Siren's Call

It was August 1999.

I was unemployed after having resigned from a direct selling job which i did for 3 months (which was pretty life-changing, but more on that later..) and was then looking for a job.

And Z, a very good friend of mine, handed me a newspaper job advertisement and said "Here, i got this from C Ja. She wanted me to pass it to you, she said you might be interested". When i looked at the job ad, i saw this sexy woman-like logo with a sign that said "Starbucks Coffee" and "Now Brewing" and i went "Oh, F&B.....interesting". I have not heard of Starbucks before that day.

Having been a demi-chef for a year and a Dept. Head in retail for 2 years, i wanted to look for a managerial position in this Starbucks Coffee Company. So i started reading and spotted the following positions: Store Manager, Assistant Manager, Shift Supervisors and Baristas. As i compared my working experience to those required in the ad for each position, i found that i kinda fit into the AM position and that sounded pretty good to me. Cos you know, it has the word manager in it. That must mean the salary's not bad. Hehehe....

The job ad said that Starbucks was holding an open house at their office located on the first floor of Plaza Berjaya, Jalan Imbi. So i went. The receptionist handed me an application form to fill up. There were only a few people there at that time so i was able to keep my nervousness in check. Until i spotted M Over, who is my college mate, who was also there to apply for a job. I thought "Damn! Competition!" So then i got very nervous. I kept hoping that there were looking for more than 1 person for the AM position.

I've only been waiting a while when they called me in for the interview. It was on one of the upper floors. My first interviewer was Jenny and she was friendly. I can't recall what answers i gave Jenny during that interview, but this is what she said at the end of it "We are conducting second interviews for candidates who are succesful in their first interview today. So, i would like you to follow me back to the first floor for your next interview". I thanked her and i smiled. I was happy that i have gotten passed the first stage of interview but i was still nervous. You see, all my previous positions had only one interview level, so it was something new to me.

Back on the first floor, Jenny led me into the far end of the office space where someone was already waiting for me. My second interviewer was SW. He was also friendly. It was quite interesting that the interview had sections where there were non-job related questions involved. SW said he noticed that in my application, i stated that i like bowling. He said that he likes bowling too and he asked what my average scores were. I think i mentioned somewhere in the region of 160 (which was only achievable on my best days.hehehe).I think that small talk about bowling kinda break the ice a bit.

After several exchange of questions and answers, SW mentioned that the next step for a successful candidate was attending the On Job Experience (OJE) at a Starbucks outlet. I was waiting for him to say "You're invited to attend the OJE", but instead, he said this - "How do you feel about the position of a Shift Supervisor?" and it was like hitting the wall. This was what i was saying inside "NOOOOO!!!!! i want the AM job! not the supervisor!!! oh no! why is he offering me this supervisor position?? what am i gonna do??" and then i had an idea (and thank god for that!). I said "Well, i would really appreciate it if the company could give me the opportunity to attend the OJE, so i could show my ability. If, after the OJE, the company feels that i'm more suitable for the position of Shift Supervisor, i'll understand. But I hope i can get the opportunity to do the OJE first. The reply given to me was "OK" and i could not tell whether it was a good OK or a bad OK. At the end of it, i was told that if i were successful at the second interview, someone would get in touch. And so i waited.

After a few days, Jenny called and told me that i have been shortlisted for the OJE. I am to report to the SM of Starbucks KL Plaza on the coming Saturday at 10am. I was so happy!

Came Saturday, there i was, all eager and anxious! One of the first thing the SM did was to offer my a drink. I looked up at the menu, browsed it a bit, and decided that i was gonna have the one called Espresso. Why? cos it sounded cool! hahahahahah!! Can said to me (and i found out later that this was intended as a soft caution!) "Oh, you need a wake up call?" I replied "hmm...not really" So they made me my tiny little cup of Espresso. When they put it on the table i thought "wow, look at that small little cup - this looks interesting!" and so as i was listening to Can, i took a sip and suddenly realised what a WAKE UP CALL was!!!! I couldn't even swallow the first sip!!! Embarassed as i was, i tried to keep cool (though i was pretty sure someone somewhere in that store was gigling!) So i did what a rational person would do.......add more sugar! surely, that's all it needed, more sugar. Wrong! hahahaha!!! so i left it as it is cos "i was already full". more like full of it. hahahahahaha!!!!!!

After the brief welcome note, me and the other 2 OJE candidates were brought around the store where we were introduced to the staffs working that day. This was when i first met 2t (whom i fondly refer to as Mother Nature these days...heheheh).

Throughout that OJE, I focused on the thought of showing my capability so i could get the AM position and not offered the Shift Supervisor position. I remember gathering enough courage to ask one of the barista if i could help with packing the beans into the orange and brown colored bag, which i then learned was called the tin-tie bag. I felt good about volunteering, cos it shows that you're a pro-active person and not the shy type. I mean, Can mentioned earlier that i should feel free to get involved in the operations and to help wherever i can, so i know that i better make sure i do just that. And i remember making rounds around the seating area inside and outside constantly so i could help to clear tables. I was sweating like crazy!!!! but then that's just me. I sweat all the time. I do. Seriously, i do. Ask anyone.

By noon, the store started to get packed and customers started to form a queue to make their orders. It was really busy! And i sweat even more! Haha!

I felt pretty good at the end of the OJE. I felt that i have shown Starbucks my best capability and that the only thing to do now is just wait. and pray that i get the job.

The call came in a few days after the OJE and Jenny delivered more good news when she told me that i was shortlisted for a final interview with SW at the office. That call certainly made my day!

Though i was still nervous, i was feeling better during the final interview, perhaps it's because it was more like a discussion and a sharing session for me. Although SW mentioned that he has gotten good comments from the staffs regarding my OJE, he did not mentioned anything about the the AM or the SS position. So there was still a big question whether i've done enough for Starbucks to hire me. I was told the same thing at the end of the interview. "If you're successful, someone will get in touch with you". And so i waited to hear from Jenny again.

Jenny called a few days later. She said that she had a really good news for me - I was successful in my application and Starbucks would like to offer me a job. I asked "May i know for what position?" She replied "Assistant Manager". Woohoooo!!!!! She said AM!!! not SS!!!!!I almost jumped off the balcony!

I was told to start work on September 1st 1999 which will be my first day of training.

Little did i know that it was just the beginning of an extremely satisfying part of my life!