Having small, temporary jobs can seem completely irrelevant but there are countless hidden benefits to sticking it through a job that might seem completely tedious for now. In addition to appeasing your parents and being a convenient source of spending money, working jobs such as waitressing and cashiering at a grocery store will improve your character, manners, and employability. Below are some ways working in the service industry will help you down the road.
You learn how to be wrong.
As everyone says, the customer is always right. This sometimes means you have to humble yourself and act apologetically even if you know that the customer is in fact in the wrong. Despite being frustrating at times this is an incredibly valuable skill if you plan to interact with people at work or out if it in your future.
You’ll bond with your coworkers.
Having a group of people working by your side makes the unavoidable frustrating moments so much more bearable.
You learn how have a positive attitude.
No matter how many obstacles you have to overcome, keeping a smile on your face and staying polite and positive are absolutely essential in the service industry. Learning to brush off the small stuff and stay peppy is a tough lesson to learn but an important skill to have.
Getting paid hourly solidifies the value of your work.
When your paycheck can only grow from being early and staying late, your work ethic will likely improve too.
It shows future employers that you’re responsible and reliable.
No matter how unimportant it might seem at the time, having a service industry job on your resume shows employers that you’re able to interact well with others and can be relied upon to interact responsibly with customers.
It prepares you for working under a supervisor or boss
The need for constant humility and respect for both your managers and your customers will easily prepare you for working under your higher-ups later on in life.
You’ll learn how to keep yourself busy
Because you’re not supposed to bring anything to pass the time, most jobs require some creativity during downtime. This will do nothing but improve your productivity in your own life outside of work.
It’s a good chance to disconnect
It’s crazy that some of us even need a push to spend time away from electronics and social media, but being at work provides an ideal opportunity to turn off your cell phone and interact with people in person for hours on end.
So before you scrap that job you may not love, think of all it may be preparing you for in your future, or which important and applicable skills it might be fine-tuning for the present.
