In 1999 I found my first job at Civic Video in the Glenmore Shopping Village.
While I’d loosely worked in a family business filling drink fridges and cleaning arcade games since the age of seven, the first opportunity to work away from people I was related to came at the age of 14.
I’ll always treasure working with my Aunt and her family at Funzone, but it was at Civic Video where the real test of character and work ethic commenced. With strong role models leading the way in my home life, the gaps were quickly covered by the Senior team members of the store, who took their time to teach me everything I needed to know.
From customer service skills to store presentation to money handling and everything in between, the skills I learnt at the video store were transferable to almost any endeavour. At the time, you may not realise the experience and the lessons on offer, but upon reflection, it is evident. While you can learn about money at school in theory, the practical component consolidated on the job is invaluable. In addition, challenging customer service experiences and confrontational interactions were also a test of character. At 14 and 15 years old, enforcing a store policy on a customer regarding late fees on video returns was certainly an iffy undertaking.
Some customers were understanding and compliant, others were angry and aggravated, and some took on the negotiation challenge. While I admit, in hindsight, the negotiation component with a 14-year-old child is interesting to reflect on, the aggression and confrontation were the opportunities for individual growth.
While I don’t condone poor customer behaviour, the experience as a young school-aged employee meant I had the opportunity to build resilience and learn how to navigate differing customer behaviours.
The skill of confrontation and resilience is one I observe in retail stores and hospitality to this day. I watch the younger team members navigate needy and obnoxious customers while being treated poorly, and I observe how they handle the interaction live and how they recover. While there isn’t often time to recover as one would expect because of the dynamic nature and busy environment, the micro-moment of acceptance, tolerance and resilience is evident.
I notice far more than people realise, and observations like these bring me insight and lessons into the world in which we live and how we interact with the environment around us based on the circumstances we find ourselves in.
Working in parallel to completing school provides opportunities for personal growth in the previously mentioned points and fosters time management and organisational skills. Navigating shift work with club or sports activities, school assessment deadlines and fun with friends takes deliberate and focused action. Nurturing these skills from a young age paves the way for today’s youth to become the workforce of tomorrow that we need.
Never one to do things by halves, I took this to another level in my final year of school in Year 10 as I had three jobs and school work to achieve. A Friday or Saturday night shift at Civic Video, two shifts at Red Rooster on Musgrave Street and one Saturday morning shift at Holly’s Café in the middle of Kmart certainly tested my prioritisation skills and taught me to navigate employers, time management and embed general organisation skills.
When my eldest child, Mads, turned 14, she was searching for a job. In one month, she’ll be 16, and so far, she’s worked for one incredibly supportive and community-focused employer in two different businesses. The skills she’s been able to craft include how to take pizza orders, serve customers, take drink orders, handle money and now produce and serve the most incredible donuts in Rockhampton. One guess where she works…
While Mads might not realise the long-term significance of the skills she learns each shift, one day, I know she’ll reflect on her experience of working in parallel to finishing school. She will recognise the transferable qualities and experience she gained. Taking instructions from an employer, complying with expectations, respecting team members in senior positions and navigating customer interactions are all qualities required in a good employee.
With two weeks to go until my second child, Alan turns 14, I know for a fact his birthday will be spent applying for jobs. He’s already tried, even though I warned him he wouldn’t get far at 12 and 13. Once the 4th of April rolls around, those who manage stores in the camping, outdoors and fishing retail stores can expect to get another application across their manager’s desks, as will the fast food outlets. I can imagine that once the casual job is found, the next mission will be to secure an apprenticeship as a Fabricator.
While the two eldest are two years apart, it pains me to say they may leave school simultaneously—one at year 12 and one at year 10 and straight into an apprenticeship. Time will tell.
There are no secrets to success after all; it is the result of preparation, hard work, a willingness to learn, and failing forward.
