sport chek called today and hired me on as a sales associate.
my last shift at margaritaville was thursday night till about 11:30pm. i came home and immediately began applying for various jobs through email -- one being a front desk position at the howard johnson closest to my house. i had talked to someone at margaritaville who's mom worked at embassy suites in the breakfast buffet. she told me to go see her mom on saturday and i had plans to do so.
friday afternoon, i get a call from howard johnson and set up and interview later that afternoon. i did the interview even though i didn't want front desk (but, let's face it -- it's middle of the summer and i'm desperate) and i'm told that she would get back to me sometime next week. she asked me about my education, what the responsibilities of a front desk person are, about my last summer position and so on. i didn't feel as though i had nailed the interview but honestly, i didn't care. i had lost all my will to work after being let go.
saturday morning, i went to the embassy breakfast buffet and met with the manager. the buffet was insanely busy and i had to wait over an hour to speak with her. i thought for sure that she had forgotten about me so i had a hostess go find her. i gave a copy of my resume, talked about my experience and possible working over christmas/on weekends and left. the shifts are only 3-4 hours in length but include tips. i was told i would hear back in a few days if there were any openings.
this afternoon, embassy called and i set up an interview for tomorrow. about an hour later, i get another call from sport chek, who if you recall from this blog post here, they were supposed to call me by june 30th if i was hired. i talked to the girl and she offered me a sales associate/cashier position and for me to come in tomorrow morning to get it all sorted out.
perhaps i'll have 2 jobs again for the remaining of the summer?
Showing posts with label margaritaville. Show all posts
Showing posts with label margaritaville. Show all posts
Jul 18, 2011
Jul 15, 2011
an unexpected occurrence
margaritaville let me go.
if this week wasn't already stressful enough, i have been let go from margaritaville. after 3 days off friday-sunday, i was supposed to work monday morning. sunday evening, i get a call that says that the ice cream cart is still broken and they have called off my shift. i was okay with that because i had stuff to do and things to accomplish. having the day off allowed me to do that. tuesday and wednesday i was to be in toronto (to be discussed later) and thursday/friday back at work.
i check the schedule this morning and see that my friday shift had been cancelled as well. not knowing what to think, i decided i would figure it out when i went into work. i did have 2 shifts on the schedule for the following week. i didn't think much of it. then, as i come into work, the manager asks to talk to me. she tells me that they are shutting down the ice cream cart for the remaining of the summer as they can't get a permit to do it (so why did we do it in the first place?) and that the store can't be responsible for hostessing outside anymore as they have hired more hostesses. she tells me that she might be able to find me a place somewhere else in the building but she isn't sure.
i was pretty shocked by this. she talks to the other managers in other departments and comes back empty handed. hostessing already hired a bunch of new people. kitchen i can't do. they don't need anyone anywhere else. so -- i'm left with nothing. and it's not just me. they have hired at least 4 new girls since i started and all of them are being let go.
the only semi-okay part of the whole ordeal is that i talked to the owner/manager guy again about implementing a recycling program for margaritaville and he seems interested still. he told me to call next week with a proposal and fee. hopefully that will go through... maybe.
i was in toronto for two days and checked out a bunch of apartments. we narrowed it down to 2 and are trying to put in a reservation on one of them. it makes my commute about 10 minutes longer but it's in an area i know and the apartment is fantastic looking! newly renovated, new floors, brand new kitchen counters/cupboards with island, brand new dishwasher, stove, and fridge. a little out of our price range but doable as it's all inclusive. i'm not entirely sure if the landlord called us back yet.
the majority of places that i wanted to see and have emailed/called for the past few weeks were full according to when we went to visit on wednesday. this sucked and was totally discouraging, so i hope the place we want does work out.
dad picked me up from the bus stop wednesday night and as we were heading home off the highway ramp, we stopped at the red light only to be rear ended by another car. dad got out to investigate and there were two ladies in the car. they both kept saying that they barely hit us and tried to offer dad money on the spot. what? he refuses and asks them to back up a little as both cars were still touching. they back up and dad goes in for a closer look at the damage to his car. a few seconds later, they drive away. no names, no insurance, no nothing. hit and run.
dad jumps back in the car with what he thinks is the license plate number and we go home. he calls the cops and run the plate but there was no match. the car was some kind of chrysler make kinda like a gold colour maybe 10-15 years old. the driver was a white female with long, super bleached blonde hair, maybe 40-50ish. the passenger was a younger, 20-30 year old female, darker skinned with dark hair. the cops came to the house and we gave a statement hoping that we would find them. damages to the car were minimal: a big scratch, couple indents/bubbles. but still. you don't hit rear end somebody and drive away. ugh.
i really hope being let go from margaritaville was the last stressful thing to happen to me this week.
if this week wasn't already stressful enough, i have been let go from margaritaville. after 3 days off friday-sunday, i was supposed to work monday morning. sunday evening, i get a call that says that the ice cream cart is still broken and they have called off my shift. i was okay with that because i had stuff to do and things to accomplish. having the day off allowed me to do that. tuesday and wednesday i was to be in toronto (to be discussed later) and thursday/friday back at work.
i check the schedule this morning and see that my friday shift had been cancelled as well. not knowing what to think, i decided i would figure it out when i went into work. i did have 2 shifts on the schedule for the following week. i didn't think much of it. then, as i come into work, the manager asks to talk to me. she tells me that they are shutting down the ice cream cart for the remaining of the summer as they can't get a permit to do it (so why did we do it in the first place?) and that the store can't be responsible for hostessing outside anymore as they have hired more hostesses. she tells me that she might be able to find me a place somewhere else in the building but she isn't sure.
i was pretty shocked by this. she talks to the other managers in other departments and comes back empty handed. hostessing already hired a bunch of new people. kitchen i can't do. they don't need anyone anywhere else. so -- i'm left with nothing. and it's not just me. they have hired at least 4 new girls since i started and all of them are being let go.
the only semi-okay part of the whole ordeal is that i talked to the owner/manager guy again about implementing a recycling program for margaritaville and he seems interested still. he told me to call next week with a proposal and fee. hopefully that will go through... maybe.
i was in toronto for two days and checked out a bunch of apartments. we narrowed it down to 2 and are trying to put in a reservation on one of them. it makes my commute about 10 minutes longer but it's in an area i know and the apartment is fantastic looking! newly renovated, new floors, brand new kitchen counters/cupboards with island, brand new dishwasher, stove, and fridge. a little out of our price range but doable as it's all inclusive. i'm not entirely sure if the landlord called us back yet.
the majority of places that i wanted to see and have emailed/called for the past few weeks were full according to when we went to visit on wednesday. this sucked and was totally discouraging, so i hope the place we want does work out.
dad picked me up from the bus stop wednesday night and as we were heading home off the highway ramp, we stopped at the red light only to be rear ended by another car. dad got out to investigate and there were two ladies in the car. they both kept saying that they barely hit us and tried to offer dad money on the spot. what? he refuses and asks them to back up a little as both cars were still touching. they back up and dad goes in for a closer look at the damage to his car. a few seconds later, they drive away. no names, no insurance, no nothing. hit and run.
dad jumps back in the car with what he thinks is the license plate number and we go home. he calls the cops and run the plate but there was no match. the car was some kind of chrysler make kinda like a gold colour maybe 10-15 years old. the driver was a white female with long, super bleached blonde hair, maybe 40-50ish. the passenger was a younger, 20-30 year old female, darker skinned with dark hair. the cops came to the house and we gave a statement hoping that we would find them. damages to the car were minimal: a big scratch, couple indents/bubbles. but still. you don't hit rear end somebody and drive away. ugh.
i really hope being let go from margaritaville was the last stressful thing to happen to me this week.
Jul 5, 2011
a change in the lineup
officially, i have left java joes.
let's start from the beginning, shall we? my first two shifts at java joes were quite the learning experience as i was now doing things i had never done before, minus handling cash and points of sale. i probably burned myself more than i ever thought was possible and hated trying to 'serve' the public through drinks and food. i found some parts not so bad but there was a ridiculous amount to remember in a short period of time and i tried my best to stay away from the espresso machine in fear of fucking up more drinks.
the third shift i worked was a saturday which are normally very busy days at java joes and it was no different. i struggled to work at a fast pace preparing/plating food and taking orders while i was constantly yelled at from all directions of a 'better way to do' what i was doing. i became frustrated as i could not live up to anything i tried to do -- everything i did was wrong. and i was constantly reminded of how everything i was doing was wrong.
i decided that i just was not learning fast enough and i felt useless on the job. and my coworkers did not help me feeling useless. i was already aware that i wasn't exactly a hands-on type person, but i thought i might be able to overcome that if i had a job that allowed me to be hands-on. or at least try to be better at it. the 3 shifts that i worked last week were extremely busy; had it not been so busy i probably would have been able to perfect making drinks and food to at least one person's standard and would not need an entire walkthrough every time i used the espresso machine.
yesterday was my fourth shift at java joes and i talked to tonya about quitting. i told her that margaritaville was considering giving me full-time hours (not exactly a lie either) and that java joes was not the job for me. she understood and told me that she was just happy that i was willing to learn and that i was trying. i just wasn't 'born' to work in a coffee shop. i may as well have started at tim hortons and only have to push one button to make a drink. i agreed to work the thursday shift but not the friday as i need a day off. in the meantime during my shift, tonya had called up another lady, interviewed her, and hired her. at least i don't feel bad for leaving tonya short people if she was able to hire someone that quickly. that lady will also be in working her first shift on my last shift on thursday.
so, officially, i'm down to one job for the remaining weeks of the summer. margaritaville is working out great. i have no real complaints as of yet and am gaining retail sales experience. i'm happy and not stressed out any longer from java joes and i did pick up 2 pounds of coffee for my brother for free.
8 weeks and one job. i can have a life outside of work now. 10 days in a row with 1 double in the day (margaritaville in the morning and java joes in the afternoon/evening) is too much to handle. i won't be letting margaritaville know that i left java joes. since they are working around java joes schedule, i plan to be available during the week, monday through friday, and be 'working' at java joes saturday and sunday from now on.
definitely a big change in the lineup that was needed.
let's start from the beginning, shall we? my first two shifts at java joes were quite the learning experience as i was now doing things i had never done before, minus handling cash and points of sale. i probably burned myself more than i ever thought was possible and hated trying to 'serve' the public through drinks and food. i found some parts not so bad but there was a ridiculous amount to remember in a short period of time and i tried my best to stay away from the espresso machine in fear of fucking up more drinks.
the third shift i worked was a saturday which are normally very busy days at java joes and it was no different. i struggled to work at a fast pace preparing/plating food and taking orders while i was constantly yelled at from all directions of a 'better way to do' what i was doing. i became frustrated as i could not live up to anything i tried to do -- everything i did was wrong. and i was constantly reminded of how everything i was doing was wrong.
i decided that i just was not learning fast enough and i felt useless on the job. and my coworkers did not help me feeling useless. i was already aware that i wasn't exactly a hands-on type person, but i thought i might be able to overcome that if i had a job that allowed me to be hands-on. or at least try to be better at it. the 3 shifts that i worked last week were extremely busy; had it not been so busy i probably would have been able to perfect making drinks and food to at least one person's standard and would not need an entire walkthrough every time i used the espresso machine.
yesterday was my fourth shift at java joes and i talked to tonya about quitting. i told her that margaritaville was considering giving me full-time hours (not exactly a lie either) and that java joes was not the job for me. she understood and told me that she was just happy that i was willing to learn and that i was trying. i just wasn't 'born' to work in a coffee shop. i may as well have started at tim hortons and only have to push one button to make a drink. i agreed to work the thursday shift but not the friday as i need a day off. in the meantime during my shift, tonya had called up another lady, interviewed her, and hired her. at least i don't feel bad for leaving tonya short people if she was able to hire someone that quickly. that lady will also be in working her first shift on my last shift on thursday.
so, officially, i'm down to one job for the remaining weeks of the summer. margaritaville is working out great. i have no real complaints as of yet and am gaining retail sales experience. i'm happy and not stressed out any longer from java joes and i did pick up 2 pounds of coffee for my brother for free.
8 weeks and one job. i can have a life outside of work now. 10 days in a row with 1 double in the day (margaritaville in the morning and java joes in the afternoon/evening) is too much to handle. i won't be letting margaritaville know that i left java joes. since they are working around java joes schedule, i plan to be available during the week, monday through friday, and be 'working' at java joes saturday and sunday from now on.
definitely a big change in the lineup that was needed.
Jul 1, 2011
the first few days
training for two jobs in one week is more difficult than i had imagined.
i worked a close shift 3-9 my first day at java joes on tuesday. there is so much to know. i was a little overwhelmed but seemed to work through it for the first day. i learned cash, sandwiches, and drinks, all of which i had little or no experience doing before. it was a lot to take in.
on wednesday i was scheduled 5-10 at margaritaville. i found this job to be quite easy and not nearly as overwhelming as java joes. i learned about the stock, learned the cash, and sold my first frozen concoction machine (over $200!) so i was stoked. i enjoyed margaritaville more than java joes.
thursday i had a 12-6 at java joes that went on forever. the other employees were condescending and had expected me to know everything by my second shift. well, that's sort of difficult. i didn't remember all the steps for using the espresso machine (i've never used one before prior to tuesday) and probably fucked up at least 2 orders of lattes or whatnot. i guess they expect me to be just like my brother and know how to do things (even though he was a barista before for like 2 years). i found it troubling to keep up. there's just so much to know and do.
tonight i have my second shift at magaritaville 5-10. it's canada day and bound to be crazy busy but hopefully i can handle it.
the rest of my schedule now looks like this for the week:
saturday 10:30-2 magaritaville, 3-9 java joes.
sunday 11-? at margaritaville.
monday 2-7 java joes.
tuesday 11-? magaritaville.
wednesday 10-? magaritaville.
thursday 2-7 java joes.
friday 3-9 java joes.
that's eleven days in a row without a day off, excluding the following saturday/sunday as i don't know the schedule yet. work is already ruining my life.
i worked a close shift 3-9 my first day at java joes on tuesday. there is so much to know. i was a little overwhelmed but seemed to work through it for the first day. i learned cash, sandwiches, and drinks, all of which i had little or no experience doing before. it was a lot to take in.
on wednesday i was scheduled 5-10 at margaritaville. i found this job to be quite easy and not nearly as overwhelming as java joes. i learned about the stock, learned the cash, and sold my first frozen concoction machine (over $200!) so i was stoked. i enjoyed margaritaville more than java joes.
thursday i had a 12-6 at java joes that went on forever. the other employees were condescending and had expected me to know everything by my second shift. well, that's sort of difficult. i didn't remember all the steps for using the espresso machine (i've never used one before prior to tuesday) and probably fucked up at least 2 orders of lattes or whatnot. i guess they expect me to be just like my brother and know how to do things (even though he was a barista before for like 2 years). i found it troubling to keep up. there's just so much to know and do.
tonight i have my second shift at magaritaville 5-10. it's canada day and bound to be crazy busy but hopefully i can handle it.
the rest of my schedule now looks like this for the week:
saturday 10:30-2 magaritaville, 3-9 java joes.
sunday 11-? at margaritaville.
monday 2-7 java joes.
tuesday 11-? magaritaville.
wednesday 10-? magaritaville.
thursday 2-7 java joes.
friday 3-9 java joes.
that's eleven days in a row without a day off, excluding the following saturday/sunday as i don't know the schedule yet. work is already ruining my life.
Jun 26, 2011
and so it begins
margaritaville called and offered me the position. now i work 2 jobs for the summer. i caught a very lucky break i think.
the manager reminds me a lot of my manager from last summer. nobody liked her and she tended to ruin people's lives with scheduling and passive aggressive tendencies. we'll see if this is any different. i also had to buy two shirts that come out of my pay and now i need khakis and white shoes. i don't have khakis but i found old white adidas i can wear for now i guess. damn uniform. imax had black pants and black shoes that i had to buy with a uniform shirt/vest and now this is completely different in things i need. java joes only has black pants and uniform shirt.
i was hoping i could work set days, 3 shifts at each with a day off a week but that can't happen as java joes is rotating shifts and flexibility is key. so now both of them will have to get along in scheduling but it's mostly up to me based on what the schedule shows. if that makes any sense at all!
it all starts tuesday at java joes 3pm-9pm. wednesday margaritaville 5pm-10pm. friday margaritaville 5pm-10pm. and saturday java joes 3pm-9pm. i may also have another thursday java joes shift but not sure yet. i'll have some long weeks ahead of me but hopefully it all works out.
next week will no longer be about the frustrations of a job search but rather the frustrations of working 2 jobs. stay tuned.
the manager reminds me a lot of my manager from last summer. nobody liked her and she tended to ruin people's lives with scheduling and passive aggressive tendencies. we'll see if this is any different. i also had to buy two shirts that come out of my pay and now i need khakis and white shoes. i don't have khakis but i found old white adidas i can wear for now i guess. damn uniform. imax had black pants and black shoes that i had to buy with a uniform shirt/vest and now this is completely different in things i need. java joes only has black pants and uniform shirt.
i was hoping i could work set days, 3 shifts at each with a day off a week but that can't happen as java joes is rotating shifts and flexibility is key. so now both of them will have to get along in scheduling but it's mostly up to me based on what the schedule shows. if that makes any sense at all!
it all starts tuesday at java joes 3pm-9pm. wednesday margaritaville 5pm-10pm. friday margaritaville 5pm-10pm. and saturday java joes 3pm-9pm. i may also have another thursday java joes shift but not sure yet. i'll have some long weeks ahead of me but hopefully it all works out.
next week will no longer be about the frustrations of a job search but rather the frustrations of working 2 jobs. stay tuned.
Jun 25, 2011
the good news
the good news is that i received a call from java joes yesterday and start my first shift on tuesday.
tanya had called last night and offered me the position. a bit late on the call, but a call nonetheless. i'm pretty stoked. i'll be a barista but don't have to prepare any food (it's already made) and i look after plate presentation/beverages/cash/etc. all things i've either never done or rarely have done. it will be great to gain some more experience in that industry. i was considering just taking java joes as the only job for the summer unless i could snag another part-time job (such as calls from sport chek or margaritaville if i could get in for a part-time position).
i had the second interview with margaritaville tonight. i met with the director of operations and had a nice conversation. he wants to talk to the new people on the waiting list to be hired, which makes sense i suppose. he enjoyed talking to me (or fake-enjoyed talking to me) and spoke to me about implementing a recycling project for the restaurant as they don't recycle anything at all.... what?!
this was awesome and terrible at the same time. awesome that i can definitely help implement a recycling project that works and isn't greenwashing, but also terrible that they've been open 2 years or so in the heart of the fallsview tourist district and have yet to recycle anything at all. i feel like i could seriously change things for the better and add some fantastic fieldwork experience to my resume.
i had told the director of my problem with java joes, since i was now only able to work about 25ish hours give or take at margaritaville, but he said that it would more than likely not be a problem. he was to leave a message with the lady who interviewed me yesterday and she is supposed to call me tomorrow with a final decision on hiring.
i suppose my job hunt should be ending soon as i've at least landed one job that i will hopefully enjoy and is close to my house as well as a possible soon-to-be second job in the tourist district with a fieldwork project i can help with.
but things can always change.
tanya had called last night and offered me the position. a bit late on the call, but a call nonetheless. i'm pretty stoked. i'll be a barista but don't have to prepare any food (it's already made) and i look after plate presentation/beverages/cash/etc. all things i've either never done or rarely have done. it will be great to gain some more experience in that industry. i was considering just taking java joes as the only job for the summer unless i could snag another part-time job (such as calls from sport chek or margaritaville if i could get in for a part-time position).
i had the second interview with margaritaville tonight. i met with the director of operations and had a nice conversation. he wants to talk to the new people on the waiting list to be hired, which makes sense i suppose. he enjoyed talking to me (or fake-enjoyed talking to me) and spoke to me about implementing a recycling project for the restaurant as they don't recycle anything at all.... what?!
this was awesome and terrible at the same time. awesome that i can definitely help implement a recycling project that works and isn't greenwashing, but also terrible that they've been open 2 years or so in the heart of the fallsview tourist district and have yet to recycle anything at all. i feel like i could seriously change things for the better and add some fantastic fieldwork experience to my resume.
i had told the director of my problem with java joes, since i was now only able to work about 25ish hours give or take at margaritaville, but he said that it would more than likely not be a problem. he was to leave a message with the lady who interviewed me yesterday and she is supposed to call me tomorrow with a final decision on hiring.
i suppose my job hunt should be ending soon as i've at least landed one job that i will hopefully enjoy and is close to my house as well as a possible soon-to-be second job in the tourist district with a fieldwork project i can help with.
but things can always change.
Jun 24, 2011
more interviews
this week i had 3 interviews.
java joes called wednesday night to schedule a thursday afternoon interview. i thought things went well as we really only talked about my brother for the most part. i hoped that i would get lucky and land the job at least for the summer. she said that she would call back after 7pm thursday night. i did not get a call. and then i was bummed out.
i set up an interview with sport check for friday afternoon. the interview was supposed to take an hour. i got there early and the manager said to come back in 15 minutes. so i looked around for a bit and went back. i filled in an online questionnaire similar to those you get at future shop/starbucks/the source/petsmart/etc and then had the actual interview which ended after 5 minutes once they found out i was returning to school in september. apparently, this position was for a full-time permanent merchandiser.. as in, to start a career from. but they didn't read the first line of my resume that says i'm going back to school in september. wouldn't that be the first thing you look at in order to make a decision on calling to interview someone?
so, i asked them if they could at least interview me for a sales associate position. they decided to do that and asked 4-5 scenario questions. i thought i answered them pretty well. it felt more like a conversation than an interview. i was told that i would hear from them by june 30th if they make a decision.
the last interview i had this week so far was for jimmy buffett's margaritaville. they had called me a few times this week and i never responded until today. i set up an interview for 5pm which required 3 references that i really don't have. i met with the lady and answered all of her questions and seemingly passed the 'first round' of interviews, according to her. she said that she would pass me onto some other manager type for a second interview who makes the final decision on hiring. she called back just now when i got home to set up the second interview tomorrow night with the other dude.
i don't understand the process of second and third round interviews. it annoys the interviewee and i bet it is annoying and costly to the company running them. interviews are pretty hit and miss; you nail it and they like you or you blow it and they don't like you. it's what i've witnessed from not only this summer of my job hunt but every summer of my job hunt and every interview i've ever attended.
i am really tired of the job hunt. i'm frustrated and fed up. margaritaville was interview #12 of the summer.
java joes called wednesday night to schedule a thursday afternoon interview. i thought things went well as we really only talked about my brother for the most part. i hoped that i would get lucky and land the job at least for the summer. she said that she would call back after 7pm thursday night. i did not get a call. and then i was bummed out.
i set up an interview with sport check for friday afternoon. the interview was supposed to take an hour. i got there early and the manager said to come back in 15 minutes. so i looked around for a bit and went back. i filled in an online questionnaire similar to those you get at future shop/starbucks/the source/petsmart/etc and then had the actual interview which ended after 5 minutes once they found out i was returning to school in september. apparently, this position was for a full-time permanent merchandiser.. as in, to start a career from. but they didn't read the first line of my resume that says i'm going back to school in september. wouldn't that be the first thing you look at in order to make a decision on calling to interview someone?
so, i asked them if they could at least interview me for a sales associate position. they decided to do that and asked 4-5 scenario questions. i thought i answered them pretty well. it felt more like a conversation than an interview. i was told that i would hear from them by june 30th if they make a decision.
the last interview i had this week so far was for jimmy buffett's margaritaville. they had called me a few times this week and i never responded until today. i set up an interview for 5pm which required 3 references that i really don't have. i met with the lady and answered all of her questions and seemingly passed the 'first round' of interviews, according to her. she said that she would pass me onto some other manager type for a second interview who makes the final decision on hiring. she called back just now when i got home to set up the second interview tomorrow night with the other dude.
i don't understand the process of second and third round interviews. it annoys the interviewee and i bet it is annoying and costly to the company running them. interviews are pretty hit and miss; you nail it and they like you or you blow it and they don't like you. it's what i've witnessed from not only this summer of my job hunt but every summer of my job hunt and every interview i've ever attended.
i am really tired of the job hunt. i'm frustrated and fed up. margaritaville was interview #12 of the summer.
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