I got my 'first' job... But I don't like it.
I started applying for jobs as soon as I finished university for the summer (currently between second and third year). I was lucky enough to get an interview for the first job I applied, and then got the job.
I had my first shift yesterday (working on a checkout, even though the job advertised was shelf-stacking) and I'm not sure if it's for me. I know most people don't like their jobs, but it really took me out of my comfort zone to the point where I felt a little bit uncomfortable in the role where I was put. The staff were welcoming and kind, but I didn't fit in.
I've had a little bit of training (few hours) but there are many scenarios where I have no idea what to do and when I asked I was given an answer which really didn't help. There wasn't much opportunity to ask either as I was serving customers right away and my focus was on them.
I don't want to quit after one day when I was so lucky to get the job in the first place. But I know if I continue I will be miserable there.
Advice please?
I had my first shift yesterday (working on a checkout, even though the job advertised was shelf-stacking) and I'm not sure if it's for me. I know most people don't like their jobs, but it really took me out of my comfort zone to the point where I felt a little bit uncomfortable in the role where I was put. The staff were welcoming and kind, but I didn't fit in.
I've had a little bit of training (few hours) but there are many scenarios where I have no idea what to do and when I asked I was given an answer which really didn't help. There wasn't much opportunity to ask either as I was serving customers right away and my focus was on them.
I don't want to quit after one day when I was so lucky to get the job in the first place. But I know if I continue I will be miserable there.
Advice please?
Original post by EloiseStar
I started applying for jobs as soon as I finished university for the summer (currently between second and third year). I was lucky enough to get an interview for the first job I applied, and then got the job.
I had my first shift yesterday (working on a checkout, even though the job advertised was shelf-stacking) and I'm not sure if it's for me. I know most people don't like their jobs, but it really took me out of my comfort zone to the point where I felt a little bit uncomfortable in the role where I was put. The staff were welcoming and kind, but I didn't fit in.
I've had a little bit of training (few hours) but there are many scenarios where I have no idea what to do and when I asked I was given an answer which really didn't help. There wasn't much opportunity to ask either as I was serving customers right away and my focus was on them.
I don't want to quit after one day when I was so lucky to get the job in the first place. But I know if I continue I will be miserable there.
Advice please?
I had my first shift yesterday (working on a checkout, even though the job advertised was shelf-stacking) and I'm not sure if it's for me. I know most people don't like their jobs, but it really took me out of my comfort zone to the point where I felt a little bit uncomfortable in the role where I was put. The staff were welcoming and kind, but I didn't fit in.
I've had a little bit of training (few hours) but there are many scenarios where I have no idea what to do and when I asked I was given an answer which really didn't help. There wasn't much opportunity to ask either as I was serving customers right away and my focus was on them.
I don't want to quit after one day when I was so lucky to get the job in the first place. But I know if I continue I will be miserable there.
Advice please?
I know its hard bud, but keep going, you can do it!!! Struggle in life makes us stronger and better as people. Just keep thinking positive!! And besides, if you really don't like it you can just quit eventually, nobody can force you.
Original post by flyingpanda786
I know its hard bud, but keep going, you can do it!!! Struggle in life makes us stronger and better as people. Just keep thinking positive!! And besides, if you really don't like it you can just quit eventually, nobody can force you.
My only issue with quitting is the longer I leave it, the more notice I have to give!
Original post by EloiseStar
My only issue with quitting is the longer I leave it, the more notice I have to give!
First days and weeks at jobs can be hard- it is kind of like learning to drive again before you've managed to get the pedals, checking the mirrors and changing gears all down together. You'll get there though! There is a lot more human interaction at the tills and while you don't know a lot, the important thing is to ask. My employer said recently "You were so easy and fit in so well because you just asked questions when you needed to." And that is what you need to do, they know you are new, so wouldn't expect you to know everything.
Original post by EloiseStar
I started applying for jobs as soon as I finished university for the summer (currently between second and third year). I was lucky enough to get an interview for the first job I applied, and then got the job.
I had my first shift yesterday (working on a checkout, even though the job advertised was shelf-stacking) and I'm not sure if it's for me. I know most people don't like their jobs, but it really took me out of my comfort zone to the point where I felt a little bit uncomfortable in the role where I was put. The staff were welcoming and kind, but I didn't fit in.
I've had a little bit of training (few hours) but there are many scenarios where I have no idea what to do and when I asked I was given an answer which really didn't help. There wasn't much opportunity to ask either as I was serving customers right away and my focus was on them.
I don't want to quit after one day when I was so lucky to get the job in the first place. But I know if I continue I will be miserable there.
Advice please?
I had my first shift yesterday (working on a checkout, even though the job advertised was shelf-stacking) and I'm not sure if it's for me. I know most people don't like their jobs, but it really took me out of my comfort zone to the point where I felt a little bit uncomfortable in the role where I was put. The staff were welcoming and kind, but I didn't fit in.
I've had a little bit of training (few hours) but there are many scenarios where I have no idea what to do and when I asked I was given an answer which really didn't help. There wasn't much opportunity to ask either as I was serving customers right away and my focus was on them.
I don't want to quit after one day when I was so lucky to get the job in the first place. But I know if I continue I will be miserable there.
Advice please?
My first day behind the deli--counter (when I was in yr 12), the rest of the staff left me on my own to cover for their lunch break. I had barely 3 hours of training and made loads of mistakes which the customers started pointing out.. The queues built up and I felt seriously stressed!
A real baptism in fire and nothing ever seemed that difficult to cope with from then onwards.
Original post by uberteknik
Stick with it. At first, every situation will be new but you will remember each for the next time. After a while, you will find that most situations simply repeat and the times you need to think on your feet become far less frequent.
My first day behind the deli--counter (when I was in yr 12), the rest of the staff left me on my own to cover for their lunch break. I had barely 3 hours of training and made loads of mistakes which the customers started pointing out.. The queues built up and I felt seriously stressed!
A real baptism in fire and nothing ever seemed that difficult to cope with from then onwards.
My first day behind the deli--counter (when I was in yr 12), the rest of the staff left me on my own to cover for their lunch break. I had barely 3 hours of training and made loads of mistakes which the customers started pointing out.. The queues built up and I felt seriously stressed!
A real baptism in fire and nothing ever seemed that difficult to cope with from then onwards.
I too felt that at points it was like a baptism in fire. Every time I did not do something to the book, it was pointed out. Which I appreciate that will be the only way I will learn. However, pointing out I'm doing something wrong when I have had no training on it is not constructive at all.
Original post by EloiseStar
I started applying for jobs as soon as I finished university for the summer (currently between second and third year). I was lucky enough to get an interview for the first job I applied, and then got the job.
I had my first shift yesterday (working on a checkout, even though the job advertised was shelf-stacking) and I'm not sure if it's for me. I know most people don't like their jobs, but it really took me out of my comfort zone to the point where I felt a little bit uncomfortable in the role where I was put. The staff were welcoming and kind, but I didn't fit in.
I've had a little bit of training (few hours) but there are many scenarios where I have no idea what to do and when I asked I was given an answer which really didn't help. There wasn't much opportunity to ask either as I was serving customers right away and my focus was on them.
I don't want to quit after one day when I was so lucky to get the job in the first place. But I know if I continue I will be miserable there.
Advice please?
I had my first shift yesterday (working on a checkout, even though the job advertised was shelf-stacking) and I'm not sure if it's for me. I know most people don't like their jobs, but it really took me out of my comfort zone to the point where I felt a little bit uncomfortable in the role where I was put. The staff were welcoming and kind, but I didn't fit in.
I've had a little bit of training (few hours) but there are many scenarios where I have no idea what to do and when I asked I was given an answer which really didn't help. There wasn't much opportunity to ask either as I was serving customers right away and my focus was on them.
I don't want to quit after one day when I was so lucky to get the job in the first place. But I know if I continue I will be miserable there.
Advice please?
Maybe give it longer than a day.
Original post by TurboCretin
Maybe give it longer than a day.
I'm certain I will go to my next shift, but if things do not improve, then I will leave.
Think of it like this - you've got a definite end date when you know you'll leave (to go back to uni). That's a luxury many people don't have.
Anything that takes you out of your comfort zone, even for a little bit, will give you experiences you wouldn't otherwise have, and you'll develop as a person because of it. Unless you've got another job to go to (or expect you can find one pretty quickly) I'd suggest sticking it out for the summer - it's only a couple of months which is nothing in the grand scheme of things. It'll also look better on your CV, rather than leaving so quickly. Good luck!
Anything that takes you out of your comfort zone, even for a little bit, will give you experiences you wouldn't otherwise have, and you'll develop as a person because of it. Unless you've got another job to go to (or expect you can find one pretty quickly) I'd suggest sticking it out for the summer - it's only a couple of months which is nothing in the grand scheme of things. It'll also look better on your CV, rather than leaving so quickly. Good luck!
Original post by EloiseStar
I'm certain I will go to my next shift, but if things do not improve, then I will leave.
It's going to take longer than 2 shifts to feel comfortable. You need to be tough and stick it out if you really need the job. It will get easier but not as instantly as you expect.
It's very unrealistic to expect to feel immediately in your comfort zone when you're literally in a new place where you don't know what you're doing yet. It's normal to feel a bit discombobulated when starting a new job, but the good news is that it passes as you start to get the hang of the role. One shift (or even two or three) isn't enough time for that to happen, though.
Even if you don't need the money, I would encourage you to stick with the job, because that having-a-new-job-and-feeling-all-at-sea feeling is something you'll meet again in the future, even when it comes to whatever career you seek in the long term, so learning how to deal with it now is all to the good. And if you do need the money, definitely stick with it - chances are, if you ditch this job and find another one, you'll feel just the same there (by which time the newbie feeling would be wearing off if you'd just stayed put in your current job).
Even if you don't need the money, I would encourage you to stick with the job, because that having-a-new-job-and-feeling-all-at-sea feeling is something you'll meet again in the future, even when it comes to whatever career you seek in the long term, so learning how to deal with it now is all to the good. And if you do need the money, definitely stick with it - chances are, if you ditch this job and find another one, you'll feel just the same there (by which time the newbie feeling would be wearing off if you'd just stayed put in your current job).
Original post by EloiseStar
I'm certain I will go to my next shift, but if things do not improve, then I will leave.
If nothing else, this should motivate you to do well at uni and develop the skills you need to find a job after graduation. Nobody wants to spend their life saying 'next please' or 'would you like fries with that'. I know that isn't your issue with the work, but it shows you how life can be when you don't have options.
I would stick it out for at least a couple of weeks.
(edited 8 years ago)
The checkout is the best place to be, you get to sit down 
. Dont worry about it, customers 99% of the time are very nice people, if you have a problem you can't deal with apologise saying its my first job, this informs them that you're not just wasting their time and will make you feel calmer as you ask a collegue. If you work in Tescos or such then you have managers always buzzing around the tills.
It is a great thing to be out of your comfort zone, the world is a big place, the bigger your comfort zone the better equipped you are to deal with situations in the future. Do not quit. Even if you dislike the job initially, it is experience, you get references you can use and most of all you get a little pocket money.
Take it a day at a time, try and mix with colleagues over lunch, or quiet periods, as soon as you make friends in the work place everything is brighter
. Dont worry about it, customers 99% of the time are very nice people, if you have a problem you can't deal with apologise saying its my first job, this informs them that you're not just wasting their time and will make you feel calmer as you ask a collegue. If you work in Tescos or such then you have managers always buzzing around the tills.It is a great thing to be out of your comfort zone, the world is a big place, the bigger your comfort zone the better equipped you are to deal with situations in the future. Do not quit. Even if you dislike the job initially, it is experience, you get references you can use and most of all you get a little pocket money.
Take it a day at a time, try and mix with colleagues over lunch, or quiet periods, as soon as you make friends in the work place everything is brighter
It's early days and you still have a lot to learn. You may end up enjoying it once you know exactly what you're doing and start to feel more comfortable so just give it some time. I just left a company I was with for one month. I thought I could never get the hang of things (it was a sales job), then I started to do well in my 3rd week but the actual job itself I didn't like - long hours, lots of driving and not enough pay. So I left. Life is too short to be doing something you don't enjoy.
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