Skill Sets

I have missed a few weeks on this blog – and I really missed it! I have such a skill set, yet I am unable to see it in real time. Yet sometimes something clicks and I am amazed that I don’t always recognize it. Could I be a resume writer and/or career counselor? I’d normally say no…

A neighbor friend of ours stopped in yesterday. She had been on the wait staff of a local outlet of a nationally known breakfast chain and was terminated, ostensibly due to age. She needed a resume and had lots of handwritten notes about her career in retail, and she would pay for it. Not to worry, I wouldn’t charge a friend. I asked for Saturday to present a rough draft.

She had to talk, and she said that she was going to go for age discrimination. I said, with your experience, why?

·       Let it go, it will consume you when all you want to do is work

·       I have been through CHRO (Ct. Commission on Human Rights & Opportunities) and I don’t feel that you would get redress anyway

·       The restaurant is having a cash problem and were going to eliminate this position

In fact, I said that when questioned about why you left your job, just say: “the average transaction at the restaurant has fallen due to the economy, and they had to reduce their head count”

Was that me?? It all sounds like sage advice, and I said all this without notes or without memorizing anything. I amazed me, yet should I be? I know a thing or two about jobs, having had a few…

I completed a draft of the resume in about 45 minutes. She wants to go back to retail, where she was years ago pre-kids. It reads well, too. I started with her skill set, written like this:

·       The ability to lead, not merely in the supervision of staff but in the effective motivation and training of new and existing staff.

·       Attentive customer service in a variety of food and retail establishments.

·       Knowledge of restaurant operations either independent or chain operations.

·       A proven increase in departmental sales, enhancing in company growth as well as meriting individual promotions.

·       A thorough knowledge of retail advertising and display merchandising that lead to increased traffic and sales.

·       Complete involvement in proper merchandise ordering, correct inventory levels and reorder points.

·       Setting budgets, with the ability to work at or under these budgets ensuring profitable operations.

·       Managing customer bills and receipts and the proper reconciliation.

Why do I doubt my abilities? This was good, and I do want to work for myself. Could I?