Paper 2 Final Draft Joseph 1

Sarafina Joseph

ENC 1101- 0M05

November 13, 2017

Minor Development, Momentous Changes

Everybody has a niche that they like to claim and are very comfortable with it. However,

for me I have a community that I am a part of that I am not so comfortable with but I honestly

think this is an environment that I can to grow in. I believe people need a place to develop and

not get so comfortable with as they wont grow as a person. I know for myself that I am a timid

person and that I dont usually put myself out there to speak or interact with strangers if I dont

feel the need to do so. So, I decided to take the initiative to go into an unfamiliar environment

that I am not used to and take advantage of being in an area that I know will be very unusual for

me even if it is a normal place such as Knightros. Indeed, you read that right, I chose to grow in

a dining restaurant and to others that may not seem much but for me it makes me grow knots in

my stomachs. I want to change as a person as I believe I am stuck in a place where I wont get

much out of it. I want to be bolder, talkative and interact with others that I never felt obliged to

do so. Even though I want nothing to do with the place, it is something I look forward to at the

same time. Ive only been there for a short amount of time but I have already seen some changes

that I wouldnt have observed a few months ago. People are all about perfecting their skills and

any flaws they learn across the way of life and this is one of the opportunities I took advantage of

to change these flaws.

I started working at Knightros less than two months ago and I pursued a job originally

just to finance myself for emergencies and so I wouldnt rely so much on parents to pay for
Paper 2 Final Draft Joseph 2

things I needed. I honestly didnt think I was going to get it but luckily, I did. I had to do an

interview and I got used to them despite my constant anxiety issues surrounding people. From

previous interviews, I was a nervous wreck that it kept me from ever getting a callback. I know

most people wouldnt admit it but I fake my enthusiasm in certain situations even though it

annoys me to do so, but I knew what had to be done to get things rolling. I know that in society,

people want an authentic individual inside their community but that has been a struggle for

myself in the long run as I was never the type of person to get into something and say that I

enjoyed it. So, with a smile on my face I progressed through the interview and managed to get

the job, even though my enthusiasm didnt match my daily personality. I started working late

September and I expected training to make the transition easier but it surely didnt work out that

way so I had to use the different tools provided during the job.

The tools I had to use were effective communication and the instruction books that are

provided at work. Effective communication was something I had difficulty with the most as I

have a problem speaking up to people and it was something I had to learn to do while on the job

as without it, things would not work out so great. This was one of the great learning

opportunities to get out of my comfort zone. Learning how to work a station without the proper

training was difficult depending on where they placed me. Communicating with the chef was one

of the important things that needed to be done every day to make sure there was always

something to serve to people. No matter how many times I work there, I will always get

warnings and knew I had to continuously speak to her as the night went on. Even speaking to the

other employees was something that needed to be done as I needed as much help as possible

being the new the kid in town. Another helpful item was the instruction books that are left at the

stations and I would have to memorize them for when I had to complete the tasks multiple times.
Paper 2 Final Draft Joseph 3

They all had the info on the things needed to be done such as taking temperatures and counting

items. These were one of the self-taught things I had to figure out myself. Effective

communication isnt always working there as I know there are things that are constantly left out

but along the way I think I will get a grasp of all that needs to be known. In a discourse

community, communication is an unavoidable factor and its what makes a community thrive.

There will be times when there are people that can hinder the proper function just by the

communication they use. I have come across this situation plenty and in this environment, it is

something I must work around continuously and adapt to as an individual.

As an individual in a community, I believe nobody is perfect and there are flaws that are

learned and fixed every day. A community is a place to meet different people and learn how to

interact with each other in an appropriate way. This environment is perfect for me to do both as I

lack in doing them as a person. Being in an environment that does both, was and still is, one of

the reasons why I decided to go ahead and take the job. I am forced to do things I dont want to

do and I think that is a good thing. When most people think of the word forced, it is a negative

connotation but it can be positive depending on the situation. I see it as being forced to better

myself as a person and learn to interact with others. I am usually at a loss of words but speaking

to the other employees and customers, forces me to really think about what I want to say. I even

started realizing earlier this week that I managed to keep up a conversation with one of my

fellow employees and a customer. I felt proud of myself for this minor achievement that felt like

a huge milestone for me. Its these trivial things that let me appreciate the community I placed

myself in as human interaction is the point of the service and I try to not to take it lightly and

think hard about what I want from these interactions as they all leave an imprint on me.
Paper 2 Final Draft Joseph 4

As an employee at Knightros each employee must do their share in the work that is done

expected of them daily. This leaves no one safe as youll learn to operate a new station under a

minute if you have to. This is another part of having to learn on the job situation that got me

frustrated. Even though being thrown into a station I have zero understanding of, it shows a

messed-up sense of equality that is placed. Even if I am new, I will learn something quick and

takeover immediately if the situation need be. Its not my favorite thing to do but it isnt

unbearable to deal with. Its one of the situations that many people learn from in life. It may be

terrifying at first but once you learn, it isnt as bad as you first thought.

One of the most important things I learned on the job and the one I recently got hassled

for was the rules of the work place. Every workplace has a set of rules they want followed and

they are there for a reason. Some of the rules they really stand by is proper hygiene, continuous

food reports and the slogan W.E.S.T. which stands for Welcome, Engage, Smile and Thank You.

As a restaurant, I understand the hygiene being enforced as you think about yourself and know if

it was you, you would want to be served under clean conditions. So, I take this personally and

continuously wash my hands and wear clean gloves even if not needed. Food reports are crucial

information that is needed every day at the workplace as it keeps the behind-the-scenes structure

organized. They take this information and learn what needs to be done, whether it is ordering

more products or if its fresh to serve. Appearance is a crucial quality of a restaurant and it is

truly significant in their performance. We must maintain our physical appearances at peak

performance as we are the picture of the company and we sell out their ideals to the customer.

We have the acronym W.E.S.T. for a reason as well as we must put on a performance to the

customers and make them come back as often as possible. Im pretty sure most people know
Paper 2 Final Draft Joseph 5

about this as it is no secret as most companies do the same. We all have rules we must play by as

they are in place for a reason, either to keep things orderly or to help promote the workplace.

All in all, I have to motivate myself to do all of these things and they tie in to the big

picture of it all. Im doing something I dont like to do, even if it is only a few hours in my life.

At the end of it all, I am gaining customer service experience and learning how to adapt to new

situations. These are qualities that I will need for my future profession as working in a hospital is

a stressful place where those who hire you expect the very best out of you. I wasnt good at

either before I came here but I have seen major development that mean a lot to me. I dont want

to go about my life being timid while being around others. I still have ways to go about this as a

restaurant will only get you so far. However, I believe this is the best place to start off while in

this university. Its a huge campus and I have come across many more people than I have before

while at home. Being able to do new things within a brief period is also a benefit so I wont have

to panic over every little situation that comes up. Others may not see this as development but

being able to interact with people and panicking less in a new environment, even if it just a food

station, without getting all jittery is a huge relief on my part. I honestly hope I can continue to be

this motivated as I move on to different environments than I am in now and bring in these new

skills I have obtained while working here at Knightros.