5 Transferable Skills You Learn at Your Part-Time Job

I had a part-time job since the first semester of university. I worked in retail, as a sales assistant in a grocery store on campus, and later as a waitress and bartender at a busy restaurant. I even had a few shifts working in an office filing paperwork and organizing mail. Oftentimes, when getting ready for an early shift or dealing with a meaner-than-usual customer, I questioned my motivation to work while studying. I felt like I was missing out on extracurricular activities, volunteering or other opportunities for self-development that would enhance my career prospects, not to mention the parties, socials, and precious study and leisure time I was missing. If you are in similar shoes, let me reassure you. While those 12-hour shifts seem pointless now, there are plenty of skills you master at your part time job which will come in handy on the hunt for a graduate job! Here are some of them.

Communication

At your part-time job you are exposed to various different types of people. You have to efficiently and appropriately communicate with your colleagues, your managers and the customers you are serving. This is excellent practice for when you will have to communicate in an environment where the stakes are higher—at a job interview or an assessment centre for example. Just think of all the times you had to keep smiling when dealing with customers, or when you stopped yourself from rolling your eyes! There are difficult people at every job, but by the time you are in one you actually enjoy, you’ll be the master of navigating these situations.

Time Management

If you work while at university, chances are you are juggling a lot at the same time such as your part-time position, your courses, studying, writing assignments, sport clubs and society memberships, volunteering, and possibly even a social life. Guess what? While it might stress you out first, this experience is invaluable in perfecting your time management skills. Working in a busy office or a high-stress environment will seem like nothing after this—while for others, it will be the first time they have more things on their plate.

Stress Tolerance

Working in retail (just imagine months leading up to Christmas!) or bartending in a busy restaurant can be stressful. However, what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. After this experience, you will always be able to keep calm and stay professional. Furthermore, this is a good time learning what helps you unwind the best and how you, personally, deal with stress. This will come incredibly handy later on in life.

Teamwork

There are rarely any graduate jobs or positions where you are not required to be a team-player. And while anyone can say that yes, they work well with others, you will have the evidence to back it up. At your part-time job you likely have to work in a team, get along with everyone, share or delegate tasks and depend on others if you want to provide excellent service. Feel free to provide examples from your job when asked about being a team player at your job interview. Recount a time when you had to resolve a conflict within your team, or when you fulfilled a difficult customer request by collaborating, for example!

Flexibility

Hired as a bartender, yet you find yourself serving food or cleaning up tables? Are you officially a cashier, but help out with the merchandising? “Just” a waitress, but you frequently help the manager with stock counts or deliveries? In part-time jobs you often end up doing tasks that may not be in your job description. Use this to your advantage to demonstrate that you are flexible and adaptable—someone who takes on new challenges confidently.

These are just a few examples of useful, real life skills you pick up at a part-time job, flipping burgers or pulling pints. I’m sure once you start looking at it as valuable experience, you could easily add to the list. Leadership skills, numeracy, trustworthiness, problem-solving, decision-making… You may be unaware of how much CV-enhancing skills you already possess!