own limits and capabilities and if I'm letting you know then you probably should take my heed. I advise anyone interested in applying their to be firm with the position you want. If you want to be a bookseller tell them that you do, they'll say that you can do a transfer from cafe to bookfloor in a few months, that's a lie. There are people who have worked in the cafe for over a year and still haven't gotten a transfer. Also keep in mind that working in the cafe you only get minimum wage, which, in all honesty is not nearly enough to make up for all the work that is needed to be done in the cafe.

Interview Details – Interviewers were led to the cafe and told to wait for management to arrive. There I met with the two other potential people and got to know them. The store manager as well as cafe supervisor sat in on the interview, where we were asked why we wanted this position, prior experience, and whether or not we are capable of long hours on our feet.

Interview Details – I applied to Barnes and Noble because I love books, but they only had a barista position open (which is fine because I love coffee too). I went to the customer service desk where I asked to fill out an application, and I actually got to meet a manager. We scheduled a interview time for the next week. I her inside the coffee shop in the Barnes and Noble for the interview. I was asked a couple questions, like how I deal with stressful situations, how I would deal with a coworker that was rude to me, and how I deal with customers with high expectations. The lady that interviewed me was really sweet, she just wanted to make sure I would be comfortable in a position where I would have to deal with the occasional rude customer. I was asked to describe some of my best traits. And also why I wanted to work at Barnes and Noble. There were a lot of open ended questions, so you really could tell the interviewer as much as you wanted to about yourself. They were interviewing a million different people at the time, so I didn't feel too bad they didn't call me back (the manager even said not to take it personally if I didn't get a call back because there were so many people interviewing for the same position). It seems like it would be a great place to work.

Interview Details – I submitted a standard form and was called a couple of days later. Went in for the interview, a nice sit down chat with the gm and she asked me all sorts of standard questions. Had a little bit of a conversation. Pleasant, friendly.