Baristas

Overview

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Job Zone One: Little or No Preparation Needed
Experience

Little or no previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, a person can become a waiter or waitress even if he/she has never worked before.

Education

Some of these occupations may require a high school diploma or GED certificate.

Job Training

Employees in these occupations need anywhere from a few days to a few months of training. Usually, an experienced worker could show you how to do the job.

Examples

These occupations involve following instructions and helping others. Examples include agricultural equipment operators, dishwashers, floor sanders and finishers, landscaping and groundskeeping workers, logging equipment operators, baristas, and maids and housekeeping cleaners.

Prepare or serve specialty coffee or other beverages. Serve food such as baked goods or sandwiches to patrons.

Yearly Salary

High: $31K
Median: $23K
Low: $17K

Demand

Career Demand by State Career Demand by State Legend

Core Tasks

  • Receive and process customer payments.
  • Prepare or serve hot or cold beverages, such as coffee, espresso drinks, blended coffees, or teas.
  • Clean or sanitize work areas, utensils, or equipment.
  • Take customer orders and convey them to other employees for preparation.
  • Describe menu items to customers, or suggest products that might appeal to them.
  • Clean service or seating areas.
  • Serve prepared foods, such as muffins, biscotti, or bagels.
  • Prepare or serve menu items, such as sandwiches or salads.
  • Set up or restock product displays.
  • Stock customer service stations with paper products or beverage preparation items.
  • Weigh, grind, or pack coffee beans for customers.
  • Wrap, label, or date food items for sale.
  • Provide customers with product details, such as coffee blend or preparation descriptions.
  • Take out garbage.
  • Order, receive, or stock supplies or retail products.
  • Check temperatures of freezers, refrigerators, or heating equipment to ensure proper functioning.
  • Slice fruits, vegetables, desserts, or meats for use in food service.
  • Demonstrate the use of retail equipment, such as espresso machines.
  • Create signs to advertise store products or events.

Technology Skills

Technology
Example
Hot Technology
Accounting software
Accounting software
Office suite software
Microsoft Office software
Point of sale POS software
Point of sale POS software
Spreadsheet software
Microsoft Excel
Word processing software
Microsoft Word

Tools Used

Tool
Example
Communications Devices and Accessories
Multi-line telephone systems
Computer Equipment and Accessories
Touch screen registers
Hand tools
Box cutters
Institutional food services equipment
Chefs' knives
Office machines and their supplies and accessories
Cash registers

Top 10 Knowledge Required

Customer and Personal Service
85%
Importance

Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.

English Language
66%
Importance

Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, and rules of composition and grammar.

Sales and Marketing
61%
Importance

Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.

Food Production
56%
Importance

Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.

Administration and Management
51%
Importance

Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.

Mathematics
51%
Importance

Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.

Computers and Electronics
49%
Importance

Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

Personnel and Human Resources
46%
Importance

Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.

Communications and Media
45%
Importance

Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.

Public Safety and Security
43%
Importance

Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.

Top 10 Skills

Active Listening
70%
Importance

Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.

Service Orientation
68%
Importance

Actively looking for ways to help people.

Speaking
68%
Importance

Talking to others to convey information effectively.

Social Perceptiveness
63%
Importance

Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.

Coordination
60%
Importance

Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.

Monitoring
60%
Importance

Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.

Reading Comprehension
60%
Importance

Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.

Critical Thinking
58%
Importance

Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.

Operation and Control
55%
Importance

Controlling operations of equipment or systems.

Persuasion
55%
Importance

Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.

Top 10 Abilities

Oral Comprehension
75%
Importance

The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.

Oral Expression
73%
Importance

The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.

Speech Clarity
70%
Importance

The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.

Speech Recognition
68%
Importance

The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.

Near Vision
65%
Importance

The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).

Arm-Hand Steadiness
63%
Importance

The ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position.

Finger Dexterity
63%
Importance

The ability to make precisely coordinated movements of the fingers of one or both hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble very small objects.

Information Ordering
63%
Importance

The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).

Problem Sensitivity
63%
Importance

The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.

Time Sharing
63%
Importance

The ability to shift back and forth between two or more activities or sources of information (such as speech, sounds, touch, or other sources).

Top 10 Work Activities

Performing for or Working Directly with the Public
88%
Importance

Performing for people or dealing directly with the public. This includes serving customers in restaurants and stores, and receiving clients or guests.

Controlling Machines and Processes
84%
Importance

Using either control mechanisms or direct physical activity to operate machines or processes (not including computers or vehicles).

Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships
81%
Importance

Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.

Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
79%
Importance

Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.

Handling and Moving Objects
75%
Importance

Using hands and arms in handling, installing, positioning, and moving materials, and manipulating things.

Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events
72%
Importance

Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.

Performing General Physical Activities
70%
Importance

Performing general physical activities includes doing activities that require considerable use of your arms and legs and moving your whole body, such as climbing, lifting, balancing, walking, stooping, and handling materials.

Training and Teaching Others
69%
Importance

Identifying the educational needs of others, developing formal educational or training programs or classes, and teaching or instructing others.

Getting Information
68%
Importance

Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.

Judging the Qualities of Objects, Services, or People
68%
Importance

Assessing the value, importance, or quality of things or people.

Detailed Work Activities

  • Process customer bills or payments.
  • Serve food or beverages.
  • Prepare hot or cold beverages.
  • Communicate dining or order details to kitchen personnel.
  • Take customer orders.
  • Clean food service areas.
  • Clean tableware.
  • Present food or beverage information or menus to customers.
  • Cook foods.
  • Set up merchandise displays.
  • Measure ingredients.
  • Package food or supplies.
  • Stock serving stations or dining areas with food or supplies.
  • Remove trash.
  • Store supplies or goods in kitchens or storage areas.
  • Order materials, supplies, or equipment.
  • Cut cooked or raw foods.
  • Assess equipment functioning.
  • Train food preparation or food service personnel.
  • Write advertising or promotional material.

Education

Interests

Realistic
73%
Importance

Work involves designing, building, or repairing of equipment, materials, or structures, engaging in physical activity, or working outdoors. Realistic occupations are often associated with engineering, mechanics and electronics, construction, woodworking, transportation, machine operation, agriculture, animal services, physical or manual labor, athletics, or protective services.

Conventional
62%
Importance

Work involves following procedures and regulations to organize information or data, typically in a business setting. Conventional occupations are often associated with office work, accounting, mathematics/statistics, information technology, finance, or human resources.

Social
54%
Importance

Work involves helping, teaching, advising, assisting, or providing service to others. Social occupations are often associated with social, health care, personal service, teaching/education, or religious activities.

Enterprising
50%
Importance

Work involves managing, negotiating, marketing, or selling, typically in a business setting, or leading or advising people in political and legal situations. Enterprising occupations are often associated with business initiatives, sales, marketing/advertising, finance, management/administration, professional advising, public speaking, politics, or law.

Artistic
38%
Importance

Work involves creating original visual artwork, performances, written works, food, or music for a variety of media, or applying artistic principles to the design of various objects and materials. Artistic occupations are often associated with visual arts, applied arts and design, performing arts, music, creative writing, media, or culinary art.

Investigative
15%
Importance

Work involves studying and researching non-living objects, living organisms, disease or other forms of impairment, or human behavior. Investigative occupations are often associated with physical, life, medical, or social sciences, and can be found in the fields of humanities, mathematics/statistics, information technology, or health care service.

Work Values

Relationships
62%
Importance

Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to provide service to others and work with co-workers in a friendly non-competitive environment. Corresponding needs are Co-workers, Moral Values and Social Service.

Support
53%
Importance

Occupations that satisfy this work value offer supportive management that stands behind employees. Corresponding needs are Company Policies, Supervision: Human Relations and Supervision: Technical.

Independence
39%
Importance

Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to work on their own and make decisions. Corresponding needs are Creativity, Responsibility and Autonomy.

Working Conditions
36%
Importance

Occupations that satisfy this work value offer job security and good working conditions. Corresponding needs are Activity, Compensation, Independence, Security, Variety and Working Conditions.

Achievement
29%
Importance

Occupations that satisfy this work value are results oriented and allow employees to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment. Corresponding needs are Ability Utilization and Achievement.

Recognition
29%
Importance

Occupations that satisfy this work value offer advancement, potential for leadership, and are often considered prestigious. Corresponding needs are Advancement, Authority, Recognition and Social Status.