Over the past few months, I have applied to over 25 internship positions. When doing so, I knew that my resume and cover letter were all that an employer would know about me until I got the chance to speak with them one-on-one.

A piece of paper defines who you are these days, so sell yourself.

I went over my resume 10 plus times. I wanted it to be perfect. I sent it to a few people that I knew well who were recruiters for other companies and asked for advice. Everyone told me to take two jobs off of my resume - the only two customer service jobs I have ever had. They said, “you’re selling yourself as a journalist, not as a barista.” I understood what they were saying, though I felt as though those two jobs were a vital part of my experience in the working world. I did as they said and took the two jobs off, but not until after I had already sent my resume to a couple of companies.

Recently, I was talking to a woman who hired me as an intern at a PR agency. When discussing the work that I had done, she brought up my customer service experience. We discussed my time working at Starbucks when I was in high school and she mentioned that she likes to see customer service on a resume because it shows real-world experience. It shows that you know how to interact with a customer, which is important in practically any job that you will end up doing.

The lessons that I learned when I worked in customer service are lessons that have stuck with me from the beginning, and I see to be essential in the business world as well. You don’t just learn how to serve coffee or blend a smoothie. You learn how to make a customer happy. You learn how to manage your time at work and how to keep busy. You learn how to be an efficient team member.

Jumping into the professional world is hard, and I don’t know that I would feel as prepared as I do if it weren’t for the first two jobs that I had when I was in my teens. There are more valuable aspects to a community service job than most people realize, and they will, without a doubt, come in handy in any job you end up doing.