8.15.2006

you're not hired

a company like bux that grows at an insanely fast pace (it's been said a new bux opens somewhere in the world everyday) needs to hire a lot of partners. in food service there will always be turnover, and bux is no exception.

so what is a huge corporation supposed to do when they need workers?
well, they invent a stupid name to elicit interest in working for bux.

that's right. at bux we don't have 'open interviews'. we have 'hiring fairs'!
i wonder what marketing genius came up with that term. was s/he sitting down to a steaming cup of coffee and thought, "gee, we need loads and loads of employees. how can we ensure the maximum amount of applicants will show up? i know - we'll call it a 'hiring fair'. that way they'll be excited about getting a job AND they'll think working for starbucks is like being at a fair! oh, what fun!"

well, it is like a fair - just not with the rides and the snow cones. it's more like the judging of a prized sow. you know, you parade past the managers and they write down their individual assesments before huddling together and picking the winners. and then those that ribbon are taken away and slaughtered for barbecue.
ok, it's not quite that bad.

but it is true that one will have a much higher chance of becoming a bux partner if they attended a hiring fair instead of just randomly turning in their application to the bux of their choice. the cool thing is you have the chance to talk with more than just one manager and if you've said all the right things and your availability is good, then most likely you will get the coveted phone call informing you that you've been hired.
the bad thing is you don't necessarily have a choice as to what store you go to. say you want work at the bux near the local library (the same bux that advertised the hiring fair). you interview well, you dazzle the managers and you even get a phone call the next day. unfortunately for you - it's to work at the bux three blocks away. you know, the one that stays open late and is next to all the restaurants and movie theatres.

can you say "i'd really rather work at that other bux" when they call you?
of course you can. but they're more likely to appoint you CEO than let you change bux after the busy store has already claimed you.
sad, but true.

does the hiring fair work? well, if by "work" you mean getting bodies into green aprons, then yes. but if you've read any of my past rants about "newbies" then you can pretty much guess what my thoughts are about this process (or the results thereof).

barista rant: so you were polite and hung up the phone when you placed your order. that was decent of you. but as soon as you'd paid, you got right back on the phone and started chatting away. who am i to complain? well, i'm the person that had to remake two drinks! because you were so consumed in your conversation about your gyno visit, you grabbed the wrong drink - twice! it didn't matter that they were hot drinks and you'd ordered an iced one. no - you just sipped it a couple times and then realized 'hey, this isn't what i ordered!'. it might have been excusable if it happened once, but no...you did it yet another time. here's a suggestion. why don't you wait to talk on the phone until you're done with the bux experience. or better yet, why don't you just stick with landlines. i'm sure you're driving sucks as well.

7 comments:

Moxie said...

On my more stressful days at the office, I consider going to work at Bux...but that whole bit about having to clean the bathroom just does me in. Plus I don't want to be the partner that everyone knows will do anything in her power to avoid doing bathroom cleanup. That would earn me many a rant, I'm sure.

pilgrimchick said...

Oh, yes, I remember those customers. I was working in a Border's cafe once with this guy, Mike. We really got along well because we were both very efficient workers. One day, a woman got a drink and then set herself up at a table with all of her business-employee accessories and started talking on her cell phone. We heard the whole thing, and it got so annoying as she gradually raised the decible level of her voice in conversation that when she exclaimed "So, who's going to be the manager?" really loudly, we both replied, "We don't care who the manager is." I think she got the point.

Sling said...

With few exceptions,I think people who "need" to have phone conversations in public are just being pretentious.
That they suck at driving is a given.

Cup said...

Ugh. Hate those people. They ruin my bux moment nearly every day.

Will said...

"and then those that ribbon are taken away and slaughtered for barbecue."

Great quote LOL. Makes the place seem so tempting.

Natalie said...

I think one problem is that more and more young people are just like the newbies you describe- clueless. Well, maybe it's not just the young people. Maybe it's just humanity in general.

barista brat said...

girl with moxie - haha! yeah, you'd get a rant for sure on the no bathroom thing.

slskenyon - sad that we have to use guerilla tactics, huh?

sling - i wouldn't mind the cell phones so much if they were able to still function properly while they chat away.

beth - you must tell me georgia bux stories! i'll showcase one of your customer rants!

ben - i didn't tell you what happens to those that don't get chosen!

natalie - i'm thinking you're right. i don't remember there being as many stupid newbies when i first started. i certainly wasn't one of them!