We don’t eat out often, mostly because of schedule, but also because of cost. When we do eat out, we tend to frequent the same places, so we get to know the waitstaff.. if not by name, at least by look and by attentiveness.
I can’t tell you how many times someone has looked at my resume and realized that, before coming to work at Big Global Corporation, I was a waitress for a LOOOOOONG time. And I’ve openly been told that serving food doesn’t qualify me for anything other than .. serving more food. Perhaps managing the service of food. I laughed at them because, um, dude — food service, when done right, gives you TONS of life skills.
Attention to detail. Simply put, you HAVE to notice things. Your tip hangs in the balance of noticing whether or not they added tomatoes to the order of the diner who is deathly allergic. You learn to quickly double-check everything for correctness, because any additional trip back to the kitchen lessens your tip by half.
Learn to be proactive. The table with two small children needs to be attended to quickly, and the kids’ meals need to be put in the queue first. The regulars that you see walking through the door love to have their usual drinks waiting on them. Thinking ahead will save you time and score you big points at your table.
Empathy and compassion. There are a million things that are within your control when you are in food service, but twice as many that aren’t. When you notice your coworker in the weeds, it takes very little to help them resurface. Not only that, but you want them on your side the next time you’re stuck. Playing together nicely helps build a well-oiled machine. (Not to mention that you can always tell when you’re serving a former server – they understand and usually tip well.)
Look for efficiency opportunities. Certain dishes require certain utensils. Bussing your own table means it clears faster, allowing for a new seating. Finding little ways to anticipate and be proactive slims your efforts and doubles your profits. And any server worth his salt looks for them and makes them habitual.
Spread the wealth. Not all facilities provide tip-sharing among the staff — and really, as a server, you’re totally okay with that — but making sure that your support team is well-recognized keeps them supporting you to the best of your ability. On more than one occassion, I passed a tip on to the chef if he went above and beyond .. and I rarely had to wait on an order from that point on.
So, sure, you can look at my resume and think I spent years “flingin’ wings” as I called it, but in reality, it has made me into the prized asset that I am today. Almost every single skill — aside from my IT prowess — has had some basis in my wearing an apron and carrying a notepad. As such, I plan to encourage my boys to take some early jobs in the restaurant industry and gain these valuable skills as well.
What “unskilled” labor did you gain the most life skills from?
Definitely being a candystriper while I was in high school. I think it helped me get over my own silly teenage bullshit and realize people have real problems in the world. It also made me more comfortable around all different types of people.
I was a fucking fantastic waitress. And I am proud of that. I was also a fantastic latte-makerer. I like working with people, and I am I an unrepentant people pleaser, and thus the service industry fit me well.
Favorite retail job, however, was working at Barnes and Noble. Not only do you get to talk to people about books all day, your coworkers ALSO want to talk about books all day. It’s just a happy and stimulating place to be. But for money and skills learned: waitressing every time.
Joel was a waiter before he went to grad school and he learned a LOT about how to deal with people, how to appease people, and just how to work people over in general.
I worked retail at Christmas and learned how awful the human race is. I mean, someone actually threw her credit card at me and it HIT ME in the chest. I was stunned. I also worked as a nanny and at a child care facility running an afterschool program. I learned there how to deal with parents, especially when their children are the only ones who matter in the world. It TOTALLY prepped me for being a teacher and deailing with parents, once again. I think everyone should have a job that requires them to learn life skills.
Courtney wants you to read ..My Celebrity Prom Date
I worked a TON of retail jobs in college, and those skills come in handy all the time. I’m naturally quite pleasant, but retail helped me kick that up a notch. I also know that being a royal pain in the ass isn’t always the fastest way to get what you want — as in, don’t yell at people for things that are out of their hands.
I was a waitress for years in high school and college, and it was HARD work.
Still, the job I think I learned the most from was the summer in college where I worked for Merry Maids. One of the clients was a city representative. He treated me terribly, and even had ‘nanny cams’ in his house to make sure we weren’t stealing. I saw him later that fall semester at a university sponsored gala I was attending with an organization, and it was like I was meeting an entirely different man. He didn’t recognize me, and was so friendly and kind. He gave me his business card, and I laughed to myself because I ALREADY had it. I don’t know what I really learned from the experience? Humility maybe? All humans deserve to be treated with equal respect?
I don’t know, but I will never forget him. Also,having worked at homeless shelters for five years now, I rarely forget a name/ face. I will never shake the feeling of being so ‘insignificant’ to another human being, and I don’t want to pass that along.
I agree, food service is a great way to learn life skills. It also makes you less of a douchebag at a restaurant. Some people are terrible servers, but no one should be treated badly because they are bringing you food.
I work in customer service now and luckily I mostly just get to please people, whether I think they deserve it or not! So many people approach me with an demanding, stern manner and change completely when I can offer to help. Too bad they don’t think to try the nice approach first!
I worked in an ice cream shop for a few years in high school. Dude, hungry people are mean. But I learned that a smile goes far with most people and that some people will never be made happy. You just have to do your best and move on. I learned that people out for a treat don’t care if you had a bad day but that your bad day can infect others if you don’t suck it up.
I also worked on a county road crew one summer in college. I learned that some road crew folks might get paid well but that wasn’t our crew. I learned that I can shovel 15 tons of gravel in an 8 hr shit. I learned the importance of sunscreen and steel toed boots. I also learned that when you see a road crew on a hot day sitting in the truck in the shade – it is probably just a 15 minute break because those are some hard working folks. Also? Ignorance is alive and well in rural communities. The full timers I worked with that summer tried to educate me in all sorts of antiquated ideas about mixed race couples and women knowing their place. I learned to pick my battles because arguing such things with a 56 year old man isn’t going to do anything but give me a headache – he is about to change his views.
Isn’t about to change his views
and shift not shit (although that summer I probably wouldn’t have corrected it).