- Fort Worth, TX
- January 17, 2023
Hello! I am uploading this summary in lieu of my actual resume (available of course) to focus on my experience and abilities to meet and surpass the items listed in the ad for an ideal candidate.
While in school for my BLS degree, I worked in retail management; my operations skills earned a promotion to Corporate as the youngest Loss Prevention Auditor with the company. Loss Prevention included addressing internal theft, and my training allowed me to develop the skills to have a 100% confession rate; if I sat down for an interview, the conversation would be resolved.
However, my stores' shrink percentage reductions reflected the effects of training and support with staff before policies were abandoned. I honed my skills to work with managers and staff to embrace the need for strong operations while finding ways to accomplish that strength with the limited time and labor provided to them. I truly believe that folks are generally inclined to do the right thing, and my career in Loss Prevention/Safety roles has been perfect for my skill in helping folks find a realistic way to do that right thing.
My second degree was in Culinary School, where I also became an assistant teacher, and professional cook in a large foodie town (Louisville), with my food pictured in Kentucky Monthly magazine's monthly feature for 2 years. I remained as a Teaching Assistant part time long after graduation because I enjoyed the students, but I also enjoyed assisting the Instructor Chefs. Mise en place, Everything in its Place, is The Way in the kitchen, and I enjoyed setting the Instructors up for presentations and anticipating their needs with supplies and product.
On moving to TX to be closer to family, I applied the woodworking skills I had as a hobbyist to become the lead restoration technician, handling a variety of materials such as leather, natural stone, and metal as well as wood. The work sites also varied, from the relative comfort of my shop (not temperature controlled) to structures partially destroyed by flood or fire (insurance work) to abandoned haunted wings of hospitals. When I came to DFW I continued this work; I returned to Safety and Operations in 2018 as a Safety Auditor for the major contractor for Oncor Electric. In this position, I brought my training skills to prevent accidents, and investigation skills to determine where unsafe decisions were made and how those decisions could be headed off in the future. As many accidents are damage to buried utilities, I spent many hours in a ditch in the mud. I currently am working as a caregiver for one of my coworkers there, an old-school lineman who is teaching me to climb utility poles, who originally hired me to remodel (currently pulling carpet) his childhood home.
I say all-of-that unrelated work history that can be corroborated, to speak to my experience with and comfort, nay, preference! for hard work. Dirty environments wash off and do not bother me. Cold weather has gear to help make the temperatures (slightly!) more tolerable. The loads I have shouldered in the kitchen taught me to work smarter, but I am also proud of the muscles I gained and understand it was and is this work that keeps me fit and a true team member. Having been a manager, I take attendance etiquette to be understood, but I will also state that I am very reliable, I do not call in except for unforeseen events, and I own my assigned shifts and work.
My culinary experience, which started as a single class and turned into a degree, reinforced my appreciation for learning. It is considered an honour to work "stage" (usually for free, wherever they put you, a glorified internship) in many kitchens. Each chef and employee I worked with provided priceless wisdom. I see apprenticeship as a valuable a necessary step to developing new skills.
It is precisely that appreciation for knowledge that leads me to believe I am an ideal candidate for this position. My own experience with horses involves my own at a young age, and my exposure to farriers was primarily on a US military base in Panama, so I can imagine the standards and practices are not the same here! However, I have a base for understanding. In Panama one had to be careful of pulling a water hose on the ground, should the horses think they were snakes (the snakes were bigger). I received good training in understanding the importance of anticipating the horses' reactions, but also in communicating with them to put them at ease. Fun fact, my exposure to horses before Panama was with my Aunt's Paints in Oklahoma... there was one horse in Panama named Chaquita. She wasn't a Paint, but was from Ok... they smell the same! Also, my horse was a dressage champion previously owned by Manuel Noriega; he and I learned barrel racing and pole bending together. It has been years since I dedicated the attention, but I understand the analysis of gait and how to use it to determine issues resulting from hoof integrity, including consideration of compensation by other legs for the original issue. I am an animal person in general and think I am pretty good at establishing rapport with them.
I am now in a position to accept part-time work, and want to develop a skill that will allow me to be of use in an environment I enjoy. Should additional hours become available, I am also able to shift my responsibilities to meet them.`I hope this letter in the place of a traditional resume can convey my life experience which has honed the qualities listed in the advertisement. I also hope my eagerness to learn has come through; I am old-school enough to offer a stage trial period for you to determine our dynamic and how I can assist you. Please do consider this letter, I feel confident you will be pleased with my contribution. Thank-you for your time reading this, and I look forward to meeting you soon!
Reagan D. Hamilton
resume and references available on request