Job Ability Concerns

[spooky]

I graduated in December with a degree in Retailing & Consumer Sciences and a minor in Business Administration.

Shortly after, I went to work for Target which was a terrible expeience. I was thrown into the fire and expected to manage the Assets Protection department, manage a store remodel, and manage the store 3 to 4 days a week, only after six weeks of training and no prior retail experience. It was too much. I frustrated co-workers by having them repeat things over and not meeting expectations. I felt inferior as a slow-learner and thought I was the problem. I know now that I wasn't. Also, the people around me were so power hungry. Something that I didn't find appealing at all. I don't think a lot of kids fresh out of college would have made it through this position. Maybe that's why their employee turnover rate is approximately 40% at the store level every year. Needless to say, I was let go three months later.

I have moved on and have interviews lined up this week, but how do I know the job is right for me? I'm good at selling myself at interviews, but I don't want to have to experience the stress of unemployment again. How can I thrive and become a fast learner in a new business environment and enjoy my job and not stress trying just to stay afloat? What kind of questions should I be asking the next employer so I don't set myself up for failure? I tend to be overly optimistic thinking I can do anything, which is a good thing, but in these cases it can be a bad thing too.

Side-note: I have had ADD, memory, listening and retention issues in my past that have affected my personal and professional life for almost all my life, but majorly in the last year and have gone to a neurologist to dig deeper, and will follow up with that as soon as I can. I also have considered going back on medication.

[TheOrange]

Originally Posted by spooky

Side-note: I have had ADD, memory, listening and retention issues in my past that have affected my personal and professional life for almost all my life, but majorly in the last year and have gone to a neurologist to dig deeper, and will follow up with that as soon as I can. I also have considered going back on medication.

If you have ADD then you would be better off starting your own business so you can jump between many different projects whenever you feel like it. Wasn't it at some point referred to as "the CEO disease"?

Personally I don't believe in medications for treating otherwise natural conditions unless it's absolutely necessary [psychiatrists can go **** themselves]. I believe that every person should instead strive to find their own rhythm within which they function at their best..

Hey, become a rock star or something.. I mean, why not?

[Clint Cora]

Maybe you should spend more time on information interviews to talk to people who are already working in the fields you might be interested in. This way, they can give you a better picture of what the fields involve and you can decide if those are areas that you would want to work in.

As for the ADD, you are doing the right thing. Ask the neuro about whether the meds would help. If they did, or a change is warranted, then just follow the specialist's advice. Adult ADD is an emerging field as there are now many more cases than originally thought. Anything, including meds, to help these adults function better in their jobs and life would be welcomed. Don't be ashamed about this as adult ADD is something the health community is finally recognizing.

[Bradman]

I think probably most ppl have ADD

[Bradman]

Hey, become a rock star or something.. I mean, why not?

Now you're talking - I'll get right on that!!

[spooky]

Thanks everyone! It's ironic you mention the "rockstar" idea. I am a musician (a struggling one), but I'm making small steps to making it happen.

The one thing I want to be able to accomplish is knowing my position at work and having the answers. A lot of the time in the past, I wouldn't know what to do when reacting to certain situations. After this happens repeatedly, people lose their trust in you. Does anyone have any books to recommend or advice?

[TheOrange]

You can become a rock star.. one show at a time

The mistake a lot of people make is they spend too much time away, thinking about this and that and practicing in front of a mirror when in reality they should be out there in front of their audience, gauging their response and calibrating themselves to the actual reality they are supposed to entertain.

So you can, like.. do a show.. and see what happens..

[mainstreetcm]

Originally Posted by spooky

The one thing I want to be able to accomplish is knowing my position at work and having the answers. A lot of the time in the past, I wouldn't know what to do when reacting to certain situations. After this happens repeatedly, people lose their trust in you. Does anyone have any books to recommend or advice?

You don't learn how to handle yourself in "certain situations" from reading books. You learn how to handle them by experiencing them.

Nothing is greater than on the job training. We all feel dumb when we start a brand new job. That's a given--its those who don't let it get to them that perceiver.

I don't have a college education and most likely barely graduated high school--but I have eight years of work experience in a variety of jobs from customer service to retail to my current job as a marketing manager.

If you really want to accomplish knowing everything about your position you are going to need to actually work in that position.

I've found that people are going to lose trust in you regardless and often its because they are jealous of your position. I've always positioned myself as a team player in almost every single job I've had--some, however, don't think like this.

Sorry for such a long post. I love talking about this kind of thing. Get's me all jazzed up! lol/

[TheOrange]

Getting out in the field and working it is definitely the key.

One example is this women thing.. I follow up with every woman I meet anywhere.. I just don't have any attachments to the outcomes since I do it mostly for fun and to learn something new.. Today I found two women, one inside her apartment (work.. you know.. ) and one on the train..

So obviously I follow up with both of them both and see where it leads.. and that's by far the best way to learn what to do. The more encounters you have, the more chances you have to try new things.. so you don't have to ask yourself later stuff like "what if I said that?" or "should I have said that instead?".. there are enough people to practice all kinds of things on.

There is no way you can learn it all from a book.

[spooky]

You had great things to say, no need to apologize. I'm interviewing for a Meeting Planner position tomorrow actually, which I believe would be very challenging for me. But it sounds like a great job! Great salary, benefits, traveling. I'm really excited just by the sound of it! However, I don't want to relive the feeling of being overwhelmed and freezing at my job, ultimately getting fired. I believe I learned a lot from my last position. I just wish I knew what I needed to fix to become a fast learner on the job. Maybe nothing is wrong tho? I think my experience at Target was just a blow to my self-esteem, because I couldn't live up to their standards. Hopefully, I find a place where I belong tho. Thank you for your listening

Originally Posted by mainstreetcm

You don't learn how to handle yourself in "certain situations" from reading books. You learn how to handle them by experiencing them.

Nothing is greater than on the job training. We all feel dumb when we start a brand new job. That's a given--its those who don't let it get to them that perceiver.

I don't have a college education and most likely barely graduated high school--but I have eight years of work experience in a variety of jobs from customer service to retail to my current job as a marketing manager.

If you really want to accomplish knowing everything about your position you are going to need to actually work in that position.

I've found that people are going to lose trust in you regardless and often its because they are jealous of your position. I've always positioned myself as a team player in almost every single job I've had--some, however, don't think like this.

Sorry for such a long post. I love talking about this kind of thing. Get's me all jazzed up! lol/