By Muhammod Abu Sayed
There’s No Such Thing As A Dead-End Job
By: Mary-Jo Appaqaq
One of the things (the many things) that I am grateful to my parents for doing is instilling in me a strong work ethic. “I don’t care if you’re cleaning a toilet, you just make sure that toilet is the cleanest you can make it.”, was a phrase my mother used to frequently say to me.
That phrase came to mind when we were visiting local secondary schools, advertising the employability services that students can typically expect from a higher-education institution. I was mid-sentence, talking about the Hospitality Industry, when a student abruptly turned on her heel and swished off, saying, “Oh, Hospitality? No, I don’t want to be cleaning toilets.”
I could have been offended by her actions and words. But instead, I actually felt quite sorry for her. In one fell swoop, she was cutting herself off from job opportunities, earning potential, a gold mine of soft skills and untold progression opportunities. All because she thought herself above cleaning a toilet.
We need only look at the LinkedIn page of the CEO of Pret-a-Manger UK, Pano Christou, to understand what a strong work ethic, a sense of personal responsibility and a positive attitude can do for your career.
Pano Christou started his career in fast food in 1995, working his way up the McDonald’s ladder. By 1999, he was already a Store Manager, staying in that position for just over a year until early 2000. Later that year, he accepted a step down to Assistant Manager at the now ubiquitous Pret-A-Manger. You might think this was a setback, but it set him on the path to becoming the most successful employee of Pret-A-Manger UK.
Over the next 19 years, Mr. Christou worked his way up through positions such as General Manager, Operations Manager, Head of Operations, before securing the position of CEO of the UK branch of Pret-A-Manger.
I wonder if Mr. Christou complained about cleaning toilets at McDonald’s back in 1995. I’m sure it wasn’t his favourite part of the job, but I’m certain he would never have secured any promotion by sidestepping this task.
There’s no denying that the current jobs market is tough. Last month (June) saw the most growth in vacancies since 2022, but it has still not recovered to pre-pandemic rates. Candidates report applying for hundreds of jobs, before even getting to the interview stage. This is a daunting prospect for anyone in the application process right now, and we see it in the E&P department every week.
We’re not advocating for anyone to lower their standards. We’re not saying that you should go for a job you don’t want. But going to work with a progression-minded attitude and working in a company that has plenty of progression opportunities could land you with the ultimate promotion in the end!
