Liam Clark

I am a hard working, detail-oriented person

• At Ikea I have the responsibility to complete the close down of the kitchen, which is the largest within the retail sector This requires me to be efficient and thorough with the task at hand This includes tasks such as date checking, reaching hygiene standards, signing off the diary / cleaning rotas and more Additionally, as a senior member of the kitchen team, I delegate tasks to my coworkers depending on their skill set in order to reach expected standards in the given time frame It is important that the close down is completed to an exceptional level of quality for it be ready for the next morning, as any delay may negatively impact on the performance of the restaurant Due to this I make sure to check for any errors and inaccuracies and resolve any issues the night before

I have excellent time management skills

• Through a mix of education and employment, I have gained outstanding time management skills In the Ikea restaurant time management is crucial as there are many strict deadlines in place, such as opening times and change overs in which if not done to the expected standard, Ikea‘s customer output can be harmed having a potential effect on revenues and profits Due to this, I have mastered the important ability of time management within my work, being sure to have all tasks at hand completed when expected Additionally, my education and employment have given me strong punctuality, always being on time whether it be a shift at work or arriving at a lecture and meeting deadlines

Positive and outgoing attitude

• I always showcase positivity at IKEA recognising the need to have high team moral in the working environment Also, when dealing with customers it is crucial to be outgoing to give the customer the best experience possible, resulting in numerous positive feedback reports from customers expressed to the management team

Effective communication skills

• Both of my roles at Ikea and Mcdonalds have been customer orientated, meaning I have acquired strong communication skills, as in these fast pace working environments I am required to be clear, confident and fast, whilst communicating to customers Adding to this, university presented a multitude of group work activities where effective communication was essential to successfully complete the task Applying each others strengths to the task and effectively breaking it down allowed for high quality levels of work to be produced, whilst also improving my communication and team working skills

I am creative and have strong design skills

• During my education I successfully studied ‘digital art‘ achieving grade 9 (A**) I then studied and took interest in Graphic design at A-level in which I was able to explore and express creative freedom in my work, achieving A* as my final grade By studying these topics I have developed a creative flair which is a transferrable skill, allowing me to be innovative when problem solving in the workplace

Problem Solving

• During the Covid-19 pandemic rather than be furloughed, I opted to remain in work adapting to the volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous working environment An example being a ‘social distancing warden’ ensuring both staff and customers were following government guidelines I noticed one particular issue with the ‘1 in 1 out’ system we had adopted It was the responsibility of one person to track both the entrance and exit However, this led to inaccuracies on the amount of people inside the store, as well as incorrect total footfall for the day due to the large scale of the store I suggested more members of the food team could be utilised, by spreading the responsibility between 2 employees having one per door and utilising better communication The task at hand was much more manageable and done to a much higher degree of accuracy ensuring Ikea was safe and following guidelines For suggesting this I was given high praise by management