Last Friday I had my 6 month work review for ZooFriends, and it went really well. It was nice to get a confirmation that I'm doing a good job. We did talk about things I needed to improve on, as well, but many of them are things that I'm already working on anyway. One thing that will be harder for me to do is speak less in the style of "Yeah" and "Uh-huh" and more like "Yes, ma'am" and "Of course, sir." I've never been big on cussing, but my speech in general is very casual. I tend to say "yep," "you guys," "kinda," and use lots of contractions. I really don't use ma'am and sir very often. When talking on the phone, however, I can see why it would be appropriate to use more formal speech, since body language and facial expressions aren't a factor in the conversation. It may take a little time, but I think I can get used to it.
Thinking back on the progress I've made at ZooFriends overall, I realize just how much I've grown with this job. I'm much less shy around strangers than I used to be. I tend to be a bit anxious around people I don't know because I don't like to give bad or wrong impressions, and I hate the thought of people not liking me. Dealing with tons of strangers on a daily basis has helped me realize that there are some people who are just determined to be rude, no matter what the situation is, and there are some people who may seem annoyed, but they're most likely bothered by something going on with them, not by me in particular. In the past, if I had to deal with a rude store clerk or bus driver, it would bother me for a while and I would feel uncomfortable with the thought that the person didn't like me. Now I know that it most likely had nothing to do with me--the person was either in a sour mood because something in her life was stressing her out, or because she was determined to pick a fight, or both. Working for ZooFriends has definitely taught me that many people feel very self-entitled. They expect to get more by giving less, and if they don't get it soon enough, they feel they ought to be compensated. It's really quite ridiculous how little patience so many people have. I used to think I was an impatient person, but compared to these people, I'm like freaking Buddha! It's mind-boggling.
Basically, what I'm trying to say is that I've gained much more than money and work experience from my job at ZooFriends. My interpersonal skills have sharpened, my anxiety over strangers has lessened, and I'm no longer thrown off-kilter by rudeness. I work really well within my team of coworkers and I consider them all my friends. We are as efficient as possible, which makes me feel constructive, and yet we still have lots of fun, which makes me feel happy!
My overall self-confidence has boosted quite a bit in the last few months, and I'm sure working at ZooFriends as been a large reason for that (another would be Colin). I never before thought I could enjoy a customer service job, but I'm SO glad I found this one!
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