My First Job By: Lauren Matus

My 1st Day

For the past couple of months, I have been contemplating applying for a job. Will I have the time? Will any of the places even respond back to my applications? These were the questions racing through my head as I thought about having a job. After many long talks with my family and friends, I finally decided that this would be a good experience. I created my own resume and started applying to various places like Panera, Sparta Theater, and Starbucks. I was full of excitement, but also nervous that I wouldn't hear anything back. A week passed and nothing. Two weeks passed and nothing. Three weeks passed, and I still heard nothing. Doubt started to fill my head, but I kept checking my email every day to see if there would ever be a change. A month passed and that's when I got a call. It was the manager from Starbucks and I was ecstatic. This was what I had been waiting for. She asked if I was still interested in the position (which of course I was), and then she started asking me a series of questions from "Why do you want to work at Starbucks?",  "What kind of extracurricular activities do you take part in?", and "What days would you be able to work?". A week later I had an interview with the manager from one of the other Starbucks stores. I prepared for the interview like crazy. I looked up potential interview questions and wrote down how I would answer them, I memorized their mission statement, and even made a quizlet with their 100+ drinks from the menu on it! I also made a color-coded schedule of the days and times I'd be able to work for.
It came time for the interview and I wanted to dress to impress so I wore my blazer with my dressy pants, flats, and my hair pulled back. The whole car ride there I had my study guide in front of me and I had my mom ask me questions and I would answer them as if I was actually having the interview then and there. As soon as I got there my mom wished me good luck and I slowly walked in, my hands trembling. I walked up to one of the employees (at Starbucks they call them "partners"). The partner offered me a drink and I got my favorite, caramel frappuccino with extra caramel (of course). I waited until the manager was finished with the previous interview and by the time he came up to me, my frappuccino was gone. Long story short, the interview went so well! I was expecting for me to studder or have trouble answering some of the questions, but it was exactly like I practiced it. I walked out of the store jumping with joy (literally). When I got to the car with my mom, I couldn't believe what just happened. Everything was happening so fast, but I couldn't be happier.
As of May 10th, 2019 I started my first day at Starbucks. My first day consisted of the manager and I sitting down and going through all the essential information from tax forms to learning about Starbucks values. From there, the next two days, were hours and hours of computer training. It had simulations of what it's like making drinks, lots of videos, and practice games. Once this training was finished, I started to actually work "on the field" where over the course of several days, up until now,  I learned and am still learning how to make some of the drinks, how to work the register and drive-through, along with tasks that need to be done constantly such as brewing a new batch of coffee every 8 minutes and how to clean the cafe after the store is closed. The other partners have made this whole experience of me transitioning into a new environment so much easier! They are always willing to help me whether it's typing in an order for a customer or teaching me something I haven't learned yet. This whole process is a continuing journey as I am still learning and getting accustomed to everything. I've been here for exactly three weeks, as of today, and I can't wait to see what the future holds.