Laurentian Bank CEO Rania Llewellyn on her summer double-doubles at Tim Hortons
Even with a fancy degree from St. Mary's University in her back pocket, new graduate and immigrant Rania Llewellyn took the only job in Canada she could get — and possibly the most Canadian gig there is: cashier at Tim Hortons. First Hand talks to the now-chief executive of Laurentian Bank of Canada this week about what made a summer of nightmares about double-doubles worth it in the long run. As told to Rosemary Counter.
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You can see other videos from our team by tapping here. Try refreshing your browser, or Laurentian Bank CEO Rania Llewellyn on her summer sling double-doubles at Tim Hortons. I came here from Egypt for school, and had just finished my bachelor of commerce in marketing and finance. After graduation, this was my first paying job, so I was 18. I didn't pick Tim Hortons, but it picked me. I applied everywhere, to be honest, and even with my degree, this was the only job I could get. I don't have an accent, but my name was different. I used to say my name was Rania, like Tonya. I needed a job, and they gave me one, so that was that. I worked at one of the busiest Tim Hortons in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, on Main Street. Maritimers are very serious about their Tim Hortons coffee, first of all, but this one had a lot of construction workers and truck drivers coming through, who are even more serious. They would come in and order in bulk. When you saw a guy holding a piece of paper, your heart would start beating a bit faster.
They d speak so quickly, like Two medium double-doubles, two triple-singles, three only-milks, four black. As you went, you had to keep it all in your mind, remembering the order — the sugar comes first and then the milk — and trying to keep them in order. You had to mark which one was on top with your little marker. For some customers, double-double meant cream whereas for others it meant milk, so mixing up cream and milk happened all the time. The drive-thru was the worst. We had headsets that didn't always work the best, so sometimes you couldn't hear. You can ask them to repeat themselves, once or twice, but after that you have to make a call. I hated making mistakes, so for the few weeks I kept having nightmares about not being able to keep orders straight.
It wasn't easy to leave, but a few months later I decided to go back to school to do my MBA. Tim Hortons turned out to be a great stepping stone into customer service when I got a job in my field as a part-time teller in a bank. I learned how hard it can be to work those customer-facing positions, especially because people don't always show them the respect they should. I tell my kids to always smile, and to take pride in their job, whatever it is that they do, and to do it to the best of their ability. A smile goes a long way in customer service, but everywhere really, a smile goes a long way. Even today, when I see someone in a restaurant or retail store who is going out of their way to give good service and does it with a smile on their face, I give them my business card and say, If you're looking for a job, come work for me. I can teach them technical skills but I can't teach them to smile or be positive or to take pride in their work. This is a highly sought-after skill that goes everywhere you go.