Barista
Job description
Original text imported from Reed
Overview
BaristaAt Costa Coffee by Sim Trava, we want to inspire the world to love great coffee, just as much as our partner, Costa Coffee.Sim Trava is a family run business on the hunt for hardworking, ambitious, happy, and loyal people to join our team, if that sounds like you, youre probably just what were looking for.We want to recruit people that are proud to work for us, because a happy team equals happy customers. We know that our people are the most important part of our business, so we strive to create a working environment.A bit about the roleDay to day, youll be making coffee, at speed, while chatting to our customers. This role isnt for the faint hearted as its fast paced from open until close. But dont let that put you off as we will give you a complete and robust training & development plan, so you have all the skills needed to deliver the perfect cup of coffee, every time.
What's involved?
- Crafting great coffee while taking time to get to know our customers by name.
- Serving customers with a smile so they walk away happy and excited about their next visit.
- Soaking up all there is to know about Costa products we do more than coffee.
- Working with your team to maintain health & safety and cleanliness across the store.
- Most importantly, can you engage with the rest of the team and customers to have fun and build the stores reputation as the only place to go.
A bit about you
A passion for coffee and people is just the start of what were looking for. So, what else makes a great Barista?
- A positive outlook, can-do attitude, and bags of personality
- A passion for delivering excellence in everything you do, even whilst working under pressure.
- The communication skills to strike up a good conversation with our customers daily.
- A hard-working attitude and multi-tasking skills.
What we can offer
10 hour contract ere really proud of the work our team members deliver, and we want you to feel valued and rewarded with great perks and benefits:
- Starting pay of £12.71 per hour rising to £13.43 after training.
- STAR rewards, exchange your points on our online shopping platform.
- More Star points awarded on your birthday, work milestone, promotion or just because you went above and beyond.
- Free handmade drinks plus 50% discount on food and bottled drinks while at work.
- Sim Trava Pension Scheme.
- Wellbeing support with Employee Assistance Program.
- Commitment to you and your Individual training, a plan tailored to your requirements.
- Encouragement to develop into different roles within Sim Trava.
A bit about us
Sim Trava was formed in 2005 by Simon and Tracy Vardy from the basement of their Altrincham home, and their first store opened that same year on October 17th in Northwich, Cheshire. The original plan was to open 5 stores in 5 years, however that milestone was achieved much sooner and by 2010 we had 10 Costa Coffee stores in and around the Cheshire/Manchester area.
Fast forward to 2021 when we celebrated our 40th new store opening in Fallowfield, Manchester. Following this Sim Trava was honoured to be selected to be the first franchise to purchase existing stores from equity. We acquired 17 stores, located across the Preston, Blackpool, and Southport region. In 2025 Sim Trava expanded again with the purchase of 21 existing stores from a franchise partner bringing our store count to 80, and we have no plans to slow down.
For any reasonable adjustments and general queries please
*This role is for a store owned by one of our franchise partners, their hiring process, salary and benefits may vary from those within a wholly owned Costa store advert.
Key skills
AI-extracted from the job advert
Application advice
5 AI-generated recommendations to maximise your chances.
⭐ Open your CV with a Personal Statement that explicitly mentions coffee preparation and customer engagement, as the advert lists both as core daily duties.
📊 Quantify your hospitality experience: "Served 80+ customers per shift in a high-volume café, maintaining 95% positive feedback scores."
🎯 Highlight any food hygiene or health and safety awareness (e.g. Level 2 Food Hygiene certificate) as the advert specifically calls out cleanliness and H&S responsibilities.
🤝 Include a bullet demonstrating you can build rapport with regulars — the advert stresses "getting to know customers by name" as a key expectation.
📋 Mention any prior barista, café, or fast-food experience with shift pace context (e.g. "Worked open-to-close shifts in a 60-cover café") to show you can handle the "fast-paced from open until close" environment described.
Suggested CV bullets
3 bullets our AI drafted for this specific advert, mirroring its ATS keywords.
Add these 3 bullets under your most recent experience:
- •Prepared and served 70+ hot and cold beverages per shift in a high-volume café, consistently meeting quality standards during peak trading hours.
- •Maintained food hygiene and cleanliness across all service areas throughout open-to-close shifts, contributing to a 5-star food hygiene rating at last inspection.
- •Built rapport with 20+ regular customers by learning their preferences, increasing repeat visit frequency and supporting a 12% uplift in monthly loyalty card sign-ups.
Free to copy — tailoring requires a 30-sec CV upload.
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Letter preview — tailored to Costa Coffee
Dear Hiring Manager,
Costa Coffee by Sim Trava's reputation for quality coffee and genuine customer relationships is exactly the environment I want to build my hospitality career in. I am applying for the Barista role at your County Durham store, and I am confident my customer service skills and passion for coffee preparation make me a strong fit for your team.
My background in fast-paced customer-facing roles has equipped me with the ability to manage multiple tasks simultaneously while maintaining a friendly, engaging manner. I have experience upholding food hygiene and health and safety standards during high-volume shifts, and I take pride in ensuring every customer leaves with a positive impression — whether that means remembering a regular's order or resolving a concern with a smile.
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Interview questions
10 questions generated from this advert.
Technical
- ›How would you describe the steps to pull a consistent espresso shot?
- ›What checks would you carry out at the start of a shift to ensure the coffee equipment is ready for service?
- ›How do you ensure food hygiene and cleanliness standards are maintained during a busy period?
- ›A customer orders a drink you are unfamiliar with — what do you do?
- ›How would you manage stock rotation and flag low supplies during a shift?
Behavioural
- ›Tell me about a time you had to work quickly under pressure without compromising quality.
- ›Describe a situation where you turned a dissatisfied customer into a happy one.
- ›Give an example of when you had to juggle multiple tasks at the same time — how did you prioritise?
- ›Tell me about a time you went above and beyond for a customer or colleague.
- ›Describe a moment when you had to adapt quickly to a change in your working environment.
STAR answer examples
Model answers using the Situation-Task-Action-Result framework. Adapt to your own experience.
Tell me about a time you had to work quickly under pressure without compromising quality.
Describe a situation where you turned a dissatisfied customer into a happy one.