First jobs: the trials, tribulations, and BD lessons
Written by Caitlin Roxburgh
Do you remember your first paid job as a teenager? Whether your memories are fond or not-so-fond, this tentative step onto the career ladder no doubt built your confidence and taught you some valuable lessons in business development.
At The BD Consultancy, we’re passing on these lessons, and a strong work ethic, to our kids as they start their first jobs. Claire’s 12-year-old son has just picked up his first paper round and is braving the winter weather!
This prompted us to reflect on our own weird and wonderful first jobs, and the BD takeaways:
Peter
I started off collecting glasses in a bar. It wasn’t always the most interesting job, but what always made a slow shift move quickly was engaging with people. It didn’t matter whether they were customers or other staff, as long as I was talking and laughing with them, the job was much more fun.
Claire
My first job was the Saturday shift at a local art shop. Whenever we had a tricky customer, we would write VSC on their order – for ‘very sour customer’ – but if they spotted it and asked what we were writing, it stood for ‘very special customer!’ I learnt how to get to know my customers and how to respond to their needs. If they wanted to be particular, I had to respect that…and take a deep breath before engaging with them!
Des
My first job was a summer job working for McDonald’s. Their four core promises have always stuck with me: QSCV (Quality, Service, Cleanliness, and Value). I believe that using these four pillars at the core of their business strategy has played a big part in helping them maintain global leadership.
Caitlin
My first job was as a sales assistant in a music shop. It taught me that finding obscure pieces of sheet music for grateful musicians was often a more rewarding way to spend a Saturday than wandering around the local high street
shops with friends!
David
My first job was working as a van driver for a paper bag company. It was a good starting point and I learned an important lesson: you are an ambassador for your business no matter what your role.
Cari
My first ‘proper’ job was working for Austravel, dealing with customers booking holidays or business trips. We were taught by the management team that mistakes happen, but the best thing you can do is ‘own it’. If you own a mistake people have a lot more respect for you, and ultimately it’s about how you correct the mistake and move forward. That has always stuck with me.
Florence
My first job was working in a kitchen showroom, and I learnt that people want advice, not information. Saying “either the granite or the wood worktops are within your price range” never went down well. “Actually, I think the granite suits your modern look better” made for much happier customers!
Iben
Like Claire’s son, my first job was a paper round! It was for a company that would drop the papers off at 6 am and I had to deliver them by 5:30 pm. I would do most before, and then a few after, school. The papers began coming later and later so I kept changing my schedule until it was impossible to meet the 5:30pm deadline anymore. I learnt that being adaptable is a very useful skill – but so is knowing when you’re taking on too much.
Wherever you started out, interesting lessons come from any job, and they can help both your professional growth but also your personal development. We wish Claire’s son all the best in his first
job and hope it teaches him some valuable BD lessons that he can remember throughout his career!
If you are interested in developing your business and putting the lessons you’ve learnt into practice – contact us here.
