5 skills your casual job can teach you

Jun 30, 2022

Getting a part-time/casual job is one of the best things you can do throughout high school. They may not be the most glamorous jobs in the world, but they’re more than just a way to finance your Ocean Alley tickets or your first car, they’re majorly character building and actually teach you great life skills, so they’re totally worth it. 

Let’s be honest, hospitality jobs aren’t always smooth sailing, but after overcoming the challenges of Karen customer’s and the stress of the increasing number of orders you’ve got, you develop a skill set you can carry with you worldwide, across any career or life experience. Here’s our top 5 skills you’ll learn through having a casual job in hospo. 

1. Staying optimistic, in challenging environments
Ever had one of those days where you pressed snooze on your alarm one too many times, couldn’t find an even pair of socks, missed the bus and spilt your coffee all over your jeans all before 9am? We all have them… and the last thing you want to do is ‘service with a smile’ for a few hours. But developing a ‘glass half full’ attitude especially when you feel like your glass is empty is an amazing skill and personable attribute to have. It’ll make life and your work more enjoyable, and can even make your shifts feel shorter! 

2. How to take initiative 
Taking initiative means you see something that needs to be done, and you do just do it without anyone telling you to. We all have that one coworker that seems to turn up and get paid for doing nothing all day… no one wants to be that person. Truth is, learning to take some initiative by wiping down the counters or taking the bins out when needed, makes life for you and everyone else so much easier. 

3. The art of multitasking
Working at a cafe or restaurant means you’ll have a million different things on your plate at once. Remembering the order at table 6, greeting the customers that just walked in, table 8 wants tomato sauce, filling everyone’s water and of course keeping on your smile. The art of juggling multiple things at once is a refined skill and while hospo is a hard gig, you’ll become a multitasking genius. 

4. Effective Communication
Communication is a skill you need to use on a daily basis, and learning different levels of communication, and how to do this effectively will be incredibly beneficial. Learning how to respectfully talk to your boss who rostered you on to shifts you said you’re not available for, or talking to the customer who is having a go at you for reasons beyond your control is a pretty cool skill to have nailed!

5. Teamwork
Teamwork makes the dreamwork! Learning how to work with others is a crucial skill to be on top of. Helping each other out, making each other’s lives easier makes work so much more enjoyable. Laughing, crying and #bonding together, you’ll get to work with a great range of people in hospo which is why it’s one of the best industries. 

These skills seem pretty straightforward and simple but they’re skills that can’t be learnt in any classroom or textbook. The kind of soft skills that can take you from a back room to a boardroom in a few years and that help you really separate from the crowd. 
What do you think, feel like you can rise to the challenge and step out of the comfort zone in hospo? 

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