Nicholas Given

• Greeted and seated guests efficiently, optimizing table turnover rates.
• Managed waitlist operations, improving guest flow during peak hours.
• Coordinated with kitchen and service staff to ensure timely order delivery.
• Trained new hosts on customer service standards and seating procedures.
• Resolved guest inquiries and concerns promptly, enhancing overall dining experience.
• Monitored dining area for cleanliness and readiness, ensuring high standards maintained.
• Developed strategies to streamline seating arrangements for large parties and events.
• Enhanced customer satisfaction by promptly greeting and seating guests upon arrival.
• Supported servers, food runners, and bussers with keeping dining area ready for every guest.
• Contributed to team success through effective communication and cooperation with coworkers and management.
• Worked with front of house staff to move tables and adjust seating to accommodate groups with special requests.
• Monitored dining area capacity to prevent overcrowding while maximizing available seating during peak hours.
• Developed rapport with regular patrons to foster sense of community within establishment.
• Backed up servers by checking on tables and retrieving items for guests.
• Cross-trained to handle different restaurant roles, including bar, kitchen and to-go stations.
• Delivered pick-up and curbside orders to guests.

• Assisted customers with product selection, enhancing shopping experience and driving sales.
• Maintained organized merchandise displays, ensuring compliance with company standards.
• Trained new associates on customer service protocols and store policies.
• Managed inventory levels through accurate stock assessments, optimizing product availability.
• Implemented promotional strategies to increase foot traffic and boost sales performance.
• Organized racks and shelves to maintain store visual appeal, engage customers, and promote specific merchandise.
• Handled cash transactions efficiently while adhering to company cash handling policies, ensuring accuracy in all financial exchanges.
• Built relationships with customers to encourage repeat business.
• Helped customers locate products and checked store system for merchandise at other sites.

• Exceeded goals through effective task prioritization and great work ethic.
• Carried out day-to-day duties accurately and efficiently.
• Patrolled burnt areas after fires to locate and eliminate hot spots that could flare or rekindle.
• Established water supplies, connected hoses, and directed water onto fires.
• Cut and cleared brush and dug trenches to create fire lines using Pulaski's, Chainsaws, Rhino's and McLeod's.
• Operated pumping engine to direct water pressure in hose and nozzle for most efficient operation.
• Educated public and community members on fire safety and prevention methods to provide life-saving techniques.
• Assessed active fires and followed specific instructions and assignments from my captain and engineer, to devise optimal approach and containment strategies.
• Carried hose packs of approximately 40 pounds to active fire flanks of wildfire.
• Completed 2 week critical training to stay in peak physical fitness and handle challenging tasks.
• Maintained equipment and vehicle upkeep to ensure emergency readiness.
• Performed maintenance on fire hoses and other firefighting equipment such as chainsaws, hand-tools, and radio's.
• Prepared incident reports detailing personnel, location and results of each call.
• Maintained knowledge of fire apparatus operation and pumping mechanisms to ensure equipment is operated in a safe, efficient manner.
• Stayed well aware of wildland fire hazards, and accepted ground and aviation wildland fire safety practices and procedures to prevent injury and loss of life
• Observed wildland fire behavior; causes of fire; influence of local wind, slope, and moisture; and methods of extinguishing fire.

• Increased sales and customer satisfaction through personalized servicing.
• Used consultative sales techniques to understand customer needs and recommend relevant products and services.
• Answered product questions with up-to-date knowledge of sales and store promotions.
• Provided accurate information about promotions, customer programs, and products, helping drive high customer retention.
• Helped customers complete purchases, locate items, and join reward programs.
• Used POS system to process sales, returns, online orders, and gift card activations.
• Greeted customers and helped with product questions, selections, and purchases.
• Organized store merchandise racks and displays to promote and maintain visually appealing environments.
• Maintained clean sales floor and straightened and faced merchandise.
• Stocked merchandise, clearly labeling items, and arranging according to size or color.

• Prepared orders for shipment by picking, packing, and labeling merchandise.
• Worked safely around moving machinery.
• Assembled orders and packed items for shipment, conveying orders to shipping personnel
• Manually or mechanically loaded and unloaded materials from pallets, skids, platforms, cars, lifting devices, or other transport vehicles
• Performed inventory control, such as counting, and stocking merchandise.
• Checked packages and merchandise for damage and notified vendors.
• Consistently lifted materials weighing as much as 70 pounds.
• Inspected work areas for cleanliness and obstacles and removed cartons and boxes to keep work areas organized and hazard-free.
• Operated pallet jacks and material moving equipment to receive and transport items from various warehouse locations.
• Collaborated with various departments to manage timely delivery of orders and avoid delays.
• Operated forklift to safely move and safeguard stock and supplies in warehouse.

• I successfully completed firing and holding operations, line constructing, and successful mop up on multiple divisions of various fuel types, in numerous fires.
• Collected, compiled and posted information on forest recreation and trail conditions to encourage visitor safety and participation in programs.
• Promoted reforestation by reintroducing grass and groundcover plants into area to prevent soil from being washed or blown away.
• Implemented strategic policies to improve health and quality of forest stands, such as control of invasive species.
• Maintained excellent attendance record, consistently arriving to work on time.
• Worked to maintain outstanding attendance record, consistently arriving to work ready to start immediately.
• Another aspect i excelled is taking accurate weather measurements via the belt weather kit on active fire line as well as up in a lookout position.
• Completed 6 months training to stay in peak physical fitness and handle challenging tasks.
• Evaluated situation at emergency sites to determine and execute most effective methods for saving life and property.
• Performed variety of fire suppression activities at fire scenes, including laying and connecting hose, holding nozzles and directing water streams, using drip torches and very pistols to help corral fire behavior.
• Operated pumping engine to direct water pressure in hose and nozzle for most efficient operation.
• Conducted thorough tests and inspections of gear, equipment and tools to stay ready for every type of fire.
• Effectively supported fire suppression by setting up and maintaining water supply lines.

A lot of my daily tasks were done in a team setting, communicating on the "first phone" and assisting other co-workers with knowledgeable information, as well as operating the forklift to load customers with lumber and building products. Another task I was able to accomplish was unloading the daily truck loads of various materials and filling in the empty homes and back stocking over ordered product. Customer service was the main goal but also safety in a very enormous way we had to always have a spotter for the lift as well as keep customers clear and out of harms way.

I previously served as a paid when called Type II Firefighter with the San Bernardino National Forest, Front Country Ranger District with the Big Horn Hand Crew. I completed my first season in 2018 , my assignments have varied from cutting direct and indirect fire line, taking hourly weather reports with a belt weather kit, assisting with simple and progressive hose lays in a fire suppression setting and preforming mop up operations on fire incidents. I've assisted in several fires in different areas of the forest; as well as gaining more experience in a variety of adverse fire and weather conditions. Weather is a main factor in understanding fire behavior and is also something I've become very proficient in. Taking weather readings and determining the Relative Humidity (RH) and the Probability of Ignition (PIG) have played a key role in several incidents, another contributing factor has been relaying the weather via radio for other crews in the area as well as Incident Command to clearly hear and understand the current and possible future weather conditions at hand. My second year in 2019 I was able to use the copious amounts of training I received from working with the Conservation Corps and also with the Forest Service, learning how to fell trees safely and efficiently whilst also learning proper sawyer swamper communication skills. Both Seasons of my training was preformed at Del Rosa Station 30, we practiced essential in class and in field exercises and how to; properly lookout and communicate changing factors to the crew also coming together at the ending of our PT hikes and runs to get a lay of the land the fuel type also our possible escape routes and safety zones had we been in a situation that would make us re-route our operations. From the very start of my first season to my second we had the 10's and 18's embedded into us every day of training we had to verbatim word for word a 10's and 18's test and have the 5 common denominators memorized.

I was hired at the Urban Conservation Corps (UCC) which is a business that educates young adults on the department of forestry and land management. I started off on a trail maintenance crew using Pulaski's, McLeod's , Rhino's and combination tools to scrape and clear overgrown brush from trails to make them visible enough for pedestrians to walk and enjoy. After months of hard work i was recommended to be trained as a sawyer to assist with removal of invasive plant species i was taught proper techniques of chainsaw use as well as tricks and different skills to be safe and more efficient with the saw. Within a couple months I was certified as a sawyer and was lucky enough to help cut brush and create burn piles on a prescribed burn in the Angeles National Forest. On the project we helped with hose lays, cut hot line around the burn piles and used proper suppression techniques. I've been fortunate enough to travel to a magnitude of different forests such as the San Bernardino, Angeles, San Jacinto and Cleveland National Forests where i witnessed a plethora of varying fuels and terrains expanding my experience as well as my proficiency with hand tools and the chainsaw.

My beginning workforce experience started off working for a sub contractor with BNSF Rail Services, This is where my work ethic was built. Daily tasks included installing; new wooden and concrete rail ties, grading uneven surfaces with a skip loader or heavy grader, breaking down old rail track switches and separation of rail from tracks and spreading new ballast (broken down rock) over the ties and tamping it underneath to create and even surface.