A journey
In September of 2010 I interviewed for a job at Meijer. I showed up in a shirt and tie. I thought about wearing a suit, but I knew there were no management positions open, so I thought it would look a little ridiculous. The guy who interviewed right before me was in blue jeans (with some stains on them) and a T-shirt that told you his music preference.
My car had broken down a few days before and the bus did not go all the way to the store, so I waked a few miles from the nearest stop. I knew calling and rescheduling would look unprofessional and I needed to be employed. During the interview with Marcy and Colleen I recall a few things. I recall them being impressed with my education. I remember them saying that several of the standard interview questions they had to ask were dumb. I also remembered them asking where they think I would fit in best. "Oh, well I think I have a good rapport with people. As an educator I have often worked with large groups and with individuals. So something in customer service would fit me best I think."
They put me on third shift. In charge of the inventory. Which meant a lot of time in the back room. Away from people. I had to lie and tell people that I was excited to have a job. "A job is better than no job at all," I said over and over again, wanting to believe it. I felt like a failure. I had a college education. I had worked in the professional world. I was used to $30,000 a year with benefits and more vacation time than you can shake a stick at. Now I was part time, making $8.45 an hour, no benefits, and no time off in the foreseeable future.
After about two months I remember seeing the bills that were coming in that we had to somehow pay. I told my wife I had to go to work early. Another lie. I cried in the car. I just sat there and wept, ashamed of my job and how pathetic I was. I had to do something.
I got very lucky. In January I applied to be in management. I began eating lunch with my boss and my boss's boss. I made sure I was not just the overnight IA, but Matt, their friend. I told jokes, listened to their stories, and began reading books that they were reading. So when the time came and an opening occurred, both of them suggested me to the Ben, the store director. By April I had moved up to lower management. With it came a significant pay raise and a feeling of self worth.
Now I am getting ready to move up again. My new boss is being transferred. They asked me to apply for his job. I interviewed with a woman with possible mob ties to get it. This Sunday I will move up the rung again. It will mean a lot of hard work on my part, but it also means better pay and a better looking resume.
In some ways my journey upwards has been very short. To go from the newest peon to Lines Leader in charge of five departments and 70 people is not too shabby. In other ways it has been a long journey. I knew people were watching me, so I had to be on my A game as much as possible. And even now I will have some people watching me to see if I succeed or fail.
All in all, I am very lucky. My wife has been so supportive of me during this time. She was encouraging and any feelings of inadequacies I had because of my job were never because of her. I have lately begun to go to church, and I can't help but think it has been part of the reason for my recent success. Not that I think God said, "Well you showed up on Sunday, so now you get your reward," but rather that going helped me feel better about myself and allowed me to see that God was still there and loved me. That never hurts your chances, I feel.
My car had broken down a few days before and the bus did not go all the way to the store, so I waked a few miles from the nearest stop. I knew calling and rescheduling would look unprofessional and I needed to be employed. During the interview with Marcy and Colleen I recall a few things. I recall them being impressed with my education. I remember them saying that several of the standard interview questions they had to ask were dumb. I also remembered them asking where they think I would fit in best. "Oh, well I think I have a good rapport with people. As an educator I have often worked with large groups and with individuals. So something in customer service would fit me best I think."
They put me on third shift. In charge of the inventory. Which meant a lot of time in the back room. Away from people. I had to lie and tell people that I was excited to have a job. "A job is better than no job at all," I said over and over again, wanting to believe it. I felt like a failure. I had a college education. I had worked in the professional world. I was used to $30,000 a year with benefits and more vacation time than you can shake a stick at. Now I was part time, making $8.45 an hour, no benefits, and no time off in the foreseeable future.
After about two months I remember seeing the bills that were coming in that we had to somehow pay. I told my wife I had to go to work early. Another lie. I cried in the car. I just sat there and wept, ashamed of my job and how pathetic I was. I had to do something.
I got very lucky. In January I applied to be in management. I began eating lunch with my boss and my boss's boss. I made sure I was not just the overnight IA, but Matt, their friend. I told jokes, listened to their stories, and began reading books that they were reading. So when the time came and an opening occurred, both of them suggested me to the Ben, the store director. By April I had moved up to lower management. With it came a significant pay raise and a feeling of self worth.
Now I am getting ready to move up again. My new boss is being transferred. They asked me to apply for his job. I interviewed with a woman with possible mob ties to get it. This Sunday I will move up the rung again. It will mean a lot of hard work on my part, but it also means better pay and a better looking resume.
In some ways my journey upwards has been very short. To go from the newest peon to Lines Leader in charge of five departments and 70 people is not too shabby. In other ways it has been a long journey. I knew people were watching me, so I had to be on my A game as much as possible. And even now I will have some people watching me to see if I succeed or fail.
All in all, I am very lucky. My wife has been so supportive of me during this time. She was encouraging and any feelings of inadequacies I had because of my job were never because of her. I have lately begun to go to church, and I can't help but think it has been part of the reason for my recent success. Not that I think God said, "Well you showed up on Sunday, so now you get your reward," but rather that going helped me feel better about myself and allowed me to see that God was still there and loved me. That never hurts your chances, I feel.