Dr. Tank

I started working at my current job in January, but it's quite a story about how I finally came to get it. I'm in my second semester of my freshman year, and on the way to church in the family Expedition, my Dad starts talking about me getting a job. Now, mind you, I was working for my church as the children's director's intern, but he was talking about a "real job." You know, the ones that actually make money. (He didn't really count my tiny compensation for the bit of work I did as pay.)

The first thing I said when he brought up finding a job was the fact that I was taking over a full load at school and would never find time. But after about 5 minutes of discussion, I began to see the monetary as well as mental benefits to finding work.

So, next week between classes I set off to put in as many applications as possible. Delta, for those of you who don't know, is located right next to two malls and several shopping centers. I figured I would hit as many stores as possible in those and also try many of the businesses in Lodi. Lowe's, Pier 1, Target, Macy's, Claire's, and Talbots were just a few of the places I started with. My Dad had said to make food places one of my last options, and I tended to agree with him after hearing a few of his stories...

But then came the part that I dreaded, the waiting part. I waited and waited. Laughing to myself about my Dad's saying "the squeaky wheel gets the grease," I went in to check with the stores, but the answer was always the same. "We'll contact you when we know."

Two weeks after I began looking still nothing had come up, and my sister and I went to a friend's house for a girlie movie night. This invite may seem inconsequential, but my friend's mom had heard that I was looking for a job, and she was wondering if I would mind if she mentioned me to her boss. I was thrilled, of course, and immediately replied with a yes!

Turns out that my friend's mom worked at an orthodontic office in Stockton right down the street from school, and one of their receptionists was going on maternity leave soon. Next Tuesday I got a call from "Dr. Tank." He wanted to interview me, but he was going to wait a little bit longer until Jolene, his receptionist, was closer to her due date.

Two weeks later I got a phone call, and Dr. Tank wanted me to come in. That call was on a Wednesday, I went in for my interview on that Friday, and I was at work on Monday. :)

This job has taught me so much not only about the delicate art of being a receptionist, but also how I need to deal with people which I will discuss in a later post.