We are what we eat and drink. No wonder most Americans are overweight or obese. They love to eat at KFC, McDonald, or Dunkin Donuts, and Coca Cola tops the list of their favorite drinks. Jamba Juice offers a nice alternative to the typical concepts that still dominate the fast food industry.

The company specializes in offering their customers blended fruit and vegetable juices and smoothies, which is a tasty and healthy alternative to most other things you can get on an average street in the States. They run over 800 stores in the US, and employ close to 10,000 people, both full time and part time. What’s more, they keep growing and hiring new people, because the demand for their products is growing as well–which is a good trend. Thumbs up if you want to work for them, and let’s have a look at what will happen in the interview.

Just one point before we look at the questions: There’s no need to stress out, because this is an easy interview. As long as you are yourself, show some positive associations to their brand and willingness to work hard, and do not remain silent when hearing their questions, they will hire you. Lack of previous experience is no show-stopper either. On the contrary, working as a team member at Jamba Juice is a great first job! Let’s proceed to the questions.

 

Why do you want to work at Jamba?

Praise their concept. Say that you love smoothies and juices, and understand how they promote good health. Jamba is such a nice, good smelling colorful place. You love the vibe, and in your view it is much better place that a typical fast food place that smells of oil and chicken. That’s the main reason why you want to work there, but you can say also something else.

Say them that you believe to have the right personality for the job. You are outgoing, a team player, love interactions with the customers (and they love interactions with you), and for sure you’ll thrive while working at Jamba.

 

What is your availability?

It probably won’t surprise you that the majority of Jamba Juice employees are still students. You’ll typically earn minimum wage in the job, or close to it, and that’s isn’t something one can live comfortably from in the US of 21st century. But for students it is an excellent learning experience, and a way to earn some extra cash. And since students go to school, they cannot be in the store at all times. That’s why they will always ask about your availability.

Make sure to come prepared. Think about your entire week, including evenings and weekends, and present them a clear schedule. Try to show some flexibility, and ensure them that the job is high on the list of your priorities, trailing school only.

 

Tell us more about your previous working experience.

If you have no experience it isn’t a problem, just ensure them that you read the job description carefully, know Jamba from the perspective of the customer, and can imagine the daily job, and believe you will handle it, and enjoy it (at least to some extent).

When you’ve done something before, explain in brief the duties you had, shift patterns, and do not forget to praise teamwork, because it plays a big role at Jamba Juice. One important thing to remember: they will likely ask you why you left your last job. Make sure to have the answer ready, and avoid negative comments on your former colleagues or duties.

Describe a time when you worked on a team.

Teamwork is one of the pillars of Jamba Juice operations, and they make it a point to hire people who enjoy working on a team. Maybe you haven’t had a job before, but for sure you belonged to some teams in your life–at school, in sports, while you did some volunteering, etc. Anything is better than nothing. Ensure them that you are a team player, feel responsibility towards other team members, and a team culture definitely motivates you to try your best in the job.

And if you never belonged to any team (which is rare, but can happen), tell them that that’s exactly what you are missing in your life, the feeling of belonging somewhere, sharing the workplace with other young people, forming a certain community…

 

Imagine that you have a bad day in your private life. How will you remain positive and upbeat at work on such a day?

This can happen to anyone, and we sometimes struggle to separate our private life from work. We are people at the end of the day, and we have emotions…

You can say that on such a bad day you actually enjoy going to work, because you know that it will help you forget your miseries in personal life, you will see your nice colleagues and also customers, and it will actually help you to get over the situation from your private life.

Another option is saying that you understand you’ll have duties and targets to meet at work. You cannot afford to miss them, because you like the job, need the job, and want to keep it. Hence you will stay upbeat and try your best, because you can make this thick line between your private life and work.

 

How would you describe your work ethic?

Just say that you are a hard worker, and try to limit distractions at work (such as playing with your smartphone, or thinking about activities you’ll do in the evening). You can praise teamwork again, saying that your ethics is even better when you belong to a team, because you do not want to let your colleagues down.

 

What motivates you at work?

We all go to work because we want to earn money. Speaking honestly, I do not know many people, if any, who would go to work if they did not get paid for doing it… As you can imagine though, money isn’t the best answer at this point. At least not directly, because you can definitely say that you have goals you try to reach in life, and the job with Jamba and money you earn there will help you to achieve your goals.

You can talk about other things as well: Belonging to the team, seeing the satisfaction on the faces of your customers, knowing that you actually belong to an organization that helps to promote good health in the Americans, because juices and smoothies are definitely healthy (when consumed in moderate quantities, of course). One way or another, you have your reasons, and won’t lose your motivation easily.

 

How would you handle a customer getting a wrong drink?

You can start by saying it is unlikely to happen, because you have excellent listening skills and stay focused while working, and see no reason why you’d give someone a wrong drink. But mistakes do happen, and you would definitely offer them a free replacement.

All Jamba juices are great, but we should not forget that people deal with all sorts of food allergies and intolerance nowadays. The last thing you want to experience is having to call someone an ambulance, just because they drank something that makes them really sick…

 

What do you like to do in your spare time?

Hiring manager wants to know you as a person as well. They are looking for outgoing and friendly people at Jamba, hence you should speak openly about your hobbies. Basically anything you say is good, and healthy hobbies are your best choice–jogging, walking, hiking, swimming, cooking healthy food, etc.

Just make sure to avoid mentioning “hobbies” that may interfere with your ability to do the work. Maybe you enjoy getting wasted with friends every Friday, or dance until the morning light every Saturday. These aren’t good spare time activities to mention in job interviews though…

 

What is your favorite drink to have at Jamba Juice?

In an ideal case you should visit the place in advance, have a couple of items from the menu, and pick your favorite. Such a visit can also help you understand how the place works, and perhaps even help you with some of your answers.

Anyway, even if you do not go there in advance, check their menu online and pick something. The only point here is to demonstrate that this isn’t your first experience with Jamba Juice, you know their concept and hand-picked the job offer, because you like what they do, and what they offer to the customers…

Ready to ace your team member interview at Jamba? Not yet? Check the following articles to continue your interview preparation:

Matthew Chulaw
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