Inspiring story
Unskilled student jobs: a path to experience and competencies
Published online: 27.02.2020
Inspiring story
Unskilled student jobs: a path to experience and competencies
Published online: 27.02.2020
About Zeggi
- Name: Tesfazgi Kassa
- Nickname: Zeggi
- Nationality: Ethiopian
- Study programme: International Marketing at AAU in Aalborg
- Graduated: 2019
- Has lived in Denmark for 4 years
Cleaning job with customer service and motivation
Zeggi’s first job was as cleaning staff in Fitness World.
“The position requires not only up keeping the cleanliness of the gym but also providing customer service. Greeting customers with a smile and giving help when needed are some of the services that I offered additionally besides my regular cleaning role.”
Here, Zeggi did not see his job as just a cleaning job. He took ownership of what he was doing and worked with great dedication.
All jobs are crucial for a workplace’s success – cleaning as well as coaches. Therefore, Zeggi’s manager valued his work as highly as the other employees’.
“The centre I was working in was rated one of the top 5 gyms with customer service (cleanliness) among all Fitness World branches worldwide. Information regarding ratings and performance of the gym is restricted to employees in the management position. However, my manager always shared this type of information for motivation and to make me see how I am contributing to the good reputation of the gym.”
Promoting job with sales experience
In addition to that, Zeggi also worked as a promoter, doing face-to-face sales for Pepperminds.
"The promoter job is a job position which by many is regarded as unprofessional. Some even refer to us annoying, pushy, and so on. However, the job requires a great deal of optimism and perseverance."
I have learnt more about personal selling in my role as personal seller in Pepperminds than in any of my university education.
Thus, being a promoter Zeggi has gained experience that is highly relevant to his studies, and even competencies that are valuable on his CV.
You learn something from every kind of job
Zeggi is happy with all the experiences his jobs have given him, and he thinks that he has gained something valuable from them all.
I firmly believe every time spent in any job position is critical to our personal and professional development. Which is why I always include my unskilled jobs in my CV and reflect on my experience to show future employers what I have learnt.
AAU Career's advice to you:
- 1
Gain experience, network, and skills
Unskilled jobs as well as e.g. volunteer jobs are great ways to gain experience, network, and skills.
- 2
List competencies and results in your CV
It may be relevant to include your unskilled job experience in your CV, if you list the competencies and results you have had in this job. Always make sure that what you list in your CV is relevant in relation to the job you are applying for.
- 3
You can always learn something
Many unskilled jobs actually provide you with skills that may be relevant later on, and no matter what, you’ll always improve your personal competencies, such as for instance being service-minded, detail-oriented or outgoing. In other words: You will always learn something in your jobs.