All I Needed To Know I Learned From A Pizza Shop (Well, kind of)

• Shane Rodrigues
• September 28, 2022
• Career Guide Article

You already have the career tools necessary! Read this article to learn why

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After handing out a bunch of resumes, I got a call from a pizza shop here in the city.

 

I learned a lot from my two years at the pizza shop, including how many pepperonis go on a large pepperoni pizza. Most importantly, I learned transferable skills that I will carry with me for the rest of my working life.

 

Customer Service & How to Talk to People

 

It was hard to order a pizza without calling the store (at least it was before you could online order). Therefore, every single shift I worked; I spoke to no less than 100 different people. Most people were happy or excited to order pizza and were pleasant to talk to, however, some, on the other hand, made my day very unpleasant.

 

From my first training shift, I was taught to

 

· Apologize

 

· Make it right

 

· Give them something extra

 

This was the foundation of my customer service training, and when you think about it, it makes sense. There was nothing I could do to fix the mistake, only ways to make it right and give them something extra to make up for the inconvenience. Oh, the apology helped too.

 

I have since been able to transfer this to other customers, and other colleagues too. Learning how to speak to people who are upset is a tool I will be forever grateful for.

 

Working in a Team

 

As I mentioned, there were some days when pizza was being ordered faster than we could make it. On days like this, we often ran out of prepared food, so we had to split up our team further to ensure we had enough toppings and dough to keep making pizza. We always tasked people with their strengths and their favorite tasks to ensure they did everything effectively and efficiently. If I had to run to the cooler to get more sauce, it was imperative that I asked my team if they needed anything, too. This was to ensure our team could be as efficient as possible.

 

When our team was working together, we were the best. We got our job done faster and with less stress. This transferable skill is one that I use every single day, in the workplace and in my personal life.

 

Problem Solving

 

Because of the nature of the fast-paced pizza shop environment, sometimes we made mistakes. I would pull a large pepperoni pizza out of the oven, but I could not find what box it belonged to. I would see a large vegetarian or a medium pepperoni. What do you do?

 

PROBLEM SOLVE.

 

Once we figured out what the issue was, we had to problem-solve. In this instance, the large pepperoni pizza I pulled out was supposed to be medium sized. Solution? Give the customer a large pizza for free.

 

Leadership

 

When I worked at the pizza shop, we always had a shift leader or a manager. Yet, there were multiple times when they were occupied with something, and I had to step up to the plate and lead the team. From problem-solving to customer complaints or trying to keep staff busy when we were slow.

 

While I had no special training or actual management experience, I watched. I saw how and what the shift leaders would do in these situations. I mimicked their motions when they were not available. This allowed me to be promoted later in my pizza career.

 

Leadership is more than just leading a team; it is about being able to communicate with them and understand their thoughts and feelings. This is a skill I am still working on today, but my learning started back when I was 15, working at a pizza shop.

 

Transferable skills are a powerful way for you to show your aptitude on your resume, in the interview, and on-the job. Every position you’ve held, whether it be childcare, mowing lawns, or working in a pizza shop, contributes to your soft skill development. Think about what you learned and be ready to articulate this to a potential new employer. 

 

Take your skills and put them to work! Apply for a job on AgCareers.com today!