ReeHart - Blogging from the Heart

Helping My Son Find a Job

It has only been a couple weeks since my son came up to me and told me that he wanted to go to Australia next summer.  You see, he will be starting college next fall that he thought it would be a great opportunity for him to have one last trip before he has to hit the books again.

I loved the fact that he was interested in expanding his horizons by traveling to different country, but I was curious as to how he thought he would be able to afford the trip.  He hadn’t really thought about it up to that point, but he told me that he should be able to find a job in Australia fairly easy.

I decided that I would help him out to find either some sales jobs or construction jobs in Australia and I told him that I would look online and let them know what I found.

So far, it looks that he won’t have much of a problem finding a job when he goes to Australia next summer and I’m actually very interested to see what he ends up doing.

Colorful Teaching Career

Even though I am nearing retirement, I look back with no regrets.  Sure, some of the jobs that I have had over the years weren’t the best including cleaning outhouses at a fair, but I feel that it is these jobs that shaped me into the person that I am today.

But what I like the best about my career is that for the past twenty years or so, I have had the opportunity to follow my passion of teaching.  This started out at a local hair school in the town that I was born and raised which turned into a position at a regional beauty academy.

I have a couple of years left at the current beauty school that I am working at.  Though the styles and trends have changed over the years, I love the fact that I can come to work everyday and do something new - how many people can say that each day of work has been exciting?

Quick Pep-talk with Sales Staff

I try to keep our sales staff motivated, and we have a meeting each day before the day begins.  You see, as a manager, I have sales targets and need to make sure that we meet or exceed them.  I am not pushy by any means, but the meetings that we have each day help to highlight things that we can do to increase our sales with little effort.

For example, this morning, I was talking about the new line of TV screen protection products that we carry.  It is an easy upsell for customers that purchase a new plasma or LCD television.  It not only helps them to protect their television from damage (a real no-brainer for customers with children), but ensures that their investment will provide them years of enjoyment.

We also discussed some strategies on how to get the customer to buy a TV screen protector and the staff is going to try it out today.  I’ll be interested to see our final sales figures - I bet they will be much better than forecasted.

Looking to Solve a Problem

It took me a long time to admit that we had some serious morale issues in the office. There was way too much gossiping and backstabbing going on and way too little actual work being done. I knew I needed to do something about it, so I started looking into company resolutions.

I started going through all of the business forms that we had on hand to see who was hired for what and whether or not they were doing their jobs effectively. I knew that there were a few employees who were the main cause, but I could not afford to let them go.

I also went over the recruitment documents to see if there were people that I could hire that could effectively take their place. I decided on a less drastic measure to begin with. We had a motivational speaker come in and work with different groups of people. It has helped and I continue to look for new solutions, such as splitting up the lunch break.

An Ironic Job

When I was finished high school, I was very concerned about being able to find a job. I knew that I was going to be going away to college in the fall and jobs were very hard to come by in our town, especially for someone with no staying power. Ironically, I got a job giving out auto insurance quotes.

It is ironic because, up to that point, I had never driven a car in my life. I certainly did not know anything about auto insurance. I assured them that I was a fast learner and the job did end up making me feel like I wanted to get my license and drive a car.

That was many years ago and I am happy to say that I have been paying for car insurance for many years now, as well. I love driving and I attribute my love for cars to that one summer, when I did not think I would even be able to find a job.

My Job at the Window Company

Five years ago when I first got my job with a big Illinois window company, I thought it would just be temporary until I could find something better.  Needless to say, I am still here and I love my job.  In fact, I enjoy getting up in the morning and going to work as I feel needed and respected there.

I cannot say that I would’ve ever thought my dream job would be with a window company but here I am today and I cannot imagine being anywhere else.  I have learned so much and made so many friends that I can honestly say that this place is as much a part of my life as my own family is.

I was very excited last month to be chosen as one of the only two installers to go to a seminar about vinyl windows.  It was a nice change from the daily grind and it was really exciting for me to come back and be the teacher can teach all of the other guys about this new type of window that we were going to be bringing in.

Finding a Job that I Love

I love the fact that I am part of a large medical community. I am not a doctor, but I am a receptionist at one of the biggest doctor’s offices in the city. I am treated very well there and I have built up incredible friendships with several of the physicians who work there. I am very fortunate to have found the job, as it is the first job I have ever had where I actually wanted to get out of bed and go to work every morning.

I have never actually worked at a job that I hated, but most jobs that I have had were tolerated because it was a way to make a living and that was it. I always had friends at my jobs, but they were not built on lasting friendships and would soon fizzle after I went on to another job. It is different this time because I know some of these people will be my friends for the rest of my life.