Burwa Fatah

I worked part-time as a Retail Assistant at Upper Street Hardware, a busy independent DIY shop in Islington. My role involved serving customers, advising them on a wide range of tools and home improvement products, restocking shelves, and operating the till. I developed strong product knowledge, particularly in hardware, paints, and fittings, and improved my communication and teamwork skills by working closely with a small team. I also helped reorganise stock areas to improve efficiency and customer access. Working three days a week alongside my studies taught me valuable time management, reliability, and adaptability in a retail environment.

Collecting payments from customers, balancing the cash register and also made sure that the correct amount of change was in the till. This role has given me a solid foundation in customer service skills, money management and efficiency skills. Working at Your Local gave me a chance to work with a diverse group of people, including customers, coworkers and managers. I was able to pick up ideas on how to deal with different types of customers as well as how to manage, store, and rotate goods in the shop. Additionally, I learned more about how a convenience store runs, including how to order and receive products as well as stock shelves and manage cash registers. Due to the fact that I am in full time education I was also balancing my studying with Cashier work on school holidays, developing my time management skills and my prioritisation skills.

I work with my father, which brings me into regular contact with clients, and I’m used to communicating with them and learning what their interests are. This has helped me grow customer relationship management skills. Through the years I have built positive relationships with customers by understanding their needs and actively listening to their concerns. As my father works in carpentry, he and I will visit clients' properties to get a general idea of how their property would look before providing them with a quote. I would also classify myself as a Personal Assistant for Property Repair London and I generally send out quotations, emails and messages to clients. I will always engage the client in conversation as my father inspects the property. Additionally, I occasionally work alongside my father. This has not only allowed me to gain problem solving skills due to unexpected challenges that require creative problem solving skills to complete but I have also obtained time management skills as working with my father there are generally tight deadlines which require me to manage my time effectively to complete projects on schedule.