Where do you work?

jryden

jryden

Well-known member
I'll assume everyone on this site has social phobia/anxiety, shyness, panic disorders etc so for those of you who work, where do you work?
How did you get the job?
Was there an interview? How did it go?
Does your job help or make your phobia worse?
Do you fake confidence and act like you're outgoing?

Please, try to answer all if you can :)

I'm desperately looking for a job. I have been for a long time. I'll take anything decent that I can walk to since I need the job to save up for a car and then get a better job. If I see the words "outgoing, friendly, great communicator, great interpersonal skills", I ignore that posting. There's no way I can fake it. I want a job that won't force me to be who I'm not. This would be a great time to have good connections with ppl who understand me. Anyway, that eliminates like 90% of the jobs. The rest require skills or experience that I don't have.

And speaking of experience, why are there no "no experience jobs" ughhh. :mad:
 
chibiXphantom

chibiXphantom

Well-known member
i work at walmart...
applied online, and luckily got a call about an interview (but theyre always hiring and losing people soo...)
the interview consisted of me being asked questions by 3 people. they could tell i was nervous (the manager told me not to be a few times). i messed up my words, froze up a lot, but suprisingly was asked to come back for a second interview.
i dont know if it helps me with my SA or makes it worse. all the cashiers and managers say im too quiet and need to come out of my shell.
i try to fake happy (we're basically required to be happy and friendly to everyone and say 'hi' to everyone) but its difficult with some of the customers.
i dont engage in conversations with the customers and get uncomfortable when they joke around and try to talk a lot.

but i just focus on the actual job of ringing up groceries and whatnot. talk when i need to and basically keep to myself. its not a terrible job, but i dont like having to interact with so many people constantly. evenings are better though cause there arent as many customers and theres a lot of downtime
 
dottie

dottie

Well-known member
there are a ton of "no experience" jobs... they're at taco bell. (btw, that is not a knock. i have the highest respect for anyone who works, and especially people who work in the food industry.)

will this be your first job ever? you'll have many, many interviews in life so don't put too much weight on them. it basically comes down to your skills an if your personality clicks with the interviewer. this is pure luck because you will be interviewed by all types.

my job was very stressful in the beginning. i don't want to psych you out but being new at any workplace is stressful. you will be watched by everyone as they are trying to feel you out. this observation is more stressful than the actual work. always remember that it is hard in the beginning and hang in there. as someone with SA, do not let that be an excuse to quit because if you do, it will be the same thing at the next job and you will have to start all over again. it is the same, for the most part, everywhere. don't get "the grass is greener" syndrome.

i fake confidence to a degree... there are some things i just don't do. i will never be the loud, boisterous employee... but that's ok, most people aren't. just relax as best as you can and try to adapt as yourself, not someone else.
 
bcsr

bcsr

Well-known member
i work for the county sheriff department. my "interview" was an oral board interview... being grilled by several sergeants and a lieutenant. but i've been to enough interviews now that the nerves weren't that bad. after that was a physical fitness test and a polygraph test. took about a month and a half to complete the hiring process.
 
coyote

coyote

Well-known member
Where do you work?

I manage a clothing store.

How did you get the job?

Answered a newspaper advertisement by sending a resume. This is not my first job - i had 20 years of management experience to draw upon.

Was there an interview? How did it go?

Yes, there were several. The owner of the company interviewed me four times over the course of two years - the company was going through some changes and he wanted to hire me, but didn't have the right position. When the right thing opened up, i got the job. The first two interviews were just with the owner, the third was with him and another manager (who then left the company), and the last was with just the owner again. Then he interviewed me again over the phone before he finally hired me. The first position i got was something of a gopher, assistant, jack-of-all-trades manager, but then i was promoted to manage the store I am at now (although i still do all the other stuff i was doing before in addition).

Does your job help or make your phobia worse?

Both. For a while, my anxiety was very high in terms of dealing with my boss and my fellow managers because my confidence level was very low. As that has increased, I am feeling much better. Working with customers has helped me to improve my social anxiety dramatically. I feel safe interacting with them, because i can "wear a mask." Doing something over and over again gives you confidence. Now i don't have to wear the mask so much, because it's becoming second nature.

Do you fake confidence and act like you're outgoing?

I don't like the word "fake." I ask myself, "what would a confident person say?" or "how would a confident person act" in a given situation, and I do those things as ME, as i would say them or do them. After a while, it starts to become habit, and i don't even have to ask myself anymore - i just act and speak confidently, without thinking. I'm naturally a friendly and outgoing person, but my anxiety can hold me back. The trick has been to NOT think too much, and just let myself through.
 
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Flanscho

Flanscho

Well-known member
Where do you work?
I work as a programmer.

How did you get the job?
Checked websites for job offers, phoned them if they're still looking, sent them my cv and stuff, had my trial months and now work there since two years.

Was there an interview? How did it go?
Yep, there was an interview. Me and the two guys who own the company. Went ok. Nothing special. They asked what I am capable of, I told them that, and so on.

Does your job help or make your phobia worse?
Neither nor. I guess it improved my communication skills with non-programmers and clients.

Do you fake confidence and act like you're outgoing?
I'm confident in what I do. And when I have doubts regarding a certain task and what is needed for the company, I mention them. I don't want people in the end to tell me that I claimed that I could do stuff within a week if I need three.
 
G

giantyx

Well-known member
Ill be gg for a job interview soon after being out of job for 8 months as dragging on unemployment any further is going to destroy my resume. How do i answer qns like "what have u been doing over the past 8 months?" Because i have been too depressed to do anything and just been homebound over the past 8 months. And it sucks that i just do not have any career interests and personal strengths and i need to find some way to fake it. Interview are so anxiety provoking for me because of all these issues.
 
Labyrinthine

Labyrinthine

Well-known member
I work at a fine dining Italian restaurant and I also just started a job at the ice rink (still training.)

The restaurant actually changed hands since i started. Will be two years in December that I've worked there. Anyway, with the original owners, it literally fell in my lap. My mom's best friend worked there coat-checking for years, but couldn't do it anymore. So when the owner asked if she knew anyone, my name was mentioned. This was at te height of my social anxiety, so I was literally panicking about it. I went in one night to have dinner and meet the owner. There wasn't any real interview, just the one meeting where she asked a few questions. Being the blunt lady she was, she told me that even though I was so shy, I was very sweet and she figured the shyness would be overcome. After a month of coat-checking, I was offered a job hostessing and a few months after that a chance to be a fill-in bartender. The job helped me so much as far as shyness is concerened.

I had to go to an interview when the new owners took over. I tried to act confident but the new general manager was intimidating and I was terrified. She acted like I was lying the entire time. I felt like a moron. Tried to keep up the charming act, though I thought it was fruitless. Thought I would faint when I was told I was hired.

The rink job was pretty much guaranteed. Most people there have known me since I was seven and they like me, find me trustworthy. I had an interview (even though i was basically told I have one) and it was serious nothing. The manager wasn't intimidating in the least. Questions were easy. I got the job of course. I'm hoping this job helps me even more, since I will have to talk to people my age.
 
kihira

kihira

1
where do you work?
I work as a teacher for a vocational education and training provider

How did you get the job?
I volunteered to help with a class that a friend was teaching, eventually I was offered my own classes and put through the required training

Was there an interview? How did it go?
No, interviews terrify me, the last couple that I've had to do were disasters

Does your job help or make your phobia worse?
It forces me to interact and be vocal every day to the point were I'm almost comfortable standing in front of group now, there's always a few extra nerves with new classes but I can push through that

Do you fake confidence and act like you're outgoing?
I'm not outgoing so I don't try to be, I'm observant, quietish and calm, which works well for me. I do have to fake confidence as I have low self esteem and I'm full of self doubt, it mostly means smiling when I don't feel like it
 
twiggle

twiggle

Well-known member
Where do you work?
My main employment is that I work for a charity.

How did you get the job?
Saw the ad in the paper, it leapt out at me, applied, was interviewed and then offered the job.

Was there an interview? How did it go?
Yes. And I froze up in parts, but acknowledged that and they still liked me enough to give me the job. I'm still not sure how I got it over the rest of the applicants :p

Does your job help or make your phobia worse?
In my job, I have no choice but to be sociable. And actually, I'm pleased about that, whereas at first I thought it may be hard. It's helped me develop my conversational skills to the point where I now think of it all like this, "the more I say, the less time I have to be anxious about the things I've said".

Do you fake confidence and act like you're outgoing?
I can't pretend to be anything. I'm just me. I'm a bit quiet but friendly and I work hard. That's what I'm there to do.
 
F

Fighter86

Well-known member
Where do you work?

At an international enginering company, though the office I am based in only has six people including me. I work in admin department.



How did you get the job?

A relative informed me of an opening.



Was there an interview? How did it go?

Yes, it went okay though I was late (due to certain circumstance) and the interviewer was upset about it. Generally I do quite well at interviews the real problem starts when I am offered the job and no longer able to fake the confidence I projected during interviews any longer.




Does your job help or make your phobia worse?

Its not too bad the people I interact with are usually older and more of my interaction problems stem from sociaizing with people around my age. The one problem I face is I don't feel quite adequate to do my job I lack some proper skills to speak.



Do you fake confidence and act like you're outgoing?

Not really but I fake it enough so no one realises I have SA. Just a normal girl with a 9 to 6 job. If only they knew ;)
 
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