I would like to introduce to you a new summer feature I plan to commence.
Welcome to...
The Zoo Chronicles
This feature will only be around as long as I am working my summer job at the zoo. Seeing as though May 2nd, 2013 was the anniversary of the acceptance phone call, today is the first day I actually worked my first day at the zoo. Let me give you some background about my job duties at the zoo, my personal job history and the experience I gained from all of my jobs.I applied to work at the zoo when I was merely 16 years old. Desperate for a job, I heard they were accepting applications and jumped on-board the idea. To my disappointment, the zoo sent me back a postcard stating that they were not interested in my help and encouraged me to apply again at a later time. Discouraged, I looked elsewhere. I did not get my first job until I was 18 years old. I was fresh out of a high school and had applied for any position while at a job fair one month previously (May). To my surprise, I began my first job one week after graduating. I worked part-time through a local hospital's summer program as a stock handler at a pharmacy owned by the hospital. This job gave me the responsibility of making copies, counting stock, putting patient's billing information together in one file and greeting guests. The downside to this job was that I had to sit at a desk from 8 AM to 5 PM for two days doing computer work. It sucked the life out of me. The good part was I got to do stock at another location from 9 AM to 5 PM. I looked forward to that every week.
Despite the sitting on my bum from 8 AM to 5 PM, I loved this job. I was very sad when it ended in August of 2012. However, this job helped me land my next job in October. I began working at Kohl's as a cashier two weeks after my interview. At first, I liked my job. I liked the interaction process with the customers. I also enjoyed being a cashier. This job gave me the responsibility of insuring the customer leaves the store happy, uses all of his or her coupons and handling money. It also helped me to have a better appreciation for those who work in fast food or in retail. I know the struggle. To my luck, by November I was ready to leave. I was only hired at Kohl's for the holiday season, but it felt like I had been there for years. After Black Friday, I was ready to quit. The only enjoyment I would get out of my job after working Black Friday was the days they told me not to come in. The hours sucked, my coworkers were snobby and I was expected to perform my job duties and the job duties of a sale associate because my Kohl's fired all of their sales associates. Along with that, the supervisors and the higher-ranking cashiers made sure to lodge into your head that you must get as many customers as you can to sign up for their charge card or you could be fired. It was so competitive that my higher-ranking coworkers would barge in on your conversation with a customer just to make sure you signed them up. I hated it. It was a living nightmare. While working there, I felt like I would never have a good job without a degree. That was until I began working at the zoo.
Unemployed for four months, I began to give up hope. Down on my luck, I decided to try applying to the zoo again. I figured this time would be better than any because school was about to end soon and I had experience this time that I didn't have when I applied previously. Skipping ahead, my interview was set for April 24th at 12 PM and I was ecstatic. At the interview I was asked a few questions but it almost felt like a conversation more than an interview. My future employer and I clicked instantly after I told her how I survived working at Kohl's the night of Black Friday (my only favorite moment working at Kohl's). We laughed and giggled and she assured me that I would hear from the zoo soon. On May 2nd, after completing my last exam of the day, I received a phone call from the zoo asking if I would like to be a part of their team. I agreed with excitement and began my orientation the next day.
Now knowing my job history, I was ready to give any job a shot at this point. This time, for me, applying to the zoo was applying to a job I would love to work at. Kohl's had left such a bad sting in my butt that I did not want to have to work in retail again. That is why I was so happy when the zoo hired me. I was hired as a seasonal employee, meaning, I only work in the summer or during special events. As a college student, I had no issue with that. I needed as much flexibility with my school schedule as I could get. Working at the zoo allowed to know what it felt like to be a part of a work family. There are over 700 employees at my zoo and no matter what department you worked in, if you saw someone in a zoo work shirt, you immediately went to their rescue whether it was to open a door, say hello, offer help with a customer or just seeing each other outside of work. Working at the zoo helped me prove the theory that in order to have a great job that you love waking up in the morning to go to, you would need to graduate college first. Well the zoo was the job that made me happy and eager to go to in the morning and I didn't need a degree to do so. All I needed was my good morals, manners and willingness to please the customers.
I am very thrilled to be returning to the zoo.. Actually, as you read this I might just be at the zoo hehe. I hope you look forward to reading the future zany stories I experience while working this summer. If I remembered some from last summer, I would share, but my brain is currently mush (darn final exams!). I hope you enjoy!
♥
Reisha