Expanding on my skills

Originally published October 15, 2019

In my profile there are a list of skills I have, and I'd like to go over them in case there were any concerns or questions about them, or just so that anyone reading this could know a bit more about me. ☺

Communication: I took a couple communication classes in college, and I consider myself a good communicator.  I am very good at communicating through e-mail and I have a lot of experience communicating over the phone from my past job.  I know how to approach certain situations and I know what language to use in difficult situations, like handling a difficult customer.

Basic HTML: It's not much, but I know basic HTML.  I took a few computer classes in high school which taught me this, as well as a couple computer science classes in college.  I guess you could say I have a basic understanding of C++ and Javascript as well, although it's been a little while and I didn't fully understand C++ programming in the computer science class I took. 

Type 75+ WPM: I can type 75 or more words per minute.  As I said in my "Ways to stay productive" post, I increased my typing speed 20 words per minute by all the writing and blogging I did in my free time over the past few years.  I often do typing tests just for fun, such as the one on typingtest.com, and unless I get distracted I always get at least 75 WPM, my best being in the low 80's.  I remember around when I was in high school, I would have to look down every so often to see where I was typing, but now I can type without having to look at the keyboard at all.  I don't think I have the perfect typing technique because my hands aren't ever set at the A-F, J-; positions and I make a few errors, but I am working on fine-tuning my typing skills and trying to cut down on the errors.  As the saying goes, practice makes perfect. 

Microsoft Word/Excel Proficiency: If you can believe it, I used Word and Excel a bit at my last job, mostly with bookkeeping.  I have also used them quite a bit at home.  I've used these programs since the '99 versions came out, so I have almost 20 years of experience with them.  And with all my experience in using these two programs, it's safe to say I'm "proficient" at using them.  And now with me having used them a bit here, I learned even more things about these two programs, so I feel confident in using either of them for basically anything.  I wouldn't consider myself an "expert" at using Excel or Word, but I certainly believe I know more than the average person.

Time Management: At my last job, time management was a critical part of certain roles I was assigned.  I was on occasion the Front End Manager, which meant I had to schedule people's breaks accordingly and know when I could get other things done besides attending to the front end.  I was also on occasion the bookkeeper or closing customer service person, which meant I had to manage my time wisely so I could finish my jobs on time and not have to stay late.   The main thing I took away from everything was to learn to prioritize.  Get stuff that has to be done, done first.  But the main reason I believe I have this skill is that I took an assessment for time management on Indeed and I scored a "Highly Proficient". 

Basic Bookkeeping: As I said above, I was the occasional bookkeeper for my old store.  I had to balance all areas of income for the store and I had to balance checkstand lanes using the Veribalance program.  It wasn't extremely difficult thanks to the programs we used, which is why I said "basic" bookkeeping, but I did learn a few things about bookkeeping that could potentially help me in the future.  

Customer Service: Working a decade in retail, it's hard not to develop a great customer service skill.  I learned how to act towards customers.  Basically, it involves being a good listener and telling them what they want to hear (even if it's not true or you don't believe it).  If you can't, do your best to explain to them why you can't and try to get them to put themselves in your shoes.  Of course that doesn't work with everyone, as some people are incapable of any sympathy whatsoever.  And then if you have to deal with someone upset, just knowing that they're having a worse day than you are works pretty well for me.  But customer service is also seeming to be in a positive mood (even if you're not) and give everyone you help a smile.  

Lottery Sales: Part of my job working the customer service desk was selling Lottery tickets for the Washington State Lottery.  I know as much about the Lottery games as anyone, having sold them for four years.  I could easily jump back in and sell them again right now, having not lost any knowledge of the games.  It does take a bit of time to learn all there is to know about the games, and in lottery sales you have to remain upbeat and keep telling customers they'll win next time, even though they probably won't. 

Trained as a Western Union Money Transfer Agent: Western Union if you didn't know, is a money transfer service available across the globe.  You can basically send money from anywhere in the world to anywhere else in the world.  I got trained to be an agent who sends money for people to various destinations across the globe.  I also got experience with spotting scams and fraud attempts, which I can say we definitely got a few of those.  This also involved having the patience to assist someone who doesn't know what they're doing or who made a mistake.  On some unfortunate occasions I had to help customers for close to half an hour to fix an error, which most of that time was taken up by calling Western Union and getting them to fix the error.

There are more professional skills I have acquired, but aren't quite that interesting or relevant.  I am trained to operate an electric pallet jack, because I put the perishable grocery loads away on occasion.  I have done inventory as both a bookkeeper (for money, lottery tickets, stamps, etc.) and for grocery items.  I got trained to use two different POS (Point of Sale) systems, an older one with a bunch of buttons and a newer one with a touch screen.  I have cash handling as a skill as I am able to do quick math when it comes to money if need be.  Also, as I told every interviewer in my job search process, I have a work ethic that I consider to be unmatched.  At my last job, I would often stay late if I hadn't finished the necessary stuff on time (usually because we were busy).  I would stay late to cover shifts for people who called in sick.  I worked a 12 hour day a few times, from 10 to 10, because we had someone who was battling a sickness and their position couldn't be covered by many people.  

But I think my most important skill I possess is my willingness and ability to learn, and fairly quickly I might add.  I enjoy learning new things and adding skills and things I know how to do to my repertoire.  Whenever someone is willing to show me something new, I show just as much willingness to learn and/or improve.  And as I said, I am a fairly quick learner and once I figure things out I just go like nothing can stop me.  Learning a new skill is fun for me and the first few times I employ that skill are fun as well.

Working a typical Mon-Fri work week

Originally published October 4, 2019

For the first time in my working adult life I am working a typical work schedule.  My hours aren't the most common (7:30 am-4 pm), but I am working Monday through Friday.  Before, I worked in retail (a grocery store, to be specific), and my days varied.  My most common days off then were Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday and sometimes Monday.  Occasionally I'd get other days of the week off but it was rare.  Now they are always Saturday and Sunday.  It's taking a bit to get used to.  I haven't had Saturdays and Sundays off on a consistent basis since I was in school.

I love having the typical weekends, Saturday and Sunday, off.  The main reason being I am off at the same time as everyone else, especially my girlfriend.  It's two days in a row off as well; something that really recharges the mind and body.  I also love having Sundays off, especially this time of year, because of football.  I love watching NFL games, and the day of the week they are mostly on is of course Sunday.  I used to miss Seahawks games constantly, and I would resort to watching them later, having already learned the outcome.  Not anymore.  

Although I am now experiencing the dreg of the typical work week.  Often times during my retail job I'd get my days off separated and I'd work only 3 or 4 days before my next day off.  I also worked a lot of varying shifts so I may work five days in a row, but I might have one day off at 1 PM and the next day I don't work until 1:30 PM, so in essence it was like a day off.  So working the same shift every day in itself is taking some getting used to.  My body has basically been accustomed to not​ having a regular schedule for a long time, so it will take a while to get used to.

Honestly, this is what I was going for when looking for a new job.  Too many times I have missed things, even holidays, because I worked a retail job that got busy at those times.  I've missed a few Thanksgivings, I've missed being able to celebrate on Independence Day and New Years.  Me being the huge football fan I am, I have even missed a big chunk of a Super Bowl game.  Not anymore.  I want to be able to enjoy things with my friends and family like most other people do. 

As many people know, I am very flexible.  At my old job I worked as early as 5 in the morning and as late as 2 at night.  I am pretty good at toughing out different schedules whether they be early shifts or late shifts.  I used to say at my old job that the consistent schedules were the ones that bothered me most because I was so accustomed to a variable schedule.  I ended up being my store's interim Front End Manager after the previous Front End Manager left for another job, and I ended up working 10-7 five days a week for a good part of six months.  That was hard for me to do because it basically took up my entire day and I was too exhausted to do anything after work, such as cook.  Now, I get off at 4 and have all evening to relax, spend with my friends, and I have enough energy to cook and/or do some household chores.

I have to admit this new schedule is having some weird effects on me.  I am now getting sleepy before even 10 PM.  That hasn't happened to me since high school, if not further back.  Before working the 7:30-4 grind, I wouldn't get sleepy until 11:30 PM ​at least​.  I guess it's a good thing to be on an earlier sleep schedule.  Although, while my body is used to getting sleepy early, there is also the counter-affect of waking up much earlier.  For starting at 7:30, I do not have to wake up until 6 or so, but my body almost always wants to wake up at 5, if not earlier.  Honestly, it's something I can live with; it not only gives me time to watch TV or think about the upcoming day, but I enjoy not being suddenly awakened by an alarm.  I've only had my alarm wake me once or twice so far in three weeks of this schedule.

I also used to despise Fridays and Saturdays.  Working in retail will make you hate days of the week you're not supposed to, and vice-versa.  You'll love days you're not supposed to like Monday and Tuesday.  Now, I love Fridays and I am doing my best to enjoy the weekends.  And, like that Loverboy song, everybody's working for the weekend, myself included.  I no longer have to dread the holidays; at least I don't have to worry about how busy work will be right before them.

Work is a part of life and I think we in western society have established a good routine.  Most of us work Monday to Friday with Saturday and Sunday off.  I think it was designed that way for a reason; as if on average it takes two full days to recover from five days of work.  Anyway, I like this schedule, and it seems like weeks are flying by faster than they used to.  Just got to get through one day at a time.