Job wise where is God leading me?

[Anglewannabe]

I am unemployed and loosing confidence in myself. Everytime I go for an interview, it is a stressful experience and I always end up leaving by beating myself up thinking I acted stupid. The event is always so stressful, it is such a blur I rarely remember what I even said.

I want to trust in God, but I never hear his voice.

I have a good education and a good resume, yet I am so stuck and this is not the first time in my life I am in this situation. I am loosing energy to persevere.

However, here is my question. I always though as a Catholic, I should be grateful for what I have and accept God’s will. That I should not go for the money but accept the job God wants me in. So, when jobs below my skills level would come up, I would take then saying to myself ‘Just be grateful for what God is giving you’

Well… a while back I took a job that was not high paying thinking if it covered the rent and groceries, a Catholic would be grateful. Then, I was working with people who were obviously a lot less qualified than me. It did not work out. I see ways where I could have been more diplomatic in what I said. But nonetheless, there were times I just had to speak up.

For example, everyone was so busy, they did not have time to train me. So I would take notes and use my notes to figure things out. They would get angry at me for that. Once, I was suppose to do a task with ‘Erica’ so she could see where my level of training was and I wanted to bring my notes to make sure everything was written down properly. I was told ‘You don’t need notes since Erica will be there to answer your questions’.

When I tried to reply, ‘yes but this way I will be able to go to my desk and practice alone and not take her time’ I was told ‘we don’t use our notes when we practice and once you are trained there will be no time to read notes’ When I said ‘I understand and after I have a bit more experience I won’t need my notes, they are just to get me through the first little while to get up to speed’, they told the manager I had an attitude.

Also, when they will use a paper and pencil to do a calculation that I can do in Excel, they resent me using Excel saying ‘we do it by hand here’. I don’t think it is moral to take 4 hours to do what I can do in Excel in 15 minutes. That is not being a good steward to the salary my boss gives me IMO.

Also, I like to see the whole picture to be able to perform the best job possible. They just tell me how to do it and when I asks questions to understand the theory behind the process, they look at me as if I am a nut. I can help but think that because these people don’t have the same drive as me, they don’t think that far and when I ask questions, they resent being challenged because it brings out in the open they have been there for years and have not questionned anything and I can think of these things in 5 mintues.

So, I am starting to think I am suppose to wait it out until a job at my skill level comes available. Well… a lot of people say to me ‘Angie, you need a pay check just take the job, act like you are stupid and do as your peers say’. But how can I move up the latter if the boss sees me ‘acting like I am stupid’. The boss will think I AM stupid and not promote me.

I am starting to think that maybe, I was thinking all wrong that God just wants me in a low paying job thanking Him every day. Perhaps He gave me the abilities I have because He does want me to work at the level of my skills. Perhaps it is a low self-esteem thing? Perhaps I have always self sabotaged myself due to low self esteem

Feedback anyone?

Angie

 

[TheRealJuliane]

I think the job you took was indeed, a poor fit for you.

Don’t lost hope and don’t lose heart! Keep looking for jobs in your skill and education level! Have confidence! Aim high, not low!

 

[Lorelei12]

Believe me, you are not alone. That you are even being invited for interviews in this economy is a testament to your skills. I’m willing to bet that you perform better in your interviews than you think you do. I know where you’re coming from. It’s tough out there. I just spent some time unemployed and thankfully, I have a job now but it’s not at all what I wanted.

As far as taking jobs below your skill level- it really depends on how much you need the money. If you need it, then you can always take a job to pay the bills and keep looking. It can be so frustrating when you are working at a job and they are too busy to train you and they are not receptive to your ideas- it doesn’t sound like the job you described was a good fit. If you do find another job like this, and you make suggestions and no one cares, then you do just have to let it go. Some people don’t like to change their ways, and some don’t like to think someone else may have a better idea. If you need the job, you stay and do your best and keep looking. If you don’t, well, you are lucky to be able to turn down jobs in order to find the right one. There’s nothing wrong with that, as long as you can afford it.

I am not sure what field you are looking in, but if you can’t find a job where you feel you are using your talents, what about going to school? You could get a certificate in something related to your degree, a new degree, or just take a class. It might help to do something like this while you’re looking for a job. Consider what positions you’d like to have, and figure out what you can do to boost your resume a little. And in the end, remember that there are so many talented people out there also looking for work.

 

[Anglewannabe]

I think the job you took was indeed, a poor fit for you.

Don’t lost hope and don’t lose heart! Keep looking for jobs in your skill and education level! Have confidence! Aim high, not low!

Thanks for the vote of confidence

And thank you lorelie for your feedback as well

 

[Cat]

I really, truly, hope this advice will be helpful and not too hurtful to you.

I think that you need to get some training in inter-personal skills. You sound like someone who is highly intelligent, but socially awkward, and this makes others uncomfortable and hostile towards you. You are sabotaging yourself. It probably comes across in your job interviews as well. You may be sounding condescending towards others who are inferior to you.

The fact that you think you need to “act stupid” to gain acceptance at work tells me that you don’t know how to interact with others in the workplace. You need to LEARN how to interact with co-workers.

I’m guessing that any references that you have probably do not paint a glowing picture of you because of your problems getting along with co-workers, and this will make it difficult for you to land a good job. Why should an employer take you, even if you are very smart, when they can find plenty of smart people who also have learned how to get along well with others and be a “team player”?

Find a job counselor who can train you to have better social skills. It might just be a question of changing the tone of your voice, or perhaps your body language needs some adjusting. Perhaps your wardrobe and makeup need updating.

The main thing to remember is that these are SKILLS that can be LEARNED. Being socially aware and getting along with co-workers is not a gift that you inherit or are given by God. You are not a loser or a failure because you don’t know these skills instinctively. Anyone can learn better social skills, and since you are intelligent, you will do very well at learning!

I say all this based on personal experience, BTW. My husband is quite smart and works with computers. But he has real problems with “talking down” to others, and I often call him out on it and tell him to “lose the attitude.” He’s improved so much over the years!

Have you ever seen a skit on Saturday Night Live featuring Jimmy Fallon as “Computer Guy?” It’s hilarious, but painful. Basically, the Computer Guy is brilliant, but extremely awkward in workplace social situations. Whenever someone needs help, he rolls his eyes over their stupidity and yells, “MOVE!”, then plops himself down in their chair, types like lightening and within five seconds, he’s fixed their computer problem. But he’s definitely not a team player, even though he saves the company bazillions of dollars with his knowledge. He makes people feel stupid.

Finally, and I say this with great hesitation–you have several spelling errors in your post. I’m wondering if your name is mispelled “Anglewannabe” --do you want to be an Angle or an Angel? But perhaps I misunderstand that name. Yes, I realize that this is just an online forum and all of us mispell because we are typing in a hurry because we are eating breakfast and getting ready for work, or perhaps we’re at work and just taking a quick break and checking out the social media like CAF.

At any rate, make DARNED JOLLY SURE that your resume has no spelling errors. Some employers will toss a resume with spelling errors without even looking at it. There’s no excuse these days.

Again, I really hope that my words will help you, even if they are painful to you.

 

[Anglewannabe]

I really, truly, hope this advice will be helpful and not too hurtful to you.

.

Hi Cat,

No you did not hurt me. I trust you were speaking the truth in love. I am not disregarding your points. However, to discuss them here would probably take a humongous amount of time and I don’t think this is the place to get into it.

Just wanted to reply that I am not hurt and grateful for your feedback

Angie

 

[Sarcelle]

I think the job you took was indeed, a poor fit for you.

Don’t lost hope and don’t lose heart! Keep looking for jobs in your skill and education level! Have confidence! Aim high, not low!

Great advice!

When I apply for jobs that are below my skill and education level, I often hear the phrase “overqualified”, which means that I am not getting the job.

Pray, pray and pray even more when job hunting. Asking God for guidance never hurts and often helps to steer you to the one job that you will love. I will pray for you.

 

[Tradycja]

When I tried to reply, ‘yes but this way I will be able to go to my desk and practice alone and not take her time’ I was told ‘we don’t use our notes when we practice and once you are trained there will be no time to read notes’ When I said ‘I understand and after I have a bit more experience I won’t need my notes, they are just to get me through the first little while to get up to speed’, they told the manager I had an attitude.

Also, when they will use a paper and pencil to do a calculation that I can do in Excel, they resent me using Excel saying ‘we do it by hand here’. I don’t think it is moral to take 4 hours to do what I can do in Excel in 15 minutes. That is not being a good steward to the salary my boss gives me IMO.

I am starting to think that maybe, I was thinking all wrong that God just wants me in a low paying job thanking Him every day. Perhaps He gave me the abilities I have because He does want me to work at the level of my skills. Perhaps it is a low self-esteem thing? Perhaps I have always self sabotaged myself due to low self esteem

Feedback anyone?

Angie

As someone who worked in an Answering Service (call center) and is now a high school teacher, I can tell you that ANY company nowadays wants you to be a YES man (or woman in your case )

If you see better ways to do things* just keep your mouth shut. * Do things the way your boss tells you to do them even if it’s not efficient. That’s what they want at companies nowadays. Once you prove yourself working there for a year or two THEN at that point you can suggest how to do things more efficiently.

I found generally that companies/schools don’t want you making a whole lot of suggestions from you, because then they think that you will demand a raise. Also your co-workers don’t want you to look good making suggestions because then it makes them look BAD, and they don’t have the option of finding a “higher” job like you can.

I know this really doesn’t make sense, but every friend I’ve talked to says that it’s like that in the American workplace today. I have many Ukrainian friends and they say a lot of stuff going on in the American workplace today is similar to the Soviet Union.

Just shut your mouth, keep your boss happy, and just avoid doing immoral things.

 

[Anglewannabe]

If you see better ways to do things* just keep your mouth shut. * Do things the way your boss tells you to do them even if it’s not efficient. That’s what they want at companies nowadays. Once you prove yourself working there for a year or two THEN at that point you can suggest how to do things more efficiently.

I respectfully disagree. There are times to speak up and there are times to say nothing and one needs to learn when those times are. I have been in situations where if one did not point certain things out, the bosses wondered what they were doing all day. Not all companies need a ‘yes’ person

 

[mamaslo]

I think it is awesome you even get interviews. I have only had two and I have been unemployed since Sept 28. My problem is that eventhough I have 21 years of experience in my field, they want me to be two people.

If they advertise admin/graphic designer…they don’t want to pay a livable wage if they advertise web/graphic designer they pay a livable wage but they also reach out of the relm of graphic design and into programming. I am neither an admin nor a programmer. So I have to apply for 5 jobs a week even if I know they are not going to hire me.

Although, i have been working on my artwork in painting, markers, and woodburning etc. That has been very cool. The response has been pretty good but marketing the stuff is something I tend to just not get on top of in a solid way.

So be thankful, they even want to hire you. I agree with you that someone will want to hear your ideas but my suggestion is to contemplate how to say it and tell the right person not those who are stuck with the old ways. They are probably afraid of technology and it is understandable. It would probably be cheaper to train them all on the computer than to take the 4 hours every time they have to do the work.

There is a creative way to handle it.