Miranda Kirkman

In this job I am mostly tasked with organising and running functions for birthday parties and work events. Around twice a week I will have up to three functions a day to host. Hosting means I memorise every event the group has paid for and the starting and finishing time for it. Making sure the party stays on time is very important because the venue has many other party hosts trying to stick to their schedules that run a minute after mine. While achieving to maintain these timings, I must keep up an excitable energy around the guests to make their day positive and memorable However, I also work at the reception by greeting guests, managing bookings and making sure all activities are running on time and smoothly. Plus this, I am also capable at operating the escape rooms and bar area. My competence in these areas has lead me to train others when they are new to the venue. This job involves me to regularly interact with all types of people with varying ages, genders, nationalities, and languages. It has greatly encouraged me to utilise and grow my problem solving, time management and communication skills, especially when complaints arise. It has pushed me to be an effective team player and leader, taught me to work well under stress and shown me how important it is to be confident in my work. All these attributes are visible to the guests and have encouraged many repeat visitors.

Whilst completing my hospitality course I was given the opportunity to work at this establishment for a month to better my understanding of the industry. At this restaurant I was often in charge of maintaining the cleanliness of the venue by cleaning dining areas as well as polishing utensils and organising equipment. I was also tasked with preparing the venue for lunch and dinner service by setting the tables, plus I would greet guests and take orders. This experience allowed me to gain a first hand understanding on how to use my communication skills to de-escalate situations. These situations would arise when a dish was unsatisfactory or due to guests becoming impatient. These situations also meant I had to develop good relationships and rapport with my coworkers in order feel more comfortable when discussing these issues. Maintaining a calm disposition during these times while other tasks also must be completed quickly is essential for the operation of the business.

In this role I greeted guests with friendly and professional acknowledgment to build rapport, observed established health and safety regulations to safeguard teams and guests and performed general cleaning by sweeping and mopping floors, washing dishes and emptying trash. This is an establishment where all my coworkers primarily spoke French, therefore overcoming that language barrier was a leaning curve for me and helped me understand their culture more. Another learning curve I overcame was getting use to the rankings. As this was one of my first hospitality jobs, I had to understand to always do what my manager asks me as soon as they ask it. Beginning this job I also learnt the importance of being early to work, not just on time. Being 15 minutes early allows you to be properly prepared for the shift and then gives you time to clock on.

During my year ten of high school it became a requirement to complete a month of work placement. For this placement I got employment at my local veterinary hospital. Here I was able to gain experience in the medical felid as well as pet care. I gained knowledge on how to improve the overall well-being of domestic pets by taking their vitals, recording the results and taking action to better the results, therefore making the animal feel more comfortable. As well as this, I was in charge of assisting the nurses when giving pets anaesthetic, helped them groom the animals and set up housing for the pets. This job tasked me with things I have never done before and meant I got to learn by doing. It taught me to always ask questions if I'm unsure and then apply what I have learnt. I grew to feel confident in these new skills quickly as I was only there for a short time but wanted to be as helpful as possible.

Working at Healthy Habits was my first place of employment and it gave me a taste for how the industry operates. In this position, I worked all sections of the establishment which included greeting guests and building rapport, general cleaning, developing rapport with co workers, handling guest complaints, taking orders, serving food, arriving on time for my shifts and reporting to my manager. Although this establishment was short lived at its location, I was able to have a constructive experience and was able to enter other organisations due to my gained knowledge.