National Staffing Employee Week: What Was Your First Job?

All year long, American workers are doing incredible things. Whether you’re a builder, welder, construction worker, office worker, researcher, doctor, lawyer, healthcare worker, social worker, retail salesperson, cashier, receptionist, or any other of the wonderful types of workers in this country, you have the potential to do something great.

At this time every year, from Sept. 18 – 24, the American Staffing Association “celebrates the contributions of millions of individuals across the U.S. employed staffing firms.”  This celebration is known as National Staffing Employee Week.

Since Movin’ On Up is a blog focused on job seekers, we wanted to spotlight workers this week who have had incredible careers that started with one seemingly simple job. For some it was working in the fast food industry, for others it was in a busy office, and still others were construction workers or train operators. But those great jobs led them to the wonderful careers they have now.

We’ll kick things off with Kathy Hefton, Client Marketing Manager of Express Employment Professionals.

“I actually got my first job out of college from a temporary service.  I was placed at a local company as a data entry clerk. It was my first office job, so it built the foundation for the rest of my office career.

I learned the ins and outs of Microsoft Office because of my great supervisor. She encouraged me to seek out training, and made sure that I got it.

In the end, every job I had led to the next one, even though I didn’t always know what that next one was. I learned about computers and spreadsheets in that first office job and used those skills to get another office job. At that second job, I worked closely with hotels and decided that was where my future was. Fast forward 20 years or so, and now I’m at Express.

I guess what I’m trying to say is that you don’t always know where your current job will take you. So make sure to excel and learn as much as possible. “

Have a first job story of your own to share? Let us know in the comments below or post on Facebook with the hashtag #MyFirstJob.

 

 

Comments

  1. Johnny Mroz

    Hi everyone,

    My first job was as a Production Technician at Microsystems International Limited (MIL), a company that introduced private high technology to Canada and the seed for countless others that continue to make my city of Ottawa, Canada a centre of technology today. At MIL, I was responsible for maintaining microchip assembly lines and responsible for training operators. A great first job that led me to employment at other world-class microchip manufacturing companies in their engineering and R&D departments. I took a notion to focus on the heart of manufacturing namely technical writing, because it helps all levels of staff achieve their own goals, that of doing their job well and as a result, their company is better able to achieve its business objectives. My first job in manufacturing was amazing and opened my eyes to how humanity works together to build the most amazing things, and to this day, I have a love for manufacturing and the folks that work in these most interesting of places!

  2. Barbra Carrera

    My first job was seeking and securing interviews with movie and tv actors in the entertainment business. I had no training other than having been in the public eye as a child entertainer. I flew to Los Angeles and would also interview them in my home city throughout the years. I did it for almost 30 years. It was professionally and personally fulfilling, enlightening, and I learned a tremendous amount about life and people. It proved that I am a go-getter, do not take “no” for an answer, and I am assertive but likeable to people.

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