Jean Pierre Neves, known to everyone as JP, has spent almost two-thirds of his life watching McDonald’s family restaurants keep pace with an ever-evolving world.

Now aged 44, JP has come full circle and returned as restaurant manager of McDonald’s Dickson, where he got his first job at age 16.

“Sixteen is considered a bit of a late bloomer in McDonald’s terms,” he smiles. “I was just looking for a part-time job back then, and a lot of my friends worked at Macca’s.”

JP, a born and bred Canberran, grew up in Belconnen and attended Charnwood High School.

Back in the summer of 1994, the old Civic McDonald’s was closing down, the Braddon Macca’s was about to open on the corner of Mort Street, and Summernats ‘94 was fast approaching. 

“I got hired for the Braddon restaurant and was trained at their old Civic store. But Braddon over-hired a bit for its opening, and Dickson needed staff.”

Four years later, he would go on to win Macca’s Assistant Manager of The Year Award for NSW/ACT in 1998.

JP had his first go around as restaurant manager of McDonald’s Dickson in 2002 while also helping run McDonald’s Fyshwick and Manuka. He would later manage McDonald’s Kippax, Charnwood, Belconnen, and Yass.

“This is my 29th year on the job,” says JP. “I joined because my friends were here and stuck around for the same reason.

“I’ve still got friends from when I started and kept in touch with to this day, even after a lot of them moved away from Canberra.”

After almost three decades climbing the McDonald’s career path, JP says the company has been “massive in adapting to how the world changes”.

“If you had said to me 10 years ago that this is what stores would look like, I would have said ‘no way’. The amount of technology we use, from mobile apps to self-serve kiosks, is just amazing.”

When asked what he suspects the average Macca’s in Canberra will look like 10 years from now, JP says ‘who knows?’

“They’ll have a crack at everything, and usually succeed.”

Technology isn’t the only space in which McDonald’s has proved to be adaptable.

JP says the number one benefit of a career at McDonald’s is “it can be whatever you want to make it”.

“A lot of the current generation use it as a stepping stone, especially when they go to university, because the flexibility of our hours makes it so adaptable to their schedule.

“They can work in the morning, during the day, or overnight depending on their schedules, and earn their Cert II or III in retail while they do it,” says JP.

“And if you stick around once you have your degree, there are so many branches of the McDonald’s company that need someone with your qualifications, from IT to advertising and marketing, to real estate and construction.”

Whether you’re going from crew member to national marketing manager, JP explains that the Macca’s career ladder doesn’t end in retail.

“The company will look at someone who’s working within the industry, rather than someone who hasn’t,” he says.

“Even if you haven’t had as much experience, you know how the business works, you have the worker mentality, and you know how to implement that as a former employee.”

But for the young Canberrans just like him on his first day at Dickson, JP says that if you’re looking for a part-time job, all you need is a smile and a willingness to learn at Macca’s.

“It’s one of the best first jobs you can have, if not the best – the skills you can gain, the friends you can make, the range of hours you can work.

“There have been times when we hired young and shy people who don’t say very much and then three or four years later they are our assistant managers ‘learning the ropes’ through our certificate programs we offer which they can gain a qualification by just working.

“If they struggle with anxiety, we can work in small steps, starting in the kitchen and working their way to the front.

“In training, we focus on working shoulder-to-shoulder with them, so they learn how to do it the right way, and customers get the right experience.

“Anyone can work at Macca’s,” says JP.

“We’re always hiring, for any part of the day. Whether you’re looking for your first job, or a job that can fit into your schedule, our door is always open.”

To find out more about career opportunities at McDonald’s, visit careers.mcdonalds.com.au