Nic Garelli

At the start of this year I began working as a carpenter’s apprentice with Coast & Country Homes. Although I decided that this career was not for me and resigned, I still took away much from my four months working in this position. I quickly learned to appreciate a solid day’s work in the building industry, starting early and putting in 10 hour days. Working as an apprentice gave me great time management skills, working autonomously through a list of tasks set for me each day with minimal supervision. Even though building work involves tight time-frames, I took pride in ensuring my work was always completed to a high standard. This role also helped me to further develop my team working and communication skills through collaborating with the other builders and learning from them. The position also aided in bettering my organizational skills as I needed to take the initiative and make sure that I was properly prepared to complete each task I was set, and was often the person responsible for tidying-up and packing away at the end of each day.

While working as a Kitchen Hand I developed essential communication and time management skills which helped me to thrive in the fast-paced work environment of a restaurant kitchen. Over my two years at Buona Sera my role quickly expanded outside the responsibilities of the initial job description. Some of the extra responsibilities I took on included: portioning and plating meals, making appetizers and deserts, preparing and seasoning premade dishes, preparing produce, training new staff members, setting tables and working occasional extra shifts as a waiter/server, etc. I built and maintained great working relationships with all staff members and was even offered mentorship to become a chef at the restaurant by the Head Chef.