July 29, 2008
April Bettinger
|
Now: Construction exec
Then: Bakery worker
Current position: General manager of Shirey Handyman, an Issaquah-based company that provides maintenance, repair and small-remodel services to homeowners in the Seattle area.
First job: Working at a bakery inside a grocery store in Smokey Point [in Snohomish County]. I wore a pink, knee-length pleated dress with an apron. I don't think I can eat a doughnut to this day, but my family loved that I had this job — they enjoyed the maple bars I would bring home.
Pay: In 1983, when minimum wage was right around $3 an hour, I was earning $6 an hour for about 30 hours per week.
How I got the job: As soon as I turned 16, I hit the pavement and submitted applications until I was hired by the grocery store.
What I learned: A lot about customer service. Being face to face with people all day long taught me important skills for communicating and interacting with people in a business setting. I use those same skills in my job today, as I am constantly speaking to customers, as well as maintaining open communication with my team. And I would have to say, since I eventually got fired for upsetting a customer by taking a 10-minute break, I also learned that people don’t like to wait for their doughnuts!
Want to tell us about your first job? E-mail jobmarket@seattletimes.com
Read more
Career Advice,
career profile
1 Comments
Leave a comment
Career Advice
When is it OK to use initials after a name?
Career Center Blog
Summer work attire: flip-flops, tube tops and Speedos, oh my
Career Advice
Look out for yourself to advance your career
Career Center Blog
Interviewing success: a riddle to ponder
Cool Jobs
Ralph Morton's cool job at Seattle Sports Commission
Career Center • Blog • Events
- career profile (144)
- conflict (38)
- education and training (48)
- entry level (62)
- etiquette (79)
- events (55)
- featured (222)
- finding your passion (80)
- health care (61)
- interviewing (63)
- job hunt (43)
- management (49)
- market trends (85)
- networking (212)
- resumes (79)
- salary (73)
- social media (72)
- technology (81)
- unemployment (38)
- work/life balance (77)
Pam Worner on September 17, 2008 4:07 PM | Reply
Now: owner, green building consulting firm
Then: editorial assistant on a magazine in Boston for parents of kids with disabilities
Pay: $16,000 a year (1982)
What I learned: to jump at every chance to add skills to my resume - after a year, I'd done interviewing, writing, editing, proofing, photo cropping, ad design, & page layout (with rubber cement, not software) & scored a much better job elsewhere.