My First Work Experience and Knowledge I Gained Essay

When I was a child, my dream was to find the work connected with managing people and
resources. The vision persisted until it became time for pursuing a college degree, where I
opted for a business course in Human Resource Management (HRM). I intended to be in a
position to lead people at the workplace. After graduating from school, luckily, I got an
internship program with one of the renowned retail companies called Costco Retailers.

The first working experience was memorable because I finally managed to become
independent and earn my first money. When I started working in the corporation, I changed
my mentality to adapt to the new system. This paper will discuss the experience during my first
job recruitment, skills, and knowledge gathered during this period. During the first working
experience, recruits should apply the theoretical knowledge in practice to avoid difficulties in
time-management, issue solving, and communication with clients and colleagues.

The time-management appeared to be a fundamental problem that I have faced during my

experience. It was a requirement that all the staff report one hour before the opening of the
stores. This was necessary to facilitate daily planning and arrangement of the work routine to
enhance the efficiency of the operations. It was difficult for me to manage time properly and
organize the activities of other people. I had to participate in various events and often failed to
perform my duties correctly. There even was a period of time when I was at significant risk of
being fired. I had to learn how to be time-conscious to overcome the pressure. I solved this
problem thanks to applying some time-management techniques.

Besides the time factor, another issue was working under pressure. During the first few
months, I was stationed at the customer care desk to attend to the clients’ queries. At this
position, several problems emerged that required immediate attention from the top managers
within the department. It was challenging to handle some inquiries because of the large
number of customers and the nature of their needs. The intensity to meet their expectation
was overwhelming, and it involved many commands from the senior staff.

Another problem that required theoretical knowledge from me was cultural diversity.
Shoppers consist of people from different races, gender, culture, and profession.
Communicating with customers was a nightmare, especially for those whose cultures tend to
diverge at some point. Sometimes you might offend people from different cultures without
noticing it. Nonetheless, thanks to their interactive nature and understanding, some clients
helped me learn how to communicate appropriately.

Generally, working with customers entails fluctuating motions since they come in different
moods with various expectations to be fulfilled. Meeting people from different backgrounds
increased my exposure and understanding of individuals behave in relation to their culture.
The race-tolerance strategies learned during my education helped me to adjust my
communicational style.

I thought handling customers was the main challenge of this position, but there was another
significant problem. Being a novice, young, and unfamiliar with the company’s system was
another terrifying encounter. At the customer care desk, we had co-workers who had been in
the institution for an extended period. These workers used to take advantage of the recruits by
assigning complex tasks and overworking them. I became a victim and felt exploited since I
could do twice what the other workers were doing. From one point of view, such pressure was
rational, aiming to increase my working skills. From the other point, I had moral difficulties
coping with a considerable amount of work while experienced colleagues did not offer me any
help.

It is also essential to mention which new skills I have gained during my working experience
which contribute to my professional development. Thanks to this organization, I gained
valuable knowledge and skills helpful for developing in this work industry. First, I gained an
understanding of how to communicate with customers and colleagues. Before joining the
Costco team, I thought managing people was easy to perform and did not require any special
knowledge. Thanks to this working experience, I have learned that communication and
management is a whole science that requires profound knowledge and well-developed
communicational skills. Therefore, I realized that it is critical to apply the behavioral analysis
approach to maintain effective communication.

Moreover, the company made me develop and improve my intrapersonal skills. Working with
people having different ages and cultures requires self-understanding (Horak & Matoskova,
2018). To be able to relate effectively with other staff members and even customers, I had to
learn how to communicate and listen. Communication is essential in advancing the
relationship amongst the business affiliates. The on-the-job experience made it easier to
comprehend and apply the skills. Here I also successfully applied the gained during my
education knowledge.

Surprisingly, technological knowledge was vital during my working experience. Furthermore,

being at the customer care desk exposed me to using the computer system to record, search,
monitor, and even communicate with the administration. I developed deep insight into
technology, and my computer knowledge increased. Through the period, I could use the
system to perform critical tasks like monitoring the level of inventory, tracking customers’
purchasing records, and updating new valuable information for clients. In addition, I was able
to analyze the trend of buyers, which was helpful for the administration for updating the
stocks.

Another critical skill that I acquired during the period was the ability to solve problems. At the
customer care desk, clients came with various issues ranging from sales of defective products
to poor service delivery. I have analyzed different literature on the topic of problem-solving.
Multiple techniques help the manager build good relationships with the customer and
colleagues (Funke et al., 2018). One of them is the culturally-tolerant attitude towards the
participants of communication. I developed a profound knowledge of managing different
circumstances to generate a proper solution by handling such issues. Seeing and learning how
the colleagues were regulating similar situations at work was vital and prompted self-
confidence. To make a decision, self-reliance is essential as it allows one to find their own
answers to the problem.

Generally, obtaining a job after completing coursework in college is beneficial because you can
gain valuable experience. On the job, learning makes the whole perspective different as it
comes with arrays of experiences both encouraging and demoralizing. Sometimes changing
and adapting to a new routine is difficult for the new employees. Furthermore, interacting with
various people at the workplace advance understanding and worldview of individuals.

The exposure also makes people gain the necessary knowledge and skills that are essential for
further carrier development. Joining the proper organization could impact the level of
experience individual gains. If people are ready to develop their knowledge and skills, asking
questions, elaborate new ideas, then the chances of attaining new skills at work are high. It is
also vital to implement the theoretical concept learned through education in practice. Thus,
applying theoretical concepts and constant development contributed to forming a positive
working experience.

References

Funke, J., Fischer, A., & Holt, D. V. (2018). Competencies for complexity: Problem solving in the
twenty-first century. In Assessment and teaching of 21st century skills (pp. 41-53). Springer,
Cham. Web.