Job Hunting

BY MANSOOR ALEKOZAI, GRADE 11

“So, when do you want to start?”

“I got the job? Thank you so much!”

“You’re welcome. Now just live up to our expectations of you, and we’ll see what happens from there.”

“You won’t be disappointed, Sir. Thank you for this opportunity.”

After three stressful interviews at Tim Horton’s, I finally got the job. The stress monkey that was on my back had finally latched onto someone else’s brain to peel, and I felt like a new person. This job was my ticket to prove my hard-working abilities to my family.

When I was 15, all I wanted to do was to make my parents happy by making money and proving that I’m a hard-working individual. But when I told my dad that I wanted to apply to multiple places for a job, he wanted me to wait until I finished high school!

However, I wanted to have a job right that instant, so I disagreed. I wanted to work because my dad has been working since the age of 12, and my brother has been working since the age of 14. I wanted to prove my usefulness to my family and went job hunting.

I went to clothing shops, supermarkets, coffee shops, however, no one gave me an interview, except for one clothing store. Now, having no experience in interviews, I wasn’t dressed professionally, I didn’t look professional, and I didn’t speak with confidence. This all made a

terrible first interview, and I didn’t get the job.

However, I learned from this and remembered what not to do once I got another interview somewhere else. So, after a week of looking at places that might hire me, I saw a sign outside of Tim Hortons saying they were hiring for the weekend. I was thrilled, so I applied, for the first day, for the second day, and for the day after that. I went into the store three straight days handing in the same resume repeatedly, until finally I got a call. They called me for an interview, and I prepared for it, the best I could.

When I went in to Tim Hortons, I looked, dressed and spoke professionally. After the first interview, I had a second interview, and a final third interview. In the final interview, I nailed it and got the job. I told my family, who were thrilled, and I was as happy as I could be. This experience taught me to never give up and to strive for goals, even in the face of failure. I learned from my previous interview and corrected everything I did.

When I got home, I remembered the struggle of finding a job and looked back at my first interview. What I learned from that interview was to always persevere through your failures no matter what happens; because you never know if you could get that job, if you don’t try.

My first day, I looked in the mirror, strapped on my visor, buttoned up my shirt, and said, “It’s coffee time.”