Good Day Brewers - Pang here! ☕

We’ve all had our first.

• First job.

• First love.

• First accomplishment.

But what about the shortest?

What’s the shortest job you have been in?

Read on to find out!

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Estimated reading time: 2,313 words - 9 mins 46 secs

Short and Bitter

Back in June 2010, it was the school holidays.

I was in my third year in high school and I needed money to fuel my entertainment needs.

• Hanging out with friends at fast-food restaurants after school - $6/hour

• Going to the bowling alley to roll a few gutters - $10/hour

• Taking a shot at the balls on a pool table - $10/hour

But here’s the problem.

I was only given a mere $20 per week.

It isn’t enough to keep up with my social life.

So I’ve finally decided—It’s time for me to get a job.

But things were so different then.

• Twitter existed but NO ONE knew about it

• We already had the internet but barely anyone uses it

• People use Facebook only to connect with people they know

Did people even know they could grow a personal brand business online?

Not really.

The only application I used back then was Snapchat.

— Simply for entertaining my friend with silly snapshots of my boring life.

So guess how we look for jobs back in the day?

It was old-school.

We had to go down to the physical store to ask for job vacancies. And sometimes, that means getting rejected on the spot. Or simply given a number to call to arrange an interview.

8 am on a quiet Saturday morning.

I arrived at the grand entrance of this unassuming store with striking red and yellow colors.

There was only one customer—a man in his sixties enjoying his filet-o-fish while flipping the pages of the newspaper.

A service crew stood by the entrance in her red uniform and dark brown pants with her broom in her hands.

“Hey excuse me! I’m looking for a job. Who do I speak to?”

She paused for a moment, then reached into her pockets to fish out a pen and piece of paper and wrote down 8 digits.

“Hey! Just call this number!” she said, handing over that piece of paper to me.

So I went home and gave that number a call.

A lady pick-up over the line.

Her: “Hi, how can I help you?”

Me: “I came down earlier today to look for a job. A staff requested I call this number.”

Her: “You can come down today at 2 pm. Just wear a black shirt and dark-colored pants!”

I was over the moon!

I didn’t know it was that easy to secure a job.

Not even an interview? All those horror stories that my dad used to tell me about going for 12 interviews and not even getting a single call back? Perhaps those aren’t real.

That afternoon, I arrived early at 1.55 pm. I wasn’t going to be late for my first job.

This lady, about 5 feet tall in her black shirt and pants, approached me. She wore a name tag with the words:

Manager
Fatimah

“Hey, you’re that student whom I talked to earlier? Come in!”

So I followed her footsteps into the back of the kitchen, where there was a pantry room used by the staff. There were boxes stacked up at the back of this room which was no bigger than the size of a bathroom.

She reached her hands into one of the boxes and brought out an apron.

Here’s where my nightmares started.

“Put this on and go clean those tables,” she said, pointing at the tables with trays filled with leftover fries and chili sauce.

It was just past noon and the lunch crowd had left a mess across these tables. I got down to the service floor and started returning those trays and emptying the leftovers into the trash. One table at a time, I had to scrape and wipe them clean with the cloth in my hands.

Then I was handed a broom and told to sweep the floor clean.

I also had to mob the greasy stains left behind.

It was an arduous four hours of hard work.

Before my shift ended at 6 pm, I was given a final task to tie up the trash and empty it.

• I was dead tired.

• I was hungry.

• And I hated every moment.

The nightmares were finally over.

Fatimah grabbed me by the hands and pulled me into the pantry.

She reached out into her pockets and handed me fourteen dollars in cash.

“Pick a meal. You deserve it,” she said.

This moment was priceless.

I pointed to the cheeseburger on the menu.

That was the best meal I’ve ever eaten. It represented the fruits of my labor. All of that sweat and perspiration paid off as I savored that succulent piece of beef patty sandwiched between two buns.

“Leave your number here. We’ll give you a call.”

Hours turn into days.

Days turn into weeks.

That was the last I heard of Fatimah.

4 hours on a job. That was how long I lasted.

Despite my initial excitement, I couldn't bring myself to call back for another shift.

The job was more demanding than I had anticipated, and I wasn't ready for that level of physical strain.

It wasn’t until three years later that a job as a barista gave me a huge change in perspective.

Looking back, that short-lived job marked the beginning of my journey toward understanding the societal value of money and the importance of perseverance.

It wasn't just about making a quick buck for my social activities.

It signified my first step towards discovering my value and worth in society.

How is this story possible?

I wanted to have a social life.

But I didn’t have sufficient money.

So this was my first attempt at getting a job.

How tough was it?

So tough that I did not want to call in for another shift.

Relatable Moments.

See if you can spot these relatable moments from the story above:

• Needing money at a young age for your guilty pleasures

• Your very first labor job

• That unexpected experience that you had

• Your initial struggles

• Earning that first dollar

• Enjoying the fruits of your labor

Could you recall a moment from the past?

How to sell the narrative of SHORTEST?

#1 - Go Back in Time

Head back to the past!

Let’s talk about a time when it mattered to you.

• When did it happen?

• Which period of the time was it?

It was the school holidays, a time when everyone had a social life!

Back in June 2010, it was the school holidays.

I was in my third year in high school and I needed money to fuel my entertainment needs.

- Hanging out with friends at fast-food restaurants after school - $6/hour

- Going to the bowling alley to roll a few gutters - $10/hour

- Taking a shot at the balls on a pool table - $10/hour

#2 - Problem

Let’s talk about our problem here!

• What were some issues you’re struggling with?

• Why did they matter to you?

The problem here was that I needed money to fuel my entertainment needs.

But here’s the problem.

I was only given a mere $20 per week.

It isn’t enough to keep up with my social life.

So I’ve finally decided—It’s time for me to get a job.

But things were so different then.

- Twitter existed but NO ONE knew about it

- We already had the internet but barely anyone uses it

- People use Facebook only to connect with people they know

Did people even know they could grow a personal brand business online?

Not really.

The only application I used back then was Snapchat.

— Simply for entertaining my friend with silly snapshots of my boring life.

#3 - Proposed Solution

• What ideas did you come up with?

• What were your initial expectations?

The solution to my monetary woes was simply, to look for a job!

So guess how we look for jobs back in the day?

It was old-school.

We had to go down to the physical store to ask for job vacancies. And sometimes, that means getting rejected on the spot. Or simply given a number to call to arrange an interview.

#4 - Expectations vs Reality

• What did you expect initially?

• How did reality turn out differently?

I expected it to be tougher to secure a job.

But turns out I was put to the test without an interview.

8 am on a quiet Saturday morning.

I arrived at the grand entrance of this unassuming store with striking red and yellow colors.

There was only one customer—a man in his sixties enjoying his filet-o-fish while flipping the pages of the newspaper.

A service crew stood by the entrance in her red uniform and dark brown pants with her broom in her hands.

“Hey excuse me! I’m looking for a job. Who do I speak to?”

She paused for a moment, then reached into her pockets to fish out a pen and piece of paper and wrote down 8 digits.

“Hey! Just call this number!” she said, handing over that piece of paper to me.

So I went home and gave that number a call.

A lady pick-up over the line.

Her: “Hi, how can I help you?”

Me: “I came down earlier today to look for a job. A staff requested I call this number.”

Her: “You can come down today at 2 pm. Just wear a black shirt and dark-colored pants!”

I was over the moon!

I didn’t know it was that easy to secure a job.

Not even an interview? All those horror stories that my dad used to tell me about going for 12 interviews and not even getting a single call back? Perhaps those aren’t real.

#5 - Situation

• Where were you?

• What did you do here?

• What dialogues can you add here?

That afternoon, I arrived early at 1.55 pm. I wasn’t going to be late for my first job.

This lady, about 5 feet tall in her black shirt and pants, approached me. She wore a name tag with the words:

Manager

Fatimah

“Hey, you’re that student whom I talked to earlier? Come in!”

So I followed her footsteps into the back of the kitchen, where there was a pantry room used by the staff. There were boxes stacked up at the back of this room which was no bigger than the size of a bathroom. 

She reached her hands into one of the boxes and brought out an apron.

Here’s where my nightmares started.

“Put this on and go clean those tables,” she said, pointing at the tables with trays filled with leftover fries and chili sauce.

#6 - Struggle

If it’s your shortest, then there must have been some struggle or conflict.

• What’s the struggle that you face?

• How did you feel about it?

It was just past noon and the lunch crowd had left a mess across these tables. I got down to the service floor and started returning those trays and emptying the leftovers into the trash. One table at a time, I had to scrape and wipe them clean with the cloth in my hands.

Then I was handed a broom and told to sweep the floor clean.

I also had to mob the greasy stains left behind.

It was an arduous four hours of hard work.

Before my shift ended at 6 pm, I was given a final task to tie up the trash and empty it.

- I was dead tired.
- I was hungry.
- And I hated every moment.

The nightmares were finally over.

#7 - Wins (Optional)

• Were there any wins from this episode?

• How did that make you feel?

This wasn’t just my first shortest job, but also my first job. Hence, earning that first dollar made a real difference to me.

Fatimah grabbed me by the hands and pulled me into the pantry.

She reached out into her pockets and handed me fourteen dollars in cash.

“Pick a meal. You deserve it,” she said.

This moment was priceless.

I pointed to the cheeseburger on the menu.

That was the best meal I’ve ever eaten. It represented the fruits of my labor. All of that sweat and perspiration paid off as I savored that succulent piece of beef patty sandwiched between two buns.

#8 - Lesson

Reflect on the entire episode.

• What happened after?

• What did you learn?

• Why did this matter to you?

“Leave your number here. We’ll give you a call.”

Hours turn into days.

Days turn into weeks.

That was the last I heard of Fatimah.

4 hours on a job. That was how long I lasted.

Despite my initial excitement, I couldn't bring myself to call back for another shift.

The job was more demanding than I had anticipated, and I wasn't ready for that level of physical strain.

It wasn’t until three years later that a job as a barista gave me a huge change in perspective.

Looking back, that short-lived job marked the beginning of my journey toward understanding the societal value of money and the importance of perseverance.

It wasn't just about making a quick buck for my social activities.

It signified my first step towards discovering my value and worth in society.

Stories are the best way to build connections with people.

So tell them.

Spread your stories to the people around you!

• What was your shortest job?

• What did you learn from that?

Send me your stories and I’ll roast them for ya!

Your Barista,

Pang

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