Your first job can be a stepping stone to a great career and many life-time achievements. So, what are the most important lessons you have gained on your first job? We have asked Sergi Baramia, Operations Manager in Majorel who started his job as a graduate student. He joined on an entry-level position as a Customer Service Representative and has achieved great success over a short period of time. Currently, he leads a team of 270 people for one of the key e-commerce accounts. In this article, he shares 6 major lessons he has learned from his first job at Majorel.
- Diplomas don’t define you at work
Too much emphasis placed on traditional university degrees can lead you to asking yourself: does a degree really define me at work? My first job made me realize that I am more than my certificates and degrees. Being a degree-holder does not guarantee you will excel at work. In reality, what’s more important is the right attitude, enthusiasm and basic human wisdom that you have or will acquire with time.
- You gain experience along the way
Don’t think that employers expect from you to be an expert from the very beginning. In reality, most of the things you learned in education will be useless when you actually enter the work world. What I found the most valuable are the professional and interpersonal skills, knowledge and experience that you pick up along the way.
- Power of multitasking and time management
For a customer service job, the ability to multitask is highly desirable, but it’s also the skill that you’ll find useful in every work environment. What my first job taught me is how to embrace a wide range of duties and allocate time in a way to make sure all customers receive the same amount of attention and care.
- Communication is king
Communication is vital for excellent customer service. Each customer you engage with has own concerns and needs. So, your communication has to be tailored to each of them. My first job taught me how to choose the right language for the right person and the right scenario. Knowing the right language helps you handle customer concerns in a more personal way, making the entire customer experience smoother.
- Failures help you improve
Your first job experience is more likely to be paved by failure, rather than successes. Customer service is a very human thing and just like humans, it can’t be perfect all the time. It requires continuous improvement. It might sound frustrating, but in fact failures happen to force you acknowledge the room for improvement. Along the way, you learn how to deal with challenges and how to recover at a faster pace. Keep in mind, the best reward goes to those who never give up trying.
- Hard work pays off
As a fresher at my first job, I was driven to prove myself worthy each and every day. From my experience, I can definitely say that hard work and dedication do not go unnoticed. As a result, I have learned that enthusiasm and commitment, combined with the right support can actually help you reach your career goals faster.
We are proud of our people and their achievements! We hope their stories inspire and motivate other people on their career journeys. Read more career stories here.
Sergi is based in our office in Kutaisi, Georgia. If you want to know more about Majorel Georgia or are interested to join our fast-growing team in Tbilisi, Kutaisi our Batumi, visit our local website here.
