Have you ever thought about your first job and the impact it had on your current position or career success? I hadn’t thought about my first job until I came across a post from the now CEO of a travel organization talking about his first job as a pizza delivery man. With a new car (new to him) and a new driver’s license, this enterprising young man got a job delivering pizzas to finance his ride and his social life. He quickly found out that the faster he worked the more pizzas he could deliver and pull in more tips. It was a matter of volume.
He also found out that connecting with customers made a difference in his tip amount. As a member of the high school tennis team, he often went to work straight from the courts and ended up delivering pizzas in his tennis whites. A lot of his customers in the area were also tennis players or just sports enthusiasts. This connection and conversation starter built instant relationships and ended up in bigger tips.
Working for the Italian restaurant’s owners who didn’t speak much English offered another opportunity to learn how to answer the phone, take orders and get involved in the operation of the pizza operations side of the business.
My first job was selling records at my father’s music store in Gary, Indiana. It was my introduction into sales and customer service. It also included working evenings and Saturdays, when my friends were hanging out or doing their homework. In order to get the store open, I had to first sweep the floors with oiled sawdust, dust all the records and album covers on display, clean the bathroom and set up the record player with the latest hits. You didn’t close early. It was a long day with a quick break for a sandwich and then back behind the counter.
Like Paul Metsalaar, the pizza delivery guy who turned CEO of his own travel company, I learned a lot of valuable lessons for my own business ventures and jobs over the years. They are very much the same:
- Do more than you are told. Job descriptions are what you’re supposed to do to earn a “satisfactory” on your performance appraisal. If you want to get a higher rating (and maybe a raise), you need to go beyond your job description. My father was a master at getting to know people and knowing what type of music they liked. When they walked into the store, he knew exactly what to show them and how to encourage them to buy. He showed me how to build relationships with customers so they felt comfortable.
- Dress the part. This is something I learned as I started my career. Actually, another piece of advice was even more beneficial: dress for the position you would like to have. Let your boss and others see you fitting into the level you aspire to.
- Go all in. You can’t go halfway in your own business. Consider the organization as your own personal business. What do you need to do to make it successful? Do your conversations about the company start with “we” or “they?” I still refer to a past position and company as “we.” The company isn’t responsible for making you successful. It’s the company and you, working together to make the “we.”
What was your first job? What did you learn that has made you a success today? Share the things that have made a difference in your career.
Photo source: Freedigitalphotos.net: Srtiangphoto
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