Career’s aren’t just about success and progression, the seemingly ‘bad’ experiences we have at work can teach us a lot about what we want and where we are going. I’ve had times during my working life where I’ve felt frustrated, stuck and unappreciated. However, reflecting on this (mainly from my pre-HR days) I can see now just how much I’ve learned along the way…
Independence
My first job as a teenager was as a waitress in our local village pub. I started as a timid 13-year-old with no idea of how to properly set a table or deal with customers. It was a baptism of fire to say the least. However, slowly but surely, I gained confidence and I now have such fond memories of my time there.
The job represented independence; a social life away from my family and the work enabled me to hit the shops with my hard-earned cash. I didn’t realised it then, but it sowed a seed that I didn’t need to rely on anyone else in life financially, that earning your own cash gives you choices.
Determination
When I dropped out of my A Levels at Sixth Form and decided I wanted to board at college the following year, my parents went along with it on the basis that I got a job and saved towards some of my lodgings (in hindsight I suspect this was to test how serious I was). So, I got a full-time job in a chicken factory and continued waitressing during the evenings and weekends. As a former veggie, this was every bit as grim as I imagined but I stuck it out for several months, saving 90% of my measly wage towards college.
Through this experience I found a determination I didn’t know I had. Since then I’ve approached everything that I set my mind to with the same degree of tenacity. The experience also taught me to work hard in life in order to never have to do that job again!
Practical skills
My first “proper” job was as a receptionist at a pest control company. Not the most glamorous of roles but at that point I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life and so I just got on with it. I stayed for a couple of years, most of the time watching the clock, counting down the hours until home time.
What did I learn? Well, it made me realise that I didn’t want to carry out admin work forever or to continue to work in a village in the middle of nowhere. It also taught me a bit about business. However, the aspect I feel most grateful for is that I was given training including learning to touch type. It now seems to be a bit of a dying art but having this practical skill under my belt has served me well (and saved me a lot of time) in my career and I’m grateful I was given the tools to master it.
How not to be a … [insert job role]
Lastly, to touch on my HR career, I have had several experiences where I have witnessed ‘worst practice’ and how not to go about things. This has, worryingly, often been by people holding the most senior of positions, even within the Human Resources function itself – who of course, should know better.
I didn’t always feel confident to tackle bad behaviour and so I appreciate that calling it out when the person is more senior is a really, really difficult thing to do. However, experience has left me with the firm belief that unacceptable behaviour at work should not be tolerated, however senior the person. It has also made me recognise really good management and leadership when I see it.
Finding the positives
On the face of it, these experiences could be viewed as negative ones; I felt awkward starting waitressing, I despised the chicken factory, counted down the hours as a receptionist and at points in my HR career I have despaired at the behaviour of senior colleagues. However, I have learned from each and every one of them.
I might not have even had the determination or confidence to start my own business without these experiences. I truly believe that our experiences at work, “good” and “bad” can shape us, even as far as the path we take in the future.
So next time you are having a difficult time at work or letting a bad experience eat you up, my advice would be to pause to reflect on what you can take from it, consider what lessons you’ve learned and think about your next move (and make it a good one).