The most recent, and time consuming, organization I am currently involved with is that of my part-time job here at the University of Illinois. I work at the iconic campus bar known at KAM'S. I was was first hired at this famous liquor establishment in the spring of my freshmen year to pick up cups with the seemingly occasional pay to now, two and half years later, serve as one of the six senior managers in addition to being the one responsible for event planning and the weekly scheduling of a staff of over 120 employees.
When I first started work at this over 80 year old bar back in April of 2014, I was in the bottom 3 of 60 doormen and barbacks. The two or three shifts a week I would get scheduled mainly consisted of sweeping up cups, standing guard at a doorway or in the beer garden and even cleaning bathrooms after nights with crowds exceeding 1,000 intoxicated patrons. Many doormen do not last or lose the motivation to work due the compensation infrequently being worth the tasks completed. While early on, I was busy with school and an other student organizations I was a part of I never lost the motivation.
Over the next two years I worked hard to slowly start to move up the list of doormen, picking up shifts whenever I was available, and strived to make a name for myself amongst the staff. After staying down and working last summer, I was allowed to pick up bar tending shifts so I did and proved myself as more than just a doorman. In November of my Junior year, or just last year, I was rewarded a mid semester promotion to Head Door.
After finishing the rest of my Junior year as Head Door, just this past April I was promoted again and this time to one of the seven student manager positions. This past summer I stayed down yet again to take classes and work. Myself along with another 20 or so summer staff members proved ourselves by having the best summer sales the bar has seen in over a decade. In addition to serving as a manager, I am in charge of event planning for the bar. I've networked with hundreds of students in dozens of different student organizations and fraternities to promote hosting their events with us. Also, as well as being responsible for the weekly scheduling of the staff I control employees position on their respective lists. Based on staff performance, I with the consultation of other managers now determine who needs to be promoted or raised on the list and on the opposite end have to lay off employees when deemed absolutely necessary.
I am happy and proud of my success at KAM'S. I learned what it took to succeed over the years in my various positions and now after reaching the highest level within this organization I now look forward to the year ahead to just continue to manage how I see fit but also hope to continue to learn and strive to become even better. I will have loved my time at KAM'S and will be sad when it is over but I know my time there has given me a far better reward than just my final title and now bigger paychecks. I have learned what it takes to stay motivated even in the toughest of times and the general satisfaction to start from the absolute bottom and work to earn the top title and am now eager to take this and apply to my next endeavor and future career.
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