Costa CV example

You do not need a CV to work at Costa: Costa says its online application asks for most of what a CV would hold, and barista and Barista Maestro applications start with a short chat you answer in your own time.

You can still upload a CV, and Costa itself suggests drafting one. This example is a senior barista’s CV for a Costa Barista Maestro (team leader) post, in Word and PDF, with each part of the advert matched to a line.

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Costa CV example: fictional example, page 1. Full text is available below.

Read the example as text

Ellie Marsh

Senior barista

Norwich · 07700 900526 · [email protected]

Profile

Senior barista with three years in a busy city-centre coffee shop, the last two opening up and running the bar on weekday mornings. Trains every new barista on espresso, milk and latte art, and keeps the morning queue moving at up to 120 drinks an hour. Looking for a barista team leader post.

Experience

Senior Barista | Lantern Coffee House, Norwich | September 2024–present

Open the shop on weekday mornings: set up and dial in the espresso machine, check the fridges and count the float before the doors open at 7am.

Lead a team of three on the morning shift, serving up to 120 drinks an hour at the 8am peak.

Run a two-minute huddle before opening: the day’s specials, who is on which station and one thing to get right.

Moved one barista onto milk alone at the peak, which cut the average wait from about six minutes to four.

Trained six new baristas with a two-week checklist, now used for every new starter.

Know most morning regulars by name and order, and start their drink as they join the queue.

Barista | Lantern Coffee House, Norwich | July 2023–August 2024

Served on the till and the bar, learned every drink on the menu in the first month and did the daily cleaning and fridge temperature checks.

Saturday Sales Assistant | Fernleigh Books, Norwich | 2021–2023

Served customers, ran the till and set up the window display while at sixth form.

Qualifications

Level 2 Food Safety and Hygiene for Catering (2024)

A levels: English Literature C, Psychology C (2023)

GCSEs including English Language 6 and Mathematics 5 (2021)

Skills

Espresso, milk texturing and latte art

Opening, closing, cash-up and float counts

Training new starters with a written checklist

Allergen, cleaning and temperature records

Cheerful, quick service at the morning peak

Availability

Early opening shifts and weekends; full or part time.

Fictional example for a senior barista applying to Costa. Every person and employer in it is invented. Replace every detail with your own.

How Costa takes applications

How you apply	What it means	What to do with your CV
A barista or Barista Maestro job	You apply online to an advert and start with a short chat on Sapia.ai: a few questions you answer when it suits you. Costa says you do not need a CV, although the application asks for much of the information a CV would hold.	No CV needed. Writing one first still helps, as Costa itself suggests: it puts your jobs, dates and best examples in one place for the application, the chat and the interview.
Adding a CV or a letter	When you apply, the form gives you the option to upload a CV and other supporting documents, and Costa is happy to receive a supporting letter.	Download the Word file on this page, change every detail to your own and upload it. Add a short letter if there is something your CV cannot show, such as why you want to lead a team.
Applying by phone, on paper or through an agency	All applications are made online, and every vacancy is on Costa’s careers site. Costa asks agencies to have candidates apply themselves. If a disability makes the online application hard, Costa’s recruitment team will help by email.	Apply to an advert on costacareers.co.uk, and keep checking: Costa says new vacancies come up regularly.

From Costa’s careers FAQs and its teams page, checked 18 October 2026. Each advert says whether the job is permanent, fixed term or seasonal.

What a Barista Maestro advert asks for, and where this CV shows it

The job asks you to	Where this CV shows it
Lead smooth, efficient shifts	Leading the morning shift of three at up to 120 drinks an hour
Train and support new baristas	Six new baristas trained with a two-week checklist
Energise and motivate your team	A two-minute huddle before opening: specials, stations and one thing to get right
Keep high standards of service and coffee	Dialling in the espresso every morning; regulars’ drinks started as they queue
Use resourcefulness and adaptability to keep everything running well	One barista on milk at the peak, which cut the wait from about six minutes to four
Experience as a team leader, or ready to step into the role	Two years opening up and running the bar as senior barista

The left column is from a Costa Team Leader (Barista Maestro) advert in Cannock, read 18 October 2026 on Costa’s job search, put briefly here; the other Barista Maestro adverts read the same day use the same words. Match each line of your own advert to something you have done.

Facts checked against Costa: Careers FAQs on 18 October 2026, Costa: Our teams on 18 October 2026, Costa: Team Leader (Barista Maestro), Cannock (advert) on 18 October 2026 and Costa: job search (barista and Barista Maestro adverts) on 18 October 2026.

Costa’s values and pay

Discipline to Deliver
Passion for Progress
Win with Warmth
Courage to Challenge
Trusted Team Player

Costa’s adverts name these five values as the way it works. The Sapia chat at the start of a barista or Barista Maestro application compares your answers with the role’s requirements, looking at traits such as conscientiousness, competencies such as accountability, and how you communicate; people review the answers and make the final decision (Costa). Have a real example ready for two or three values: Ellie’s regulars, whose drinks she starts as they queue, are her “Win with Warmth”.

Pay

Pay depends on the store’s location. Barista adverts read 18 October 2026 offered £13.12 to £14.12 an hour, and Barista Maestro (team leader) adverts £13.75 to £14.75. They also list 50% off food and drink in Costa-owned stores, a matched pension of up to 10% and the Coca-Cola share scheme (Costa job search).

Inside this example

Profile: 53 words here
Experience: 182 words here
Qualifications: 26 words here
Skills: 31 words here
Availability: 9 words here

How to write yours

Draft it before the chat

Costa’s application asks for most of what a CV holds, and the chat asks how you work. Writing the CV first gives you your dates and two or three examples ready to use, so the chat answers come from real shifts.

Show you can lead a shift

Barista Maestro adverts ask for experience as a team leader or readiness to step up. Opening up, running the bar and training new starters all count: say how many people you led and how busy it was.

Give a figure for the peak

Drinks an hour, queue times and the number of baristas you trained are the figures a coffee shop runs on. One before-and-after figure says more than a list of duties.

Show warmth with an example

A line about regulars you know by name, or a complaint you turned round, shows the warmth Costa’s values ask for better than calling yourself friendly.

Questions about a Costa CV

Do I need a CV to work at Costa?

No. Costa says you do not need a CV to apply, although the application asks for much of the information a CV holds, and you can upload one if you have it (Costa, checked 18 October 2026).

What is the Sapia chat?

The first step for barista and Barista Maestro roles: a short chat on Sapia.ai, with a few questions you answer when it suits you. It compares your answers with the role’s requirements, and people review them and make the final decision. Costa’s recruitment team can arrange adjustments if you need them (Costa).

Do I need references?

Two, if your application goes forward, but you can apply without them. If this is your first job, Costa suggests asking a teacher, lecturer or tutor. Ask each referee first, and keep their details off the CV until Costa asks for them (Costa).

How many Costa stores can I apply to?

For a barista role, as many as you like, and there is no limit on how many jobs you apply for, though Costa says one good application beats two rushed ones. You cannot apply for exactly the same role again if you are turned down, but any other role is open to you (Costa).

How long will Costa take to reply?

You should hear within 14 days of applying, and get feedback within 14 days of an interview. Check your junk mail, because everything comes to the email address you applied with (Costa).

How old do I have to be to work at Costa?

School leaving age, which differs across the UK. Some types of store need you to be 18, so ask before you apply (Costa).

Keep it to one page. A Barista Maestro CV with your last two jobs, what you train and how busy your shifts are covers everything the chat and the interview will ask about.

CVs for other café and restaurant jobs

Costa does not ask for a CV, but a complete example helps you fill in the application and get ready for the chat and the interview.

Applying to other food and drink chains too? McDonald’s · Starbucks · Greggs · Caffè Nero

Guides for this CV

Showing a promotion Personal details, photo and references Interview questions and answers A CV with no experience