From the mailbag: How does a barista move up to corporate in Seattle?

Mary C. writes to STARBUCKS GOSSIP: I have been with the retail side for a year and am trying to get a corporate job in Seattle. I have 8 years in software project management and 6 years as an EMT-I. I am currently a shift supervisor. I can not get any traction at corporate. I got a recruiter on the phone and she did all she could to get rid of me. I would love to hear others' success or not with this.

Comments

[exSFBarista]

Corporate does not seem interested in hiring baristas.

I applied for a Corporate summer internship when I was a barista. The one I applied for was a perfect fit for my background (I'm getting am MBA and have worked for several years in office jobs), and I said right up front that I was a working barista in my cover letter. I didn't even get the courtesy of a 'thanks but no thanks' e-mail in response.

It was not exactly motivating, that's for sure.

All you have to do is access the Job Postings on the portal. It lists all the available jobs, in Seattle and other areas. If your previous qualifications apply to any of the open positions, then you are always able to submit an application. Being a barista doesn't necessarily mean you're going to get preferential treatment, especially if your background does not fit with the positions you're interested in. Check out the job listings and you may find something that fits for you. Keep in mind that Starbucks gets a zillion applicants a year, and they have the cream of the crop to choose from.

[corianderstem]

I think Jim Donald mentioned at an Open Forum earlier this year (or last year, I can't remember) that he knows a lot of people are very dissatisfied with the hiring process, and they're working on it. For what it's worth.

On the other hand, there are maybe 3,500-4,000 partners at the support center in Seattle. Not sure how many work at regional offices. There are, what - 120,000 US partners right now? There are simply not enough jobs to hire every retail partner that wants to move into corporate.

[LTAA]

I've worked at the Starbucks Support Centre for the UK and Ireland, after working as a S/S in North America and the UK. It was relatvely an easy process to work at the Support Centre, which number 250 (in London). Transferring back to Canada was a difficult process, and I am stuck being back to in store, since there are no suitable positions for me. The only place I would've been acceptable was in Seattle, a move I was unwilling to make.

[franky]

i've seen MANY baristas get into the offices, however most of them have to work their way up...

even if they're over qualified for a specific position, they'll take it knowing that it can lead to others...similar to how it works in the stores.

my best advice would be to go in person and make an appt with the recruiter. also get in with the office people, offer to do seminars for the office, or participate in external events that get you noticed...

[johnmoore (from Brand Autopsy)]

psst ... forget the recruiters, talk to Starbucks middle-management partners.

If you are a Barista in Seattle, get to know directors, managers, and specialists that work in the SSC. Schedule informational interviews with them. Volunteer yourself as someone to bounce ideas off of. (Folks in the SSC responsible for designing and implementing programs that impact the stores are always looking to bounce ideas off store-level Baristas that their programs impact.) And by all means, stay in touch with them following your informational gab session with timely phone calls and timely emails.

If you are a Barista in the field, get to know the regional operations and marketing folks. Schedule informational interviews with them. Volunteer yourself and your time to be a part of programs that impact customers as well as intra-regional operational activities that impact store partners. And yep, stay in touch with these partners following your informational gab session and volunteer sessions via timely phone calls and timely emails.

Trust me … it ain’t easy to go from being a Starbucks barista to working in the corporate/regional office. It does happen, but YOU have to be aggressive and persistent.

John Moore
Starbucks store partner @ #677 (1994, 1995)
Starbucks “corporate” marketer (1995-2003)

I told my DM I was interested in a position at corporate (specifically co-ordinating new product roll outs and other operational changes). He was cool about it and explained to me what would make me successful in that transition. He thinks it would add to my legitimacy to be an SM and run a store for a while, so I'm getting in to RMT (ASM, just passed the interviews).

[HopkinsBella]

Mary, you seem to have settled on a path within a specific business. While it appears that you have had at least some consistent experience in the tech sector, what may be throwing corporate recruiting at the moment is the fact that you appear to have semi-solid backgrounds in at least two or three different sectors. On one hand, that can show a source of strength as far as adaptability and capability to learn in different settings, HRs get spooked when they see this. If you have target positions in mind, it may not hurt to have career advisors look at your resume. Building on a tangent from John Moore's strategy above, start getting to know the middle-management above and around you. Find people you trust on that level, and also have them look at your resume and give feedback on your strategy. With a few re-writes, and with further "networking with a purpose" (not to be confused with "networking for networking's sake," which happens all too often), you might get solid, helpful feedback and a corporate job within the next year or so.

Oh, be genuine with what you're after. Don't lapse into a smarmy, cheeseball, "I'll give my firstborn to work here" type scenario. Exhibit a healthy, proactive desire to work for the business. Good luck!

[justadame]

Ha. Good luck. My situation was similar to yours, Mary: 10 years of computer experience, got stung by the dot-bust, worked as a barista for 2+ years. I applied for several positions at HQ and never got any traction. I eventually got into the call center at the SSC as a holiday temp, and was hired on full-time after about 4 months. I worked there for 2 years (including time as a temp) and tried very hard to get a position which would use my considerable technical skillset. Still no luck, and from the call center there is no upward career path. You either move into a different department, or you get out.

I got out. I am now working at a software company down the street. I started a month ago. They are a much smaller company, and my manager really appreciates my diverse skillset. (The recruiters at HQ never seemed to understand what to do with me, or what I could offer to the company.) I can also see a clear upward career path in my new job, unlike at the SSC.

Sorry if this bursts your bubble, but I would not encourage you to continue to pursue work at HQ. Upward mobility from the stores to HQ pretty much does not exist unless you are a manager, and even then you'll get stuck in a low-level job to "pay your dues" before you get moved up.

[Boston Starbucks Rebel]

I agree. Many partners who do work at the SSC have been with Starbucks for other 10+ years and they were store managers for some time too. A job at the SSC is after giving many years in the company. I recommend entering RMT and working up through ASM and SM. I hope this helps. I hope to work for Global Strategy or the Coffee Department today.

mypartnercareer.com
also talk to your district partner planning lead

[Meeeeeeeeee]

I don't know about Seattle but in Australia I know two baristas that were working during university study and got a job in the support centre when they finished their degree.

I've heard of US partners that took 5 to 10 years to make it to SSC, obviously though with 10,000 global partners and only a couple of thousand in the SSC not everyone can go...

[A]

Honestly, you would be better off changing your name and social security number and applying for corporate job as a person that has never worked at Starbucks. No matter how great a barista you are, to corportate, a store-level partner is all you will ever be.

I was a highly-overqualified SS and finally got smart enough to leave Starbucks and now work for a different coffee company. Now I've got a great corporate position and am making three times what I was making before - and there are opportunities for me to move up even higher.

Be smart and leave Starbucks - don't believe the lies they tell you about how they want to promote from within. They're giving your false hopes to appease you and keep you from quitting.

[justcus]

I work at starubucks corporate
I work in the IT dept- there are alot of store partners in our group. I did not come out of a store. And the vibe i get is that we always take a an equally skilled partner over a non partner any day. I felt very lucky getting in from the outside. At the partner orientation- alot of the people who were giving presentations and had good positions in the company enjoyed telling thier sbux history and how they started in the stores as barista's. If you are dynamic and skilled you can get into corporate and you will be loved for having store experience. There is surely the feeling atleast in my group that the store partners are our business and what make us successful. :) You provide the starbucks experience.

[Jeff]

I am definitely not a prime HQ candidate, being over 50, in Missouri as a shift, but I pursued a job in Seattle and had a great experience. It was an excellent position (high 5 - 6 figures). My interview was scheduled but I had to cancel for personal reasons.

Opportunities are there, but just being a current employee does not guarantee an inside track - you first must have the skills and experience needed along with fortunate timing.

Good luck!

What is Starbuck's position on supporting the Troops? I keep getting negative e-mail

use goggle.
or your head.

[chief hancho]

i did and it landed me hear.

i work in a high high volume store and have seen quite a few baristas go to corporate. they have all been noticeably good at what they do when in the store.

[tfalleur]

Hey
I was a part-time barista 2 years ago, had a baby and then went back to working full-time and taking care of my wife and kid. Now I'm looking to come back to Starbucks as a full-time gig, future career. There's a manager opening in tampa, fl, but I can't remember the DM's last name for that region, her first name was Amy. All of the managers I knew aren't with Sbux anymore? Help.