Where my reputation has really come through and that I've noticeably worked on and retained would have to be at the restaurant I work at in downtown Champaign. Me and my boyfriend actually work there and we have been known as the couple that gets things done and works really well together. We will always stay really late to make sure that the restaurant is in perfect condition and that our boss is happy.
My reputation was not always like that though. It started off as me being the hardest working server on my own before I got my boyfriend a job there. Some might say that he is "stealing my thunder" or whatever but I do not see it that way at all. We are a team and we piggy back off each other when it comes to working. He is more of the meticulous type, meaning he always needs everything to be perfect and takes his time. I am the type that likes things done quickly and efficiently. So as you might have guessed, this combination works perfectly.
When it comes to my reputation at work, at this point I like where it is and would like to keep it that way. I have worked very hard to get where I am at that restaurant to create great personal relationships with all of my co-workers and my boss. Which is good because a lot of people are let go due to the owner simply not liking them. Politics of the restaurant play a huge role in keeping this job or being promoted.
I do not think there has ever been an instance where I strayed away from my reputation. I am pretty much always aware of what I am doing and what image I am giving off because as a server, we are contently being judged by customers, the owner and managers of the restaurant, and other servers and chefs. I have seen instances where other servers have abandoned their reputation or went in the wrong way with their reputation. For instance, one of the servers has a very inappropriate relationship with the owner, so you can say she has a bad reputation amongst the rest of the restaurant.
All in all, I can say that I like where I fit at my job and wouldn't want to change anything.
Happy Thanksgiving!!
The way you've told the story, there are some things I don't understand. One is whether this is a job for you while you are a student, but once you graduate you expect to get a job elsewhere. Or might it be a career for you?
ReplyDeleteIf you still have several semesters at the university before you graduate, then maybe this might not seem pressing to you at this point. But as you get closer to graduation it will clearly matter. And if you do get a job elsewhere before you graduate, that you will start only once you have a degree, would that then impact how you go about your work in the restaurant.
The other part about this that you and I have gone back and forth on over the semester, is whether doing a great job at the restaurant comes at some cost in terms of how well you do in your classes. If such a cost does exist, then while you seem to be comfortable with your choice on how to manage that tradeoff I confess to not understanding your prioritization. My bias would be to encourage you to move some of your effort from the restaurant to school. In that I'd try to get you to think through immediate rewards versus longer term benefit. Of course the choice is ultimately yours to make, but it would be good for you to do that with full consideration of the alternatives.
Let me make one other point and then close. If you like doing something, you tend to do it intensively. Then you develop a reputation for that. But I have talked earlier in the semester about something called experimental consumption, where you do more consumption of something so you can learn more about whether you like it or not. That idea also applies to work and to school. You really need to sample each intensively so you can learn for yourself what is a good fit for you.
The balance between school and work is never ending, but I think that I have done a pretty good job when it comes to how many classes I am taking and supporting myself. The restaurant job is just a job I have right now as a student, I obviously do not intend on making that my career. I was simply saying that my reputation at work is that I am a hard worker. I'm sorry if you feel that doesn't show through in my schoolwork.
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