"Personal Narrative" by Isaac L

 

When my sister was 16 and driving I always badgered her on when she was going to get a job because she always said she was going to get a summer job but never followed through. My sister did not end up getting her first job until she was 18 and out of high school. And of all the jobs you can possibly get as an 18-year-old with a diploma, she got a job in fast food and she only got it because her friend worked there and vouched for her. After getting this job, she only worked there for a couple of months, though she complained about someone or something every night when she came home. As you can see it would be very hypocritical of me if I did not show some initiative and get a job of my own at the age of 16 to prove to her that it really was not that hard. The main issue with attempting to find a job is the work and time that goes with it and to me, extra work is the enemy. So when I decided that I was going to attempt to find a job for myself I looked up job titles that would interest me but the majority of them required you to be 18 just as I was ready to give up I received a canvas notification. I typically ignore notifications from my canvas email because they are junk mail in the sense that they go over things that don’t concern me or things that have already been gone over by my teachers. I still check every time just to be sure though and this time I was not disappointed. It was Tuesday the 8th of February 2022 and I was ecstatic I read an advertisement that explained to me that Baskin Robbins was hiring and the ad elaborated that they wanted workers 16 and over and did not require you to have previous work experience or a resume. The creation of a resume is what was holding me back because I was too lazy to make one. Another plus of their application process was that it was in person with a physical application. As soon as I was done reading it I got in my car to pursue this job opportunity. I had assumed it was the one right by the school but as I read the advertisement more carefully I soon discovered it was a different location a little bit further away that was fine by me though because I enjoy driving. As I drove I was gitty with excitement in hopes of landing myself a job the weather was a perfect 75 degrees that day and the sun was shining. When I finally got there I awkwardly requested an application from the older gentlemen behind the counter and hurriedly filled it out. When I walked in there was someone else also filling out an application but they left without handing it in. I was pleased by this as there would be less competition for the job. While filling out the application I got to the references portion and was unsure what to put but I soon remembered all the odd jobs I had done for my neighbors in the past to make a little extra money. I put down one of my most frequent customer's phone numbers, with their permission of course, and then checked no on the felony box. Once I was done I rushed up to the counter and handed it in and due to the store being so quiet on this particular day I was able to receive an interview on the spot. The Interview went well and they told me they would give me a call. Once I got home I paced around in suspense half expecting to never hear from them again but then 5:30 rolled around and I got a call from the owner of the store explaining to me that I needed to do the online training course as well as get my food handler's permit. I completed both items that night and she told me my first day would be on Saturday the 12th. This event occurred just over a year and a half ago when I was unknowing of just how much it would mean for me. This job has allowed me to get experience in the workforce, build skills in customer service, and given me the ability to save money for my future. I am forever grateful to that man behind the counter for taking a chance on me.