Succeeding at Your First “Adult Job”
Succeeding at Your First "Adult Job"

My daughter just got what I call her first “adult job.” I define that as the full-time job that takes what she has learned so far and applies it to what may lead to a fulfilling career. While talking with her about it, I realized how important those high school and college jobs in food service and retail were, in giving her the foundation to succeed. They were not necessarily pleasant or fun, but they taught her some valuable lessons that will support her success in the long run.

A Solid Work Ethic

I am proud to say that my daughter has a great work ethic! She demonstrated this in her part-time, minimum wage jobs by showing up on time for all her shifts, working hard while on them, paying attention and noticing what needed to be done. She won recognition for working hard and doing quality work. I would like to think that as a parent I had a hand in this, but it is she who decided it was important to her.   In addition, the repercussions of working with others who do NOT share this work ethic were clear. She often had to take up the slack because people did not show up or did their work poorly. I’ve told her that as a hiring manager myself, her work ethic is a key value that will serve her well in the future.

Customer Service

This is such an important skill for everyone, whether they interact with customers regularly or not, because coworkers and bosses are also customers of our work. In her retail and food service jobs she learned how to work with cranky customers, pleasant customers, rude customers, overly-friendly customers, and demanding customers. Sometimes she had to “fake it,” as she would say, to be nice to a difficult customer on those days when she felt stressed or fed up. That ability to do so, is what I call a skill. Hurrah for her!

Technical Skills

Okay, so this is one area that her part-time jobs did not provide, as she did not want to work in either food service or retail — but that’s what technical education, college, and job training provide. So here we are two months in, and she is enjoying her new job, and learning new skills. And the key word there is learning — being willing to be vulnerable and learning new things. This will become more and more important as she grows in knowledge and ability, to avoid being cemented into one way of doing things. The real skill is realizing that you can learn and apply, and that as technology and processes change, so can you.

I am extremely proud of my daughter’s work ethic, customer service skills, and her growing confidence in her ability to learn and apply.   I can rest easier as a parent, knowing that these will serve her well for the rest of her life!

Cathy Perme is the co-owner of Perme & Peterson Associates, LLC.

Fizz by Cathy Perme

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Fizz! How to Succeed as an Independent Consultant author Cathy Perme also wrote Confucius in My Cubicle: Practical Wisdom for the Leader in All of Us, released by Wisdom Editions in 2017.

rich set of suggestions
Cathy 's marketing and selling background makes for a rich set of suggestions for getting business and building one ’s brand. I think it
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Barbara A Tuckner
Cathy's marketing and selling background makes for a rich set of suggestions for getting business and building one’s brand. I think it is rare for an independent consultant to "give away" so much of their business engine and expertise. That adds up to a heap of generosity; something that is remarkable in the "friendly" competitive consulting world.
rich set of suggestions
Barbara A Tuckner
down to earth and practical
Down-to-earth, practical, and provides plenty of tools to use to develop your independent consulting business. Cathy takes a constructive look at how to succeed by ...
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Meghan Jost
Down-to-earth, practical, and provides plenty of tools to use to develop your independent consulting business. Cathy takes a constructive look at how to succeed by intelligently marketing yourself, engaging others, and keeping it all in balance with your personal life.
down to earth and practical
Meghan Jost
dozens of ideas
Cathy gives dozens of ideas about networking effectively, making sales calls and using social media and she doesn ’t minimize the effort that has
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NES
Cathy gives dozens of ideas about networking effectively, making sales calls and using social media and she doesn’t minimize the effort that has to go into it. It’s a reality check for anyone who thinks they can just hang up their shingle and become a consultant, but a great guide for anyone who’s willing to put in the hard work to be a success.
dozens of ideas
NES
from a to z
Cathy will take you from point A to Z on how to successfully become an independent consultant.
Charles Bever
Cathy will take you from point A to Z on how to successfully become an independent consultant.
from a to z
Charles Bever
methodical steps
For those that take the leap, Cathy's methodical steps will surely be helpful in achieving success.
Kevin Walsh
For those that take the leap, Cathy's methodical steps will surely be helpful in achieving success.
methodical steps
Kevin Walsh
recommend to anyone
I recommend to anyone starting a business.
Patricia Jayne Keefer
I recommend to anyone starting a business.
recommend to anyone
Patricia Jayne Keefer
years of lessons
Cathy shares years of lessons and a broad breadth of practical consulting and business experience in a very clear and engaging guide for starting and ...
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Ted Clark
Cathy shares years of lessons and a broad breadth of practical consulting and business experience in a very clear and engaging guide for starting and developing a successful consulting company. Highly recommended.
years of lessons
Ted Clark
I appreciate Cathy sharing
I appreciate Cathy sharing what she ’s learned over the past 30 years about how to succeed as an independent consultant. Her advice is
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Amy Brown
I appreciate Cathy sharing what she’s learned over the past 30 years about how to succeed as an independent consultant. Her advice is straight forward, thoughtful, organized, and easy to follow.
I appreciate Cathy sharing
Amy Brown
Learning Experience Face
This has been a truly learning experience and has helped me grow both personally and professionally.
Anonymous
This has been a truly learning experience and has helped me grow both personally and professionally.
Learning Experience Face
Anonymous
drove to closure horse
Took a very complicated and dynamic set of realities and personalities, surfaced underlying issues, facilitated a robust and healthy interaction, and drove the process to ...
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Anonymous
Took a very complicated and dynamic set of realities and personalities, surfaced underlying issues, facilitated a robust and healthy interaction, and drove the process to closure and action.
drove to closure horse
Anonymous

Cathy Perme