Seth Kerchner Email & Phone Number

Chico, California, United States

As the Administrative Assistant for The Hignell Companies Residential Property Management Department, I provide department support through problem resolution, vendor and customer interaction, and detailed quality control for 30+ properties. I also execute and optimize the generation of all deposit dispositions and the collection of thousands of dollars in post-tenancy balances within a series of strict legal time frames. In addition, I provided administrative support by preparing and tracking large-scale department reports to ensure timely information for upper management decision-making. I further support Hignell's operations by organizing all department meetings by creating agendas, gathering reports, taking minutes, and leading team-building activities for as many as 35 resident managers.

Chico, California, United States

As a Server for Farmers Brewing Co. LLC, I regularly and successfully provided high-quality service to as many as six tables simultaneously. I was continually challenged to solve problems with staff and customers independent of direct supervision. I also had the privilege of moving from Host to Server, ahead of peers, by exceeding expectations and implementing new skills both instructed and self-taught. In the course of my employment, I continually utilized time management skills to manage half a dozen responsibilities, including bussing tables, assisting customers, supporting waiting and cook staff, and preparing table sets.

Riverside, California, United States

While working as a First Year Experience Leader, my responsibilities were easily divisible into three major categories: Teaching, Event Planning, and Facilitating Meaningful Relationships. Teaching involved weekly lesson planning to ensure the content was salient, impactful, and engaging. I taught various subjects, all designed to help the freshman make a smooth and meaningful transition into university life. I also had many opportunities to improve my speaking skills as I sought to bring even the most mundane information to life. During each lecture, I would field a variety of questions, which I would address with a balance of honesty and respect, all the while seeking to provide them with the best information. Event planning, the second major component of the FYE, involved continual creativity and thoughtful consideration of the student’s needs. Each of the half-dozen events was specifically tailored to the student’s needs. Welcome Weekend, a multi-day event that marked the student's first moments on campus, was particularly important. Here the events were carefully crafted to bond students together, to make them feel that they had a community and that this university was a place where they could succeed and grow. The ramifications of this event resonated throughout the year, with many students forming friendships that would carry on through their college experience. The teaching and event planning components came together in the third aspect of FYE: the facilitation of interpersonal relationships. I met with my students one-on-one for at least an hour, seeking to connect with them on a deep level and ensure that their transition was going well. Interpersonal skills were also tested, with everything described above being done in partnership with another FYE Leader. Together we had to navigate the complexities of the job, learning to work with and rely on each other to reach students of every kind.

Santa Clara, California, United States

Work as a CPK Busser was a persistent, though victorious battle with half a dozen responsibilities constantly vying for my attention. Opening each morning meant facing many problems, from filthy floors, messy tables, and a lack of silverware sets, to shipments yet to be unloaded, problems with the ice machine, dirty bathrooms, and empty soda fountains. The problem became not so much what to do, but what order to do them in. Time was short, but poor performance could not be tolerated. This meant that I had to organize a half dozen tasks, execute them quickly but skillfully, and all while attend to any additional needs. For mine was ultimately job of support. And so, the focused and effective balance of tasks would go on, for hours at a time, with little to no rest between. All the while, my mind would be working on what had to be done next, what was most important, and how to act most effectively. Not long after beginning work at CPK, my managers approached me to take on more responsibility. I was trained in the Host position, which entailed greeting customers from the moment they walked in, fielding their questions, and seeking to seat them as soon as possible, even in the frenzy of a busy night. Balancing the desires of the managers, the busy wait staff, and the customers was tough though it was, in the end, well carried out. Additional responsibility came as a result of staff shortages. A dishwasher left soon after my arrival, and his responsibilities were then split between one of the prep cooks and me. This meant that, in addition to the many tasks of a busser, I also had to balance the new dishwashing responsibilities. I quickly set about re-organizing the dish system to ensure the station was not overcrowded. I also optimized the washing process, finding the best times to fit bits of washing between other duties. It was hectic but effective work which always resulted in smooth operations and customer satisfaction.

Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania, United States

Program Director of Slippery Rock Baptist Camp was a role that required continual organization, problem-solving, and creativity. The exact details of the position were not disclosed until my arrival two weeks before the start of camp. It was then made clear that I was given complete creative freedom and, in essence, handed the keys to the camp, being thus entrusted with all its operations and the effective execution of the entirety of the program. I quickly set about gathering information from past staff, seeking to design a camp program that would balance the needs of the various staff members and, above all, the hopes, desires, and interests of the campers. After two weeks of research and prep, the camp began. There were to be four different types of camps over the course of the summer. Family camp was perhaps the most difficult, as it required events and schedules that would appeal to all ages, from the elderly to the infant. It was executed in the end with excellence, and I was gifted many congratulations and thanks for the work done. The other weeks, which covered age groups from elementary to high school, required as much creativity and planning. Problem-solving was another daily task. From camp sickness frights to disciplinary measures, the responsibility fell to me, and I dealt with it accordingly, seeking to be fair-handed, wise, and intelligent in all decisions. Staffing issues also arose over the weeks, and I was charged with diplomacy within that realm, hearing their complaints and dealing with them well as I could. The role was strange; though we had an excellent staff, it was still relatively small. This meant that my responsibilities lay not only in the executive but also in the menial positions. While not planning for or leading the camp, I was always busy dealing with maintenance, cleaning, problems with the kitchen, doing inspections, or tending to particular campers.

Santa Clarita, California, United States

I worked three summers as a Lifeguard for the City of Santa Clarita. This meant three different staff, with different managers, facilities, and employees, both above and below me. The responsibilities of a lifeguard are centered around the safety of the patrons. Depending upon the season, there could be 70+ customers to be cared for and watched by myself and a few other co-workers. Long hours were spent in the sun, watching them carefully, enforcing rules for their safety, and attending to any needs or questions they posited. Yet this only encapsulates the rec time. Other operating hours brought with them a variety of different tasks. I taught swim lessons to various ages, seeking to keep them safe while also teaching them to interact in a totally foreign and often scary environment under the scrutiny of rightfully protective parents. The facility's cleaning was also my responsibility, so my free time was used to this end, being ever full of sweeping, scrubbing, sponging, and the like. I also had the privilege of acting as a dive cough for three years. The first two I spent as an assistant, and the last, as the head coach. Here I taught young children to twist, tuck, flip, and turn in unnatural ways. Fear was again a major, though surmounted, obstacle. As a head coach, my responsibilities grew, as the planning of the meets was left to me, as well as the management of my assistant coach. Patrons were continually considered, and customer service was paramount and prominent. This was true not only in matters of dive but also throughout the job. Many complaints were dealt with, money was well handled, and the occasional disciplinary measure was carried out. First aid was also administered, though not often, as the aim was to tend so much as to prevent injury. All this was done while successfully balancing the unique staff of the season, including their differing opinions, personalities, and preferences.