I began working as a Dining Assistant for the 8 at McMahon residence hall at the beginning of my sophomore year of college. After holding a job with the Boys & Girls Club for about a year, the time commitment eventually became too much and I was forced to leave a job that I loved in order to direct my focus on school. This offer came to me at the perfect time and I gladly accepted. I instantly clicked with my co-workers and bosses, the scope of my duties and being a part of the local food industry.
Like the Boys & Girls Club, this job was more than just work. It allowed me to push myself to be an organized and productive student as well as become more financially independent. Furthermore, my workplace was full of students who were all in the same position as me. At times of high stress, I felt comfortable turning to my coworkers who could sympathize with me and propose realistic solutions to healthily overcome any troubles I may have been experiencing.
Here is what I did...
Gained an in depth understanding of food safety and got hands on experience with local food networks
Applied basic math skills and interpersonal communication when working the cashier’s booth
Assisted lead chefs in food preparation
Served under strict time constraints
UW Dining Hat from Uniform
The 8
Competencies I Gained...
Responsibility for Personal Behavior: College itself is a full-time job, but I wanted to challenge myself to do more. To me, it is one thing to say you had a job in college and another to hold one the entire time you’re a student. I wanted a taste of the real world before entering it. The most difficult aspect of working during school was time management. The only person responsible for my behavior was me. In times where I had what felt like an intolerable amount of work, it was my duty as an employee to refrain from calling out but instead to manage my time in a way that prevented those internal debates from happening. Additionally, I was responsible for my behavior at work in the ways that I treated my customers and fellow employees, regardless of my levels of stress.
Verbal Communication: The food industry is one that is centered entirely around customer service. To be successful in this field, verbal communication is key. Large scale food service is fast paced and requires information to be relayed efficiently and in a mature manner whether it’s the front of the house or back of the house. How you treat a customer is a direct influence on their happiness with your service and the product they are receiving.
Diversity: From my work as a Dining Assistant, I experienced diversity not only in the scope of duties I was assigned to but also in the variety of customers and coworkers I worked alongside. One day I might be on cleanup duty, the next I would be working in the back of the house, another I would be on the line or the cashier’s booth and I’d also hop from restaurant to restaurant. Work was never boring because I never went in knowing what to expect. Aside from the diversity in my duties was diversity in my coworkers and customers. I was given the opportunity to meet people from across the globe and become more educated on cultures apart from my own.
Conflict Negotiation: If a customer has an issue, you are the first person they come to and you must be prepared to help them in any way they need. At times, customers can also be picky and irrational. I’ve encountered numerous situations where although it was the customers mistake, you must put them first and negotiate in a way that is not disruptive to your work environment and keeps them happy.
The biggest takeaways from this position that I held with UW’s Housing & Food Services is how to manage my time as a student and employee in addition to developing my interpersonal interaction skills. In the near future, these are both skills that I will use on a daily basis and I am thankful that I was able to start developing them early and continue to grow as I am introduced to more professional settings. I feel confident in the fact that I can work well alongside a multitude of different types of people and form meaningful relationships with them if I choose to.