Position and Wage
Candice began working as a Courtesy Clerk Associate at her neighborhood Sprouts Family Market in September 2015. Candice’s duties include bagging groceries, returning items to shelves, sweeping the store’s aisles, retrieving shopping carts, and more. Candice earns a competitive wage and works between 16 to 20 hours per week. Candice relayed: “I love the people who work at Sprouts and all of my customers. They are very friendly and make me feel part of the team — the Sprouts family,” when asked what she likes most about her job.
Employment Application and Interviewing
Candice’s vocational specialist sought out employers matching Candice’s abilities. Candice and her vocational specialist learned of the job opening by visiting several of the nearby Sprout’s stores to ask if any open positions were available. Candice is highly appreciative of the assistance she received from her vocational specialist in the application and resume processes, as well as in mock interviewing, interview scheduling, and narrowing “employment choices based on desires and strengths.” By writing out and reading — and re-reading — answers to questions that might be asked during her interview, Candice prepared for her interview.
Soft Skills
Candice described herself as someone who was already in possession of soft skills — she is a very friendly person who is “on time, dependable, and a team player” with a “great smile.” Candice relayed her manager told her he was very impressed by her smile. Candice is also a “flexible” person who is “nice to people” – “I like people!”
Getting to Work
Reliable transportation to and from work is provided by the Orange County Transportation Authority and Candice’s family member. Candice prepared herself to have reliable transportation to work by taking part in mobility training at college where she learned how to ride the bus to many different places.
Doing the Job/Supports and Services
Candice receives the support she needs at work from her job coach and her coworkers. Her vocational specialist also follows up with her to ensure Candice understands her responsibilities.
Challenges
Candice relayed: “I have a job coach, but when the coach isn’t there, if I need help, the other coworkers help me out. One of the hardest things was learning where everything was in the store. My job coach helped a lot with that.” When Candice has a challenge, she asks for assistance.
Long-Term Goals
Candice enjoys helping people and her teacher agrees she is very adept at helping people. However, a culinary arts class taken over the summer exposed Candice to a new possibility – she discovered she would also like to “go into the culinary field.” Candice is currently enrolled at a community college and enjoys what she is learning.
Acquiring Skills
Candice knew she wanted to work in a food store. She had observed courtesy clerks working and believed she would be able to do the job. Previous participation in five different types of interesting volunteer experiences helped her to prepare.
