Straightforward Hiring Process
Applicants who participate in the Tropical Smoothie Cafe interview process generally come across very standard and straightforward procedures. Initial interview consideration usually stems from submitting the required hiring materials to a desired location. Some applicants may receive interview consideration via employee referrals or simply showing up at a local outlet and inquiring about availabilities. Workers regularly complete the hiring process within a few days' time. Experience or ties to current employees may expedite the hiring process and lead to quicker employment determinations.
What to Expect During the Interview Process
Based on the initial contact made by applicants, whether by employment forms or in-person inquisition, the fruit smoothie chain invites prospective associates to interview on-location. The simple formats used by Tropical Smoothie Cafe include one-on-one and panel interviews. Most potential workers sit through 1:1 interviews lasting no longer than 10 to 15 minutes. Due to franchising, some locations may put applicants through a series of interviews, generally no more than two, with a direct supervisor and general manager. Panel interviews may take place instead of sequential interviews, with proceedings typically finishing within a single day.
Take Initiative
A large part of time spent in the Tropical Smoothie Cafe hiring process includes waiting on determinations or callbacks to interview. Applicants may receive final hiring decisions during what proves the conclusive interview session or by telephone or email a few days later. However, most locations opt to contact workers via telephone over email. Job seekers who take initiative and visit a local outlet to inquire about employment and interview on-the-spot may receive offers instantly.
Typical Interview Questions
Taking relaxed approaches to Tropical Smoothie Cafe job interviews represents one of the best ways to prepare for the process. Hiring personnel rarely ask tricky or confusing interview questions. The following exemplify the types of questions most applicants come across during the hiring process.:
- "Can you describe yourself a little?"
- "Why do you want to work here?"
- "What shifts are you able to work?"
What the Company Looks for in a Candidate
Workers who demonstrate friendly and highly personable attributes typically receive added consideration during deliberations. Tropical Smoothie Cafe jobs generally cater to individuals with flexible schedules and reliable means of transportation. Motivated and dedicated personalities also serve candidates well. Showcase genuine interest in working for the specialty foods retailer by smiling often, answering interview questions in upbeat manners, and maintaining overall positive dispositions. Transparency about expected tenure with the company may also affect hiring decisions.
Tropical Smoothie Crew Member Interview Video
Video Transcript
Interviewer: Please describe your job title and primary duties.
Tropical Smoothie Crew Member: Mostly I just made smoothies and also on the food line I can make little burritos. They consist of many things, mostly healthy things anyways, like it’s a Thai chicken wrap. Basically, you have some chai seeds and the chai sauce, chicken, lettuce, some cheese, things like that. We had to learn how to actually wrap it. It was kind of difficult at first, but with the teacher I had he was really nice and helpful and he made me learn maybe two weeks I guess. And smoothies, that was really easy. Just got your ingredients right there on the wall, whatever it is, put it in the blender. Go ahead.
Interviewer: What was the work environment like?
Tropical Smoothie Crew Member: It was really good. I felt comfortable when I walked in because at first I thought I was going to be really nervous. People are going to be snobby or whatever. But they were actually really nice, really helpful. I had a couple of college students who were just coming just to work for the summer. So that made it helpful too, because I’m like, “I’m in college.” So that makes it easier I guess you could say. And the environment is real nice. You got the music playing is really life full, you got colors everywhere. It’s really not that hard. And the manager, he makes it comfortable for you.
Interviewer: What was your favorite part about working there?
Tropical Smoothie Crew Member: I would say my favorite part was making the smoothies, because you could sit up there and play around with different fruits and combinations and all types of different things. And the supplements I didn’t know about were there, so that was really mind blowing to even see them, like, “Oh my gosh, I didn’t know about this.” And I didn’t know what they did. And now that I do, I feel more intelligent about the different varieties of things.
Interviewer: Please describe the application and interview process.
Tropical Smoothie Crew Member: When I walked in I just asked for a application. The application’s pretty simple. It just asked you a lot of basic things where you worked at before, previously, your education level and everything else. And your skill levels and what made you want to come to Tropical Smoothie? Now, the interview was pretty simple. He asked me questions like any other interview, but he asked me questions like, “Why did you want to be here? Can you tell me a time where you had to work with a difficult customer? What did you do. How did you handle the situation and how could you have done it differently?” And my answers were really good and he liked them a lot. So he was like, “Yeah I just want to hire you.” So it was really great.
Interviewer: What other advice would you give to a job seeker looking to gain employment?
Tropical Smoothie Crew Member: Just really pay attention to how you do everything, especially with making the food. Because you can just overstep things and not even think about it. Even with smoothies, you can overstep things and not think about it. And you have to be careful about your customers, how they like their foods and how they like their smoothies. Because some like them thick, some like them runny. You just got to be mindful of those type of things like that. So it’s like putting the ice in their thing. Be mindful of how much ice you’re putting into it. Because then you don’t want to clog up the blender as well. So yeah.
Tropical Smoothie Cafe Fruitista Interview Video
Video Transcript
Interviewer: Please describe your job title and primary duties.
Tropical Smoothie Cafe Fruitista: We are called frutistas. Basically, we make smoothies. We also make food too. It’s a smoothie, food kind of deal.
Interviewer: What was the work environment like?
Tropical Smoothie Cafe Fruitista: It’s very fast paced because Tropical Smoothie is very busy most of the times. It’s a friendly feel. It’s also like a very tropical feel. We’re supposed to feel laid back. At the same time, we can’t, we have to give off that feeling that we’re laid back but we’re really not.
Interviewer: Please describe a typical day as an employee.
Tropical Smoothie Cafe Fruitista: We go in. The first thing we need to check is prep. If you come in in the morning, you have to make sure that we have enough food prepped for the day and for tomorrow because we defrost the food that we use and we use real fruit. We have to always constantly check that we’re not running out of anything because if you get in a rush and you run out, it’s going to cause a lot of problems. We have to always be prepared. I mean, most shifts just … it’s pretty simple. We have all these recipes for smoothies and people order smoothies, you make them. It’s good to have them memorized.
Interviewer: How would you describe the application and interview process?
Tropical Smoothie Cafe Fruitista: You go online to Tropical. You just Google Tropical Smoothie Café application. Print it out, fill it out. I walked in and I asked for the manager. They had just taken over the store so they were looking to hire new people to kind of like start fresh. I hand it in. I said I’m interested in a job. He said, “Sure, I’ll call you back because we need someone.” He called me back a week later.
Interviewer: What questions did the interviewer ask during the job interview?
Tropical Smoothie Cafe Fruitista: The interview was pretty basic, nothing too much. He asked me about my work ethic, what my previous experience was, if it was with food. I personally didn’t have any previous experience with food but that was okay.
Interviewer: What should an applicant wear to the interview?
Tropical Smoothie Cafe Fruitista: Same thing you should wear to any interview. Dress nicely. I wore a black dress pants and a nice shirt. Looked professional.
Interviewer: How were you notified that you received the job?
Tropical Smoothie Cafe Fruitista: I received a phone call a week later.
Interviewer: What other advice would you give to a job seeker looking to gain employment?
Tropical Smoothie Cafe Fruitista: Always ask to speak to the manager. It’s good if you personally ask to speak to the manager and not just hand your application to someone because a lot of the times we’ll get applications and we’ll just kind of push them aside. One of us, you know, we forget to give them to a manager. It’s always good to get yourself out there.
Kayla Sims says:
What is a good way to get noticed for a job at tropical Smoothie
Ashley says:
They Look For Someone Who Has A GREAT Personality.Just Be Your Self. If You’re Trying To Really Get A Job There, I Say Go Up There And Ask To Speak To The Manager And Give Them The Application Yourself, To Show That You Are Really Interested.
Laura says:
What questions do they ask when you’re being interviewed?
Nicholas Worm says:
how old do u have to be?
dashon bellard says:
i would love to work at tropical smoothie. i love it. i would do good on interviews.
Ashley B says:
I applied online at the Columbia, MD location and to my surprised they called me! They’re under new management so they were looking for new team members. I will be 17 in two weeks but they’ll hire anybody as young as 16 and are interested in hiring young workers. I also don’t have any work experience besides babysitting but as long as you seem like you are willing to work hard, they will hire you!
Interview Questions: “How well do you work under pressure? Describe a time when you worked well under pressure”, “Why do you want to work here and what makes you think that you will be able to perform this job?”, “If we asked your former employer how well you did the job (in my case if they asked the kids parents I babysat for), what would they say about you?”
And that was about it! Be confident and answer questions in full sentences. Also, they talk a lot about your work availability and they will want to know that you have a lot of work availability throughout the week; and they like to hear that you can work some on the weekends and that you have reliable transportation.
Hope I helped!
Jaycee says:
Just finished my interview. Some of the questions I got were, “Ifyou were given a list of tasks that needed to be completed by the end of the day, but there was no possible way to complete it, how would you handle it? Tell me about a time when you had to deal with an unhappy customer, and how you handled it. Tell me about your strengths and weaknesses. Where do you see yourself in ten years? Tell me about yourself. Would you be willing to take a drug test?” Those were the ones I got. It was very fast and very casual. But dress professional regardless. && you have to be 16.