KEVIN OBERN
Managing Director, Officemax NZ
What was your first job?
Working part-time in a fruit and vegetable shop near Runciman (between Ramarama and Bombay).
My mum asked the shop owners if they needed help over the summer holidays. It developed from there and I worked almost every
weekend and all school holidays for two years. I was 14, still at school and earned $1 per hour for a minimum of 10 hours a day.
Some days, I'd be up at 4am to go to the markets and finish at 6pm. During school holidays, I would get a box of fruit and vegetables to take home and the owners also took me out for dinner on Sunday evenings as a treat for them and a reward for me.
Did you enjoy it?
It was a fantastic introduction to dealing with people, juggling tasks, managing stock, displaying goods and meeting customer demands.
I learnt about stock control, organising cash, banking, store display and even worked in the paddocks planting and harvesting produce.
What did you learn?
Being able to carry a sack of potatoes under each arm was great for impressing girls.
And that providing great customer service and quality products at a competitive price was the way to build and maintain a loyal customer base.
What were your bosses like?
The business was owned by a mature couple, childless and set in their ways.
Their interpersonal skills were poor and they even had some serious disputes in the middle of a busy shop.
But they trusted me to do "grown-up" things like securing the premises, cashing up, banking, opening the store and, sometimes, even left me in sole charge.
Any advice for someone starting out?
Treat early experience as a learning opportunity.
It doesn't need to be aligned with your career aspirations - you can learn a lot about tolerance, teamwork, customer service, collaboration, respect and the value of money in most jobs.
