Natasha Maguire

During my time here, I handled B2C Sales to focus on direct sales, knowing customers are most comfortable at home. I spoke to around 85-100 people a day, which rapidly developed my interpersonal skills and confidence. I prioritised understanding and being sincere with each individual to ensure everyone felt respected, and to keep the focus on the charities we supported. I made sure that too much time wasn't wasted and stuck with the importance of each charity to keep each person informed and hooked on the conversation.

Barista:

Starting here, I was trained in making a variety of drinks for our customers. I make sure each drink is of high quality and up to each customer's standards. Here, we prioritise a clear understanding of what each customer wants as I handle both the serving and the making of the coffee for every customer. I also spend time on the shop floor seeing the store through a customer's eyes and keeping the store clean and presentable.

Shift Leader:

As a shift leader at Caffe Nero, it is my job to manage all the staff in the store to keep both customers and workers happy and safe. I start by opening the store, setting up the bar, and managing cash from the safe. I reconcile and place orders each shift, complete temperature checks, restock the bar for our customers and log any issues that we need out-of-store services for. Throughout my shift, I make sure to keep a strong form of communication so the staff always know what to do and are free to ask any questions.

Maestro:

As a maestro, I ensure high-quality coffee is consistently provided for our customers. I focus on keeping a perfect rate of pour, whilst also keeping on top of weekly coffee audits on our staff, so that we maintain excellent skills as baristas. It is also my job to complete a weekly checklist of all the supplies we use behind the bar, to make sure everything is in pristine working condition. With new starters, I focus on training baristas to meet company standards, whilst also making sure they feel confident, comfortable and happy working with the team.

• Started on checkouts where I scanned items, operated tills and handled both cash and card purchases. I quickly took on the shop floor (filling shelves, facing up, stock counting, date coding and wasting stock), self-serve, trolleys and the petrol station (handling drive-offs, petrol spills and strong safety management). I was moved up to the customer service desk, where I had worked for the majority of my time at the store, handling tobacco products, returns, refunds, scratchcards, lottery tickets, complaints, making announcements and monitoring CCTV. Also took on the cash office (processing bank deposits, balancing tills, cashing up, investigating cash variances and creating sales reports) and the Off Till assistant (ensuring queues are managed, overseeing staff and handling breaks).

• Preparing and serving various drinks, managing payments, greeting customers and making sure their overall experience is enjoyable, managing stock to make sure customers' needs are always fulfilled and keeping the pub clean and presentable throughout the shift.

• Mentoring young children in a nursery and primary school setting. During my time here, I developed essential life skills and self-confidence by mentoring younger children throughout the day and helping them come out of their shells. I gained a further understanding of a child's behaviour and more effective guardian skills by focusing on the child's needs whilst also implementing communication, empathy, leadership and fun motor skills for the children. I prioritised children's safety and education as the most important and encouraged inclusivity and kindness to support their growth.