From Cashier to Copywriter
Most people remember their first jobs. The uncomfortableness. The learning curves. The disappointment of their first paycheck. What interests me when I reflect on my work history is the invaluable lessons that become ingrained in my outlook.
Market Research Outreach Specialist
My very first job was in marketing! Don't let this title fool you. I was walking around the local mall with a clipboard awkwardly asking people if they'd like to share their opinion in exchange for money. It sounded good until they'd realize it paid $3 for 20 minutes of their time — not including waiting around and filling out their contact info. That's $0.15 per minute. And worse for me, if I didn't rope anyone into this bad deal, I'd get let go early. It was miserable.
And if that wasn't bad enough, there was a competing market research in prime location offering a better, juicier deal. Same timeframe but $20 — $40 bucks per interview. So what did I do? I'll tell you. I quit. It was an uphill battle that didn't let up.
The lesson learned:
A great service, product and offer is foundational for success. If your foundation has gaping flaws — anything built upon it might crumble like a house of cards. The business in question is still in business, but based on what I observed, they don't appear to be thriving.
A good location may cost more, but consider the cost of missed revenue opportunities.
If your product is amazing, you don't need marketing. If your marketing is great, you don't need sales. If even the top talent salespeople struggle, it's time to question the value of the offer.
If a job has a high turnover rate, there may be a good reason why that is.
Audio Engineer for College Radio
My second job was at a college radio station at a local community college. They just got a new system in place and they needed a student to work it. They had to be proficient in audio engineering and setup hardware. Before this opportunity arose, I spent the previous two years learning this exact skill because of my love of music. It was perfect.
Most of the time I produced other students' communication projects or whatever college radio show they signed up for. It was an easy gig. I got to be myself. I got to be creative. Not only that, this job led me to be hired as a freelancer by my professors!
The lesson learned:
When an opportunity arises and you're absolutely confident you can do it, your intuition will whisper to you. Follow that whisper.
People like to work with passionate people. The enthusiasm I had for audio engineering led to more opportunities for me and got more people to use the facilities I maintained. Kind of like being a soft salesman. I didn't pressure anyone to use the facilities. I did geek out about how cool the facilities were though.
This is my first taste of the cliche: if you do what you love, you never work a day in your life. In life, some of us are fortunate enough to have the ability to direct our lives. And if there's a chance that I could make a living doing something I enjoy — something I'm passionate about — then let's go there.
Cashier
Unfortunately, that community college was in crazy debt. The kind of debt that turns schools into real estate. They laid off all the student workers. I applied to everywhere I could. Sent out my resume to everywhere — mainly trying to score an internship with all the major networks and fashion brands in New York. But it's hyper competitive with thousands of other applicants. But hey, a Payless in a strip mall in Jersey was in need of some assistance! And I was there to help. Sure, it wasn't as cool as being an audio engineer — but at least it gave me a paycheck. It was hectic. The team consisted of five people with typically two people working a shift at a time. This was not too long before Payless filed for bankruptcy. I came in when it was on its final leg.
The lesson learned:
Adapt or die. Payless thrived on affordable shoes for families. Price-conscious moms generated most of this specific store's revenue. Problem was, so many alternatives were more accessible at competitive prices. Walmart, Target, and Amazon.
It would have been a tough job to save this from a marketing perspective, but I had an idea. Hyper focus on an offer that tailored specifically for mothers. The offer had to be compelling enough to negate competitors. The offer? Your child's feet grow. So can your savings. One yearly price. A whole bunch of shoes. Step up your savings with Payless Premier.
If your value proposition is heavily based on low prices, your core demographic might flock if they find an even more affordable option.
Cashier (Again!)
I needed a better paying job. I didn't mind being a cashier, but as previously mentioned, Payless was on its last stand. And it reflected on the paycheck too. So I scoured the lands to find myself fronting the cash register of a Forever 21. It's a fun job. Long hours though. It was common to leave around 2am to clean up the store after the customers left everything in shambles.
The lesson learned:
Whenever I asked for an email, most of the time I'd get rejected. But then my manager gave me a tip. Turn the adjustable keypad towards the customer when I ask. Not only did that help, it inverted my odds. I had a rough 10% chance of getting a yes before. Then it upticked to a 90% chance of getting a yes. I hypothesized it's because they could easily type it themselves as opposed to spelling it out loud. Remove the friction to increase the likelihood of getting a yes.
Made me appreciate the customer-facing workers more. Dealing with the general public can be a lot to deal with. Anyone having a bad day could take it out on you even if you're performing satisfactorily and professionally.
Workplace drama isn't worth it. I've been fortunate to never be involved in workplace drama. However, I've been observant to several conflicts that came about working at this place. I guess it was the byproduct of having a bunch of tired and hangry twenty-something-year-olds that were eager to leave a 12+ hour shift. My sentiment remains the same: spending time arguing over something irrelevant isn't worth it in the big picture view.
Marketing Specialist
Something interesting happened when I was working at Forever 21. I saw a classmate who graduated high school the same year as me and graduated with a similar major. The difference was she was already working a job that was paying adult money — and here I was rocking the minimum wage. That was another moment in time where I felt like I was behind in life. So I actively sought out to dip my feet into the corporate world. Eventually I found a gig for a tech startup. Think meetup.com for thrift junkies. And when I say startup, I'm not talking about a lofty office with yoga balls for desk chairs and ping pong tables in the break room. I'm talking residential garage office with foldable plastic desks and chairs.
The lesson learned:
Understand exactly what the employer wants in the employee. Despite being hired for a Marketing Specialist, the founder really wanted a graphic designer. Honestly, he probably could have benefited from a free Canva account.
Set realistic expectations for people unfamiliar with creative work. Creative work is composed of compounding small tasks that include tweaks and revisions. It's often non-linear compared to jobs that can easily be estimated — like most blue-collar jobs.
If you're an efficient and effective creative, you get punished by charging per hour. A beginner can take their sweet time, turn in a mediocre project and get paid more than top talent who finished quality work fast.
Marketing Assistant
I again applied to what seemed like endless entry-level job opportunities. I had a few first-round interviews. Out of those, one called me back for a second interview — in person. That interview went fantastic! I KNEW I got the part. When they called back, I was gleaming. But then I was told they went in another direction. It was hard to believe actually. But a week later, they called again and said they had another position opened and they'd like to offer it to me. I instantly took it. I felt so cool in my little cubicle. Looked straight out of Office Space lol. Nothing to do with creative work or strategizing. Most of that job consisted of data entry on a spreadsheet and occasionally some social media management. But I got my foot in the door!
The Lesson Learned:
Not all marketing jobs are created equally. Depending on the firm, agency, or company, your title might be identical to someone else's, but responsibilities and day-to-day operations are polar opposite.
I was aware of demographics before. But this job opened my eyes to hyper-specific details regarding it. Market research that goes down to granular micro-insights. Interesting stuff if you're into psychology and sociology.
Your offer's number can be listed in its most appealing form. If you're already spending $500,000 on a direct mail campaign, why not hire a specialized marketing firm for an extra $0.02 per address? You'd get detailed market research, database cleanup, creative services and operations management. That $0.02 would end up as a $10k payment for the firm.
Conclusion
Eventually, I leveled up in the company. I found out the person who got the original position only got it simply because they already graduated. I was still a student. But I was dedicated. I drove through blizzards to work when no one else would. Finished my co-worker's share of the work. Endured countless battles with an out-of-date copy machine. I did what it took to complete the mission. Eventually, I found a box from Vistaprint on my desk. I opened it and it had my name above the title "Account Manager." The work paid off. I did the same job, but now I'm wearing more hats of variety.
I'm still learning to this day, but I'm satisfied by my level of growth as a professional, creative, and individual. I’m currently employed as a copywriter for a Hospitality company.
