Ellie Stratton

This role entails the responsibility of a customers food shop, ensuring that I pick products of high quality while working under time constraints, as well as helping customers on the shop floor and maintaining a high pick rate. This has been good practice of my response to pressure, ability to problem solve on the spot and maintain a positive and friendly attitude while doing so. The flexibility of this job allows me to pursue a post graduate career in the publishing industry while continuing to keep a motivated and work orientated mindset.

I rose to the challenge of running my own independent business and quickly revelled in the lengths of creativity I could reach through this opportunity, the experience becoming one that I have thoroughly enjoyed. This role involved receiving and testing beauty and skincare kits from The Body Shop and writing detailed reviews on my own Facebook page dedicated to the company. From this pursuit, I have learnt how to write in an authentic and enticing manner, while valuing the significance behind casting a critical and editorial eye upon my own work. As an advocate for The Body Shop, I have learnt how to captivate readers through promotional and marketing means in the form of written work, blogs and video tutorials. I gained a strong following and achieved multiple sales as a result of my commitment to this venture. This opportunity has helped me develop my creativity and artistic flair, and has taught me about perseverance, organisation and time management.

My first job has taught me a lot about independence, resilience and work ethic. As a waitress on the shop floor, I enjoyed the busy and fast-paced environment while maintaining a positive and collaborative attitude with my colleagues and toward customers. I have grown into an individual who is passionate, motivated and hard working. My dedication to my work led to a 'Buddy Trainer' promotion because of my reliability and leadership qualities. As a buddy, I was a role model to trainee staff, teaching and welcoming them to the restaurant. Supporting and helping others to achieve was an extremely rewarding role. My responsibilities also involved hosting monthly meetings to discuss new menu items, creating an encouraging atmosphere for staff and thinking of innovative ways to boost our customer review systems. I was also in charge of the social media for the Nandos Cheltenham branch, which gave me an insight into content creation and the importance of effective marketing.