My TOKTW Experience
I feel that I learned a lot today and i am very excited to share my observations and thoughts about my Mothers job today.
Name of your host: Soraya EbrahimKheil
Relationship to you: Mother
The Interview:
What is your job title?
Cashier/ Customer service at the front of the store
What is your job description?
I know how to do everything in the store so I am usually where ever they need someone to help whether that is on till, Drinks or sandwiches. I have been working here for almost 10 years.
What are the duties and/or tasks you perform at your job?
Half of my shift is just at the Soup and Sandwich station where I make the orders that people make. The other half, I am on the till, taking orders as well as making sure everyone is satisfied with their meal.
What qualifications do you have for this job in the following areas:
Training?:
I have been trained very well. I am also usually the person who trains people that are new to the job and helping them understand the workplace at how to function their stations. Of course, it was still very difficult for me because my English wasn’t the best at the time that I first came to Tim Hortons which was a some years after we came to Canada and moving from North Vancouver to Port Coquitlam.
Education?:
I finished university in Kabul, Afghanistan and after some conflict there, we moved to Canada so I would say I have enough education for this job. When we came to Canada, I went into a program to learn English so I could find job opportunities here. Of course, it was still difficult, but I managed and found myself working here at Tim Hortons.
Experience?:
When I used to live in Afghanistan with my husband, we were bankers working at a very big bank. I was an accountant so I was always talking with clients and customers making sure they were satisfied with their service. Those customer service skills I learned I think still are present at this job. After around 5 years working at the bank, I moved on to become a teacher because I always wanted to be a teacher, but I never really got the opportunity. In the end, based on my past jobs and experiences, I feel that I am qualified for this job that I have been working at for almost 10 years now.
Skills and attributes (personal qualities)?:
I always try to be very kind to others and try my best to make others happy. I am always trying to be in my best mood when it comes to talking with customers. We usually get the same customers coming in often, so I always try to make small talk to ensure that they are satisfied with the stores service and customer service.
I would also say that I am very experienced and a faster learner when it comes to new tasks and challenges.
What are some of the things you like about the job?
I really enjoy talking with the customers and helping anyone with any issues or concerns. I also try to be kind and respectful to not only my customers but also to my fellow coworkers. I have made so many friends here at my job, we have a lot of inside jokes and nicknames for each other. I am always very happy when I take orders from others because I really enjoy aiding them.
What are some of the things you dislike about this job?
Sometimes I get the occasional customer that is very rude and disrespectful to me or my coworkers and that really bothers me but thankfully its not very often but seldomly. I dislike when there isn’t respect being shown in the workplace because I feel that respect is key in any workplace in all forms.
How do you anticipate this job changing in the next 5 years or so?
I feel that we will be able to see a lot of changes but I can’t think of any big ones that could happen. There might be a possibility of me retiring in the coming 5 or more years. I don’t expect any huge changes to happen, but you never know…
Other question (s):
N/A
Student Reflection
Give three reasons why you would like this job (be specific):
- I feel that I would like this job for the fact that after learning about how hard my mom works here and how hard she’s worked to get here. It really inspires me to maybe start working here part-time just so I can get some experience. My brother and my sister also worked here with my mom for some time before they went off to university so that also gives me inspiration to follow in their footsteps.
- I would like this job because it really would give me an opportunity to support myself so that I could ease some stress off my parents backs with them knowing that I am in a stable position that I can sustain myself. At my age, it would benefit me to start saving up a lot so that in the future if I were to ever need it to buy something like a car, I would already have saved up that much myself to spend on something that could really benefit me.
- I found it super fun today and welcoming to be observing the entire store work and seeing all the stations and positions. I feel that I would really like it here at Tims because its such a friendly environment to be in even if its temporary.
Give three reasons why you would not like this job (be specific):
- One reason could be that it can be at times very overwhelming but of course after some training and experience I don’t think it would be a problem anymore.
- It did look very draining in the meaning of very exhausting especially during certain hours where it gets very busy in the store so that could be a reason why I would dislike it.
- I probably wouldn’t want this as my first job because it does get hectic at times so having this as my first job, I think isn’t the best option.
Is this job for you? Why or why not?
I could see myself doing this job but maybe not anytime soon. I would say that I would only do this job during the summer and only on some days. I don’t think this job is something I would do personally but its always an option open for me, so you never know when you’ll change your mind
Explain the value of the TOKTW experience in relation to your ideas about your post secondary (after highschool) plans (education?, training?, travel?, work?)
I think the experience is very valuable because it shows the base fundamentals for any future opportunities. In my case, its very valuable because it showed me certain aspects and attributes that you need to have in life in order to achieve the dreams you want. I want to go to university and become a structural engineer post High School and having some sort of experience early on can really inspire you to get to the positions that you want to get to.