Alexandra Hesketh, 24
2nd Assistant Manager, Newcastle
Degree: Politics
- Why McDonald's?
- It was important for me to get a job with plenty of options and which would give me a good start. I looked at all of the Times Top 100 Graduate Employers and McDonald's offered the chance to gain a wide variety of skills, as well as a way of working that suited me. The fact that they recruit all year round was attractive because I didn't want to wait; I applied in October and started in February, which was great.
- How have you developed and grown?
- My manager told me that I'd learn something new every day – and it's so true. I'm now an established 2nd Assistant and know my job well, but there's always something new to learn. You need to be a sponge and absorb everything around you. It's like a big jigsaw puzzle I'm adding to every day.
- What are your rewards and benefits?
- The financial rewards are very important to me as I've just bought my first home. On top of a competitive salary there's a performance review once a year that could result in a salary increase. I was given a pay rise after six months, which gave me a real sense of achievement as I didn't think I'd been here long enough! The employee discount card is really useful as you can get loads of bargains. All in all, I don't think you'll find a package quite as good at many other companies.
- Do you have good work/life balance?
- The variety of shift patterns means I can fit work around my life. I have mornings and afternoons free to go shopping, see friends and spend time with my partner, who is currently at university so attends lectures at certain times. Shift work is perfect for me because I don't get caught up in rush hour traffic and can park more easily in the centre of town. Simple things like that make all the difference.
- What makes a good McDonald's Manager?
- I think the most important thing is being able to interact with others, be it Crew, customers or office-based staff. There's such a vast array of employees here: people in their forties and over, people from other countries, people earning a bit of extra cash, people using McDonald's as a stopgap, people pursuing a career. A Manager needs to know how to motivate them all.
- Proudest moment?
- I got top of the class on my basic shift management course and was given an award for first in class. They sent an email to my Manager and Operations Consultant telling them what a good job I'd done. I was made up.
- Have you had to deal with any negative perceptions of your job?
- I was telling one of my dad's friends that I work for a multi-national, multi-million pound organisation, that I have a fantastic pension scheme, annual leave and personal health care package, and that I'm being trained so that I can progress quickly in my career. Then I told him my employer was McDonald's, and he said you mean you flip burgers? I said yes, but that I also do an awful lot of other things to run the business – you name it, I do it. And I told him that if I didn't flip burgers I'd be a rubbish Manager expecting everyone else to do it except me. So yes, people sometimes assume you're a burger-flipper. But I know in myself that I'm a graduate who has worked hard to get here – and this is the job that will serve me as a career, get my debts from uni sorted and help me settle in my first home.
- What does the future hold?
- I have a very definite target in my mind: my manager joined as a Trainee Business Manager, like me, and was running his own store in two years. That's quite fast, but I'd like to equal him. If you're eager and driven I think you can do it – and I certainly am. Firstly, though, I want to be at a level where I run the perfect shift. Then I can progress to 1st Assistant Manager, before taking over my own restaurant.
- Best bit?
- No two days are the same: different shifts have a totally different feel to them; you get to work with a range of people every day – each with an interesting story to tell; and every day brings a new challenge.