Transferable Skills

I was thinking the other day what have I done to get to where I am today. What kinds of jobs have I had that has molded and shaped me into who I am today. As I study the one Week Project Book, I have found that Sean did learn a lot about himself and some of the skills he picked up along the way.

There seems to be a lot of negative talk about entry level jobs like McDonald’s, Tim’s, Canadian Tire etc. But we have to remember that these jobs expose people of all ages to different skills that can be transferred to a more serious career. Sometimes jobs like this motivate people to want to work harder so they can go to school and eventually be in a career that they are passionate about. I believe that these types of jobs are important for our young people who are just starting out in the world of work and also for those mature people who have had a significant job loss and need something interim until they get that call they have been waiting for - a opportunity to maximize the skills they have developed over the years.

I remember my first waitress job, in fact the job I had before landing this job was working the line at A & W putting pickles on hamburgers, yes just putting pickles on hamburgers.

I thought to myself, there has to be something better than putting pickles on hamburgers, and one day I was walking down the street and I saw the restaurant, and I knew I needed to apply. During my interview I was told that I was not waitress material, what does that even mean! But I was bound and determined to prove this restaurant owner wrong. And so began my two week trial period that ended up being the best six years of my life.

What skills did I learn, the most important one, communication, along with organization, memorization, working with a team, preparing and presenting food, being on time, making yourself presentable every day, etiquette, listening, being passionate about the job, respect others, multitasking, being a leader, decision making, energetic, being efficient and working quickly.

How many of these skills have I used in other jobs and am continually improving on in my current job today - every single one of them.