I need some honest help with finding a job now...

[wdwfan16]

I walk down to the end of our street 1/2 mile. Then hop on a bus that goes to the end of that street, where the 56 (magic kingdom) bus picks up at. Get off at the TTC, take the DTD resort shuttle to the last stop, and then walk the 3-4 blocks to qdoba. My aunt is sending me a check so I can get a month bus pass (4$ a day to take the bus).
It's a pain, but it's the only way to get there. There is no other bus that goes north from 192. I've been showing up 15mins early, and only having to leave 3hrs early. I haven't meet any one that lives remotely close to Kissimmee.

I am glad that you are able to use the bus. Eventually you can move to a place where the bus is easier for you.

That is nice that your Aunt is buying your a monthly bus pass.

 

[SandrA9810]

so i'm doing alright... But as always.. I'm slow. Always have been always will be. It usually takes me months to get up to speed like every one else.

i like working the lunch shift because it's easier to get to. And i wouldn't have a way home if i worked till closing because the bus doesn't run that late. But lunch is the busiest time.

I still pause and think when i go to make an order... Which is generally the first couple times till i get in the swing of it. But he doesn't trust me to keep up with the lunch rush, so i get booted to the lobby. Which really doesn't require monitoring, usually every 20 mins or so a sweep through. So i do take my time as to not stand around, because if i ask if there's anything else to do, i'm told no.
The first day i did get overwhelmed, but now i know all the things that need to get done.
Today i got to try my hand at cutting lettuce... Again really slow. It took me like a half hour to do something that's only supposed to take five minutes. My biggest problem was wearing the chainmill glove over a glove, with another large glove on top, and i kept cutting the tip off because it was too big. It only took my like three or four heads of lettuce to figure out my groove. His way wasn't exactly working for me.

I also got to make pico. Of course i was slow at it. But a lot better than the lettuce. And i had help from another co-worker. I wish it was him training me as he seems to have patience with my speed.

It's still frustrating hearing... You're good at what you do, you're just slow. And of course i'm not going to get better without practice, but lunch rush is not the time to practice. So i get the few straglers.

I want to be good enough.

 

[DVC~OKW~96]

You are good enough. Practice, and don't give up. Keep doing the same task, and you WILL get faster.

Yes, speed is important in many, many positions, so you'll learn to be fast!

 

[mum4jenn]

HAng in there...do NOT give up. Every day continue to ask if there is anything you help with. Eventually they will build up their trust with you and the more you get to do a task the better you will get. Wow I remember things I was taught when I first worked in a school kitchen and I was ready to walk out at times but I stuck with it. I STILL can't make bread to save my life but I can do anything else!! Even way back in the 80's when I was a manager with Wendy's... I remember my training and I kept getting drilled on sizes of pans, temperatures of things, hold times on those things.... there was so much to remember but I was determined to do it. I took notes and studied those notes every single day and then one day when I was being drilled for answers I got every single answer correct without any hesitation. I did not think that day would ever come but then once I showed them I was no dummy they left me alone!!

 

[wdwfan16]

Self-speak is very important. Stop telling yourself you are not good enough. Tell yourself you can do it and you will do it. You will live up to or down to your own expectations.

 

[soulmates]

Self-speak is very important. Stop telling yourself you are not good enough. Tell yourself you can do it and you will do it. You will live up to or down to your own expectations.

I SOOOO agree with this statement!! I've read THE SECRET and SO believe the main principals. Don't speak negative words, they WILL come to pass. Only speak positive things. I remember years ago, my 1st job interview after being a stay @ home mom for awhile. My sister who was in the corporate world, told me DURING my interview, to tell myself, "I"m SO kicking *** in this interveiw". It worked. I totally believed I was doing well. Later, after I was hired, the hiring supervisor was at our bank, and she told me, my interview was on the the best she'd ever done. I've remembered that to this day. There is MUCH power in what we think and say!

 

[NHdisneylover]

Hang in there Sandra. Keep working hard at whatever tasks they do give you and practicing when you can and you'll be okay. Maybe when you are on lobby duty you can concentrate on being friendly to the customers and building up some raport with the regulars. I know you say you are not a people person, but it shows some enthusiasm which is good. Of course, if you see anything that needs doing out there just do it without asking if you should.
I agree that you need to think to yourself that you can. Visualize yourself cutting the lettuce correctly and quickly (it wil help you "learn" the movements too), keeping up with the lunch rush, etc.
Thanks for the update too I was wondering how it was going for you.

 

[TuckandStuiesMom]

Just keep at it! Sooner or later (usually sooner ) a Heartfelt desire to do better translates into the act of doing better. YOU CAN DO IT!

 

[SandrA9810]

i have the desire to be better and all, and i try to keep a positive outlook on it all.
Just being told "you're good, but you're slow"... Is just one of those things i hate hearing. I've litterally been hearing it all my life, at school at previous jobs. I don't really know how to physically speed up when i feel like i'm going as fast as i can. That's why i enjoy drivng so much. It's not about me, it's about how fast i can make the car go. I can keep up with the rest. I even get yelled at for walking too slow, any faster and i'm jogging. It's just a sore spot i guess. It might have something to do with my thought process of thinking and then doing. I've gotten faster at reading which only helps a little.

I'm good with numbers, so i remember most of the serving sizes, temp ranges, and such. I took a pre quiz and sometime this week or next i'll be taking the real test on line serving.

Hopefully i can be some what good at the register. But until i remember where all the function keys are... I'll still be slow at it.

 

[NHdisneylover]

This may sound odd, and I fully admit I ran register about 20 years ago, but at my first job I really wanted to get better on the register which had about a gazilllion keys (or so it seemd when I was trying to get a customer through that first day on it). I went in early the next shift and stood to the side by the register (off the clock) and drew myself a chart of where all the keys were. I made a rough sketch there and then at home I actualy tried to make it the correct size and look decent and I "practiced" on that chart for a few days. Totally silly but I did so much better on register the next time. You may try something like that if it is worrying you.
I'm sure you'll get the hang of things. You just have to keep at it long enough to build up the confidence to do it quickly.
I am glad you are working on keeping a positive attitude

 

[wdwfan16]

i have the desire to be better and all, and i try to keep a positive outlook on it all.
Just being told "you're good, but you're slow"... Is just one of those things i hate hearing. I've litterally been hearing it all my life, at school at previous jobs. I don't really know how to physically speed up when i feel like i'm going as fast as i can. That's why i enjoy drivng so much. It's not about me, it's about how fast i can make the car go. I can keep up with the rest. I even get yelled at for walking too slow, any faster and i'm jogging. It's just a sore spot i guess. It might have something to do with my thought process of thinking and then doing. I've gotten faster at reading which only helps a little.

I'm good with numbers, so i remember most of the serving sizes, temp ranges, and such. I took a pre quiz and sometime this week or next i'll be taking the real test on line serving.

Hopefully i can be some what good at the register. But until i remember where all the function keys are... I'll still be slow at it.

Have you considered getting a CDL license?

 

[SandrA9810]

my past would prevent me from getting a driving job as to why i've avoided them all together.

 

[SandrA9810]

went from five days... To four days... To three days next week. A whole whopping 8hrs. And one of the shift managers is going to another store. Although the person i think is replacing him is nice too.
I just don't feel like i'm cut out for this job. I'm not fast enough. And the only thing i get stuck doing is cleaning the lobby. Which i know needs to get done, but it doesn't give me a chance to be good at anything else. And the manager still always finds something wrong with my work. I took the job for the wrong reasons and i tried to find my own reasons for staying, but i'm not having any luck. And a few hundred dollars a month isn't going to do me any good.

 

[rpmdfw]

went from five days... To four days... To three days next week. A whole whopping 8hrs. And one of the shift managers is going to another store. Although the person i think is replacing him is nice too.
I just don't feel like i'm cut out for this job. I'm not fast enough. And the only thing i get stuck doing is cleaning the lobby. Which i know needs to get done, but it doesn't give me a chance to be good at anything else. And the manager still always finds something wrong with my work. I took the job for the wrong reasons and i tried to find my own reasons for staying, but i'm not having any luck. And a few hundred dollars a month isn't going to do me any good.

A few hundred dollars a month is better than no income at all. Suck it up and stick with it until you find something else. Where else have you applied?

 

[SandrA9810]

i haven't applied anywhere else yet. This whole bus thing takes up so much time that it would be hard to work two shifts in one day. Plus i gave full availabilty hoping to increase my chance of hours. And the schedule starting monday is released on friday. So it doesn't give me anytime to work with a second job. Unless i quit this one entirely.
I had a talk with one of the shift managers, who's happily optimistic about everything. And says she understands how i feel at the moment, and thinks i can gain more hours. So we'll see how this week goes, and see what next week schedule looks like.

I just don't think she gets who i am, and doesn't understand that i won't be as fast as they need me to be.

If every day wasn't a guessing game of how i'm going to get to work, i'd be more apt to apply some place else.

 

[enigmaMN]

I just don't think she gets who i am, and doesn't understand that i won't be as fast as they need me to be..

Sandra, once upon a time I worked in the food service industry as well. I never thought I'd be fast enough, etc. I just know I'd never get it. It turns out... it DOES happen. It takes time. There are a ton of things to remember, etc. and it won't happen overnight. Be patient, eager and willing to learn - you'll get there. Do your best and keep a smile on your face.

 

[rpmdfw]

i haven't applied anywhere else yet. This whole bus thing takes up so much time that it would be hard to work two shifts in one day. Plus i gave full availabilty hoping to increase my chance of hours. And the schedule starting monday is released on friday. So it doesn't give me anytime to work with a second job. Unless i quit this one entirely.
I had a talk with one of the shift managers, who's happily optimistic about everything. And says she understands how i feel at the moment, and thinks i can gain more hours. So we'll see how this week goes, and see what next week schedule looks like.

I just don't think she gets who i am, and doesn't understand that i won't be as fast as they need me to be.

If every day wasn't a guessing game of how i'm going to get to work, i'd be more apt to apply some place else.

You only worked 4 days and you don't have time to look for other jobs?

If the bus thing is what's difficult, look for jobs close to home or close to the current job, that way working two shifts is possible.

You have to WORK at finding a job. Treat the job search like a full 8 hour a day job on days that you're not working. Otherwise you're just not trying hard enough.

If you're only working 8 hours next week, spend the rest of the time filling out applications in other places. Deal with any schedule conflicts as they come up, but let them know that your lack of hours forced you to look for something else. They have to understand that 8 hours a week isn't enough to live on.

 

[daisyx3]

I just don't think she gets who i am, and doesn't understand that i won't be as fast as they need me to be.

.

That sentence says a lot for me. This job is not going to revolve around you. If you aren't fast, get faster. Even your nice supervisors won't care "who you are" if you aren't doing the job--you'll be down to 6,then 4, then 2 hours next!
My 17 year old has worked at a pizza place for 18 months. The first month or two they would send her home after an hour sometimes. It's how they weed out the kids who aren't serious. Now she gets 12-15 hours a week (her max with school). If she'd given up, God knows where she'd be working now.
If you've already given up and told yourself you'll never be what they really need, do them a favor and quit now. Otherwise, suck it up, do what you're told, and quit whining.
Daisyx3

 

[NHdisneylover]

Sandra I don't think you took the job for "the wrong reasons." You are broke, were unemployed and have a dismall work history (that is why you started the thread isn't it) and even in this terrible economy you managed to land something. That rocks

I can imagine that cleaning the lobby a few hours a week is not where you WANT to be right now, but I think it may be where you NEED to be. You need to stay put at one place for a decent length of time so you can build up some good work history. Just about anywhere you will have to start at the bottom (everyone does) and that is cleaning the lobby for now. So do it well, show up on time, work hard to impress your boss and co workers with your dedication and you will be okay. It will take a long time to get all the skills and speed down. That is normal. Goodness, I think you have only worked 25 or so hours--no way to learn it all so quickly. You just have to keep working on it and believe that you can do it and it will come

I agree with the PP that you saying they don't get who you are is part of the problem. This is an entry level job for an unskilled worker. Who you are to your boss is an employee. Just that. You're goal is to become a a GOOD employee in their eyes. Beyond that, your boss really does not need to get to know you or your personality beyond the work enviornment. It is your responsiblity to fit yourself to the job not your boss's responsiblity to make the job fit you. You need a job and in order to keep one you are going to need to work on getting who your employer is and not worrying about what you want to do. Lots of jobs (especially early in one's working career while building up a resume) are not fun or interesting--it is just what one has to do. Right now it seems like you are not even making hardly enough to make going to work worth your while BUT the more you do go and do your absloute best teh more hours you will get and it will get better. Try to hang in there and do this. I think you need to prove to yourself that you can be sucessful at work almost as much as you need the money. I'm still sending lots of good thoughts your way and I so hope this works out for you. Just keep at it okay?

 

[SandrA9810]

thanks NH. I guess it was just the new schedule posted where another guy that got hired with me has 40hrs. Granted it's not his first time at this job. But it was just one of those major ego busters. I thought i was doing good... 4-5 days. Alright fine, 3hrs isn't much each day, but it at least it was every day.

And it was also humilating to have him show me how to wash, core, and slice the tomatoes... He said here's one box, and i'll do the second box and we'll see who gets done first... Well duh you've been at this for like ten years, of course you're gonna be done first. I made it through about half the box. The other morning they showed me how to make guacamole... It took me 2hrs to finish when it normally takes some one 30 mins.

And i'm not saying he needs to know me personally. But every one learns differently and at different rates. At least one of the managers below him gets this and has talked to him about the way he approaches me, even before i talked with her. He can't expect me to be perfect or know how to do things his ways if i've never done them before. I'm a slow learner, always have been, always will be. Why... I don't know??