Barista Cover Letter Sample [Free Download]

Text Format

Oct 30, 2018

[Hiring Manager’s Name]
[Coffee Shop Address]
[City, State, Zip Code]
[Telephone No.]
[Hiring Manager’s Email]

Dear [Mr./Mrs./Ms.] [Hiring Manager’s Surname],

Since I was a teen, I’ve loved putting a smile on people’s faces by serving them great coffee. With an SCA certification and more than four years of experience in coffee making, customer service, and sales, I’m confident I would be an ideal fit for your newly announced barista position.

I’m currently the lead barista for the early shift at Kingston Coffee in Armstrong, Iowa. In my role, I manage two baristas and oversee the service of customers plus the execution of in-store sales and promotions. During my time here, I’ve built a reputation for outstanding service, and I also have a knack for remembering individual customers’ names and beverages of choice.

During my career as a barista, I’ve had the opportunity to undergo excellent training, expand my coffee knowledge, and achieve significant accomplishments such as:

• Helping grow the number of regular customers through great service and friendly attitude at Kingston Coffee, contributing to a 10% increase in revenue in the last year
• Updating Kingston Coffee’s old POS system, which led to a 25% increase in productivity
• Providing a high level of service by tactfully responding to customer feedback, complaints, and suggestions, which improved our Yelp rating from 4.1 stars to 4.8

As a coffee lover myself, I’ve read countless books, articles, and videos on all things caffeine. Moreover, I take pleasure in sharing my expertise, which helped me train multiple baristas on coffee making, customer service, and memory tricks to memorize dozens of menu items quickly.

Working for [Coffee Shop Name] is an amazing opportunity. I’m excited at the prospect of joining your team, and I’d love the chance to meet you in person. You may reach me by phone at 712 384-1047 or via email — bill.geet@icloud.com to arrange an interview.

Thank you for taking the time to review my application.

Sincerely,

[Your Name]

How to write a barista cover letter

Learning how to put together a cover letter for the specific job(s) you want will help you land more interviews.

To show a coffee shop owner you’ll make a great addition to their team, pair your barista resume with a professional cover letter.

Follow these three tips to write a barista cover letter that employers love — whether you have no experience yet or are a veteran behind the counter.

1. Highlight your top barista skills

As a barista, you’ll spend your time greeting customers, taking orders, and preparing various specialty drinks. So aside from being able to make a great cup of coffee, you must also be able to thrive in a fast-paced environment that requires both interacting with people and making great beverages.

In your cover letter, highlight key barista skills (which are in many ways the same as customer service skills). These soft skills (traits tied to your personality that make you a good employee) are crucial for baristas, because they ensure you can handle your day-to-day tasks while keeping customers happy.

Here’s an example of how to showcase these skills in your cover letter:

I helped grow the number of regular customers through great service and a friendly attitude at XYZ Coffeeshop, contributing to a 10% increase in revenue last year.

Here’s a list of key barista skills to include in your cover letter:

People skills
Interpersonal skills
Patience
Organizational skills
Time management skills
Communication skills
Attention to detail
Problem-solving skills
Flexibility
Efficiency
Teamwork
Language skills
Sales skills
Memorization
Prioritization
Basic math
Point of sale (POS) systems
Health and safety codes
Latte art
Preparing specialty coffee drinks
Ability to remain calm in stressful situations

2. Use proper cover letter format

Barista jobs have few formal requirements, so you can apply for most barista positions even with no experience.

To ensure your job application makes the best possible impression, you must format both your resume and cover letter correctly. Presenting your qualifications in a well-organized manner makes your application more appealing to a hiring manager who has dozens (or hundreds) of applications to review.

Here’s how to properly format your cover letter:

Achieve the ideal cover letter length. The best cover letters are generally between 250 and 400 words.
Set your cover letter margins to 1”–1.5”
Choose a cover letter font that’s easy to read and set your font size at 10.5–12 points
If you’re submitting your cover letter electronically, save your document in PDF or DOCX format

3. Open with a strong cover letter introduction

Because you’ll be vying against many others for the position, you need to begin your cover letter with a compelling introduction to set yourself apart.

Your cover letter introduction should not only catch the hiring manager’s attention, but also spark enough interest to make them want to learn more about you in person.

Here’s how to write a strong barista cover letter introduction:

Express enthusiasm for the job opportunity. Because employers seek baristas who are cheerful and friendly, you need to show them you’re committed to delivering great service to customers along with their caffeine fix. Here’s how you can show your passion for being a barista: “Since I was a teen, I’ve loved putting a smile on people’s faces by serving them great coffee.”
Sum up your skills and experience as a barista to highlight job-specific skills. For example, “With a SCA certification and more than four years of experience in coffee making, customer service, and sales, I’m confident I would be an ideal fit for your newly announced barista position.”
Provide an example of your greatest achievement as a barista. For example, “During my time at XYZ Coffeehouse, I’ve built a reputation for outstanding service, and I also have a knack for remembering individual customers’ names and beverages of choice.”