Got telephone interview for Sue Ryder paid Charity shop job on Monday at 3 PM!

[Autistamatic]

Don't let it get to you mate. Even if it's a "no" you have to sound gracious 'cos they may come back to you later if something else comes up. All sorts of things could have happened that meant they didn't have chance to call you back yet - things beyond their control. I know to you this is incredibly important, but to them it's just another vacancy. Try to be patient until they call you. Still got my fingers crossed

 

[Mr Allen]

Well they rang me on the mobile this morning, apparently my answers on the telephone interview were not "in depth" enough.

Yeah flaming right, they rejected me because as I always do, I declared my health problems.

 

[Autistamatic]

Sad to hear that . Better luck next time.
Why DO you declare everything on your forms btw? You don't have to you know. I've never done so.

 

[Mr Allen]

Sad to hear that . Better luck next time.
Why DO you declare everything on your forms btw? You don't have to you know. I've never done so.

1) I'm too honest for my own good.
2) To test their "equal opportunities" policies, to see if they do just say that because they legally have to or do they actually MEAN it.

 

[Autistamatic]

1) I'm too honest for my own good.
2) To test their "equal opportunities" policies, to see if they do just say that because they legally have to or do they actually MEAN it.

I see your reasons, but you're probably limiting your opportunities that way. I'm naturally drawn to honesty and find it difficult to lie to people, but leaving the information off your application forms is one of your civil rights. You don't HAVE to disclose. We all know that many employers will discriminate despite the law, so why give them the opportunity?
I know how much you want to work, so why not try leaving it out next time you can? It won't hurt you in any way. Once you've got a job and you've passed your trial period there may come a time when you will test their equal opportunities policy anyway, but if you expect a potential employer to overlook your difficulties on a form, you won't find many. Such employers are VERY few and far between.
I want to see you get what you want and to be happy and it might be the best way to achieve that

 

[Starfire]

To test their "equal opportunities" policies, to see if they do just say that because they legally have to or do they actually MEAN it.

How many years do you plan on continuing your testing before you do any data analysis and reach the conclusion that is blatantly obvious to most everyone else? If what you’re doing isn’t working, which it isn’t, try something else or just accept it isn’t going to happen.

 

[the_tortoise]

I'm sorry you didn't get the job

2) To test their "equal opportunities" policies, to see if they do just say that because they legally have to or do they actually MEAN it.

Unless you're unwilling to work for someone who doesn't truly embrace their equal opportunities policies, this seems counterproductive. Does it really matter if their biases/misconceptions creep into their hiring policies -- given how much you want to work?

Also consider that if you get a job somewhere and declare your disability later, after you've proven yourself, you may be in a position to change your employer's preconceptions about people with disabilities. They might need to have that positive experience of having hired someone with disabilities who turned out to be a great employee if their biases/misconceptions are ever going to change.

Assuming you are being turned down solely because of declaring your disabilities, if you continue to declare them nothing will change for you or anyone else (at least not with those employers that have bias against the disabled); It's not doing anyone any good unless you're unwilling to work for anyone who has any bias against people with disabilities (in which case maybe it does you good, since you're following what's important to you/doing what you need to do).

Well they rang me on the mobile this morning, apparently my answers on the telephone interview were not "in depth" enough.

This could very well be just an excuse.....but in your place I would consider the possibility that your answers played some role in their decision, however small. If you can remember any of the questions and what you said, maybe it would be worth it to ask a third party for feedback?

 

[Mr Allen]

I'm sorry you didn't get the job



Unless you're unwilling to work for someone who doesn't truly embrace their equal opportunities policies, this seems counterproductive. Does it really matter if their biases/misconceptions creep into their hiring policies -- given how much you want to work?

Also consider that if you get a job somewhere and declare your disability later, after you've proven yourself, you may be in a position to change your employer's preconceptions about people with disabilities. They might need to have that positive experience of having hired someone with disabilities who turned out to be a great employee if their biases/misconceptions are ever going to change.

Assuming you are being turned down solely because of declaring your disabilities, if you continue to declare them nothing will change for you or anyone else (at least not with those employers that have bias against the disabled); It's not doing anyone any good unless you're unwilling to work for anyone who has any bias against people with disabilities (in which case maybe it does you good, since you're following what's important to you/doing what you need to do).



This could very well be just an excuse.....but in your place I would consider the possibility that your answers played some role in their decision, however small. If you can remember any of the questions and what you said, maybe it would be worth it to ask a third party for feedback?

I suspect the biggest issue was the way I left the PDSA last year (which wasn't completely my fault), I had to explain about the guy who called me a "Deaf C Word", and my reaction, or lack thereof, to what was saod, I didn't tell them that I went in the following Saturday and let nearly 3 years of rage against this bloke boil to the surface, I just said I left the job.

 

[the_tortoise]

I suspect the biggest issue was the way I left the PDSA last year (which wasn't completely my fault), I had to explain about the guy who called me a "Deaf C Word", and my reaction, or lack thereof, to what was saod, I didn't tell them that I went in the following Saturday and let nearly 3 years of rage against this bloke boil to the surface, I just said I left the job.

Did you ever go to your supervisor/management about this guy (this is the standard/expected thing you should do after telling someone to stop insulting you, or if you can't tell them to stop insulting you)? If not, why not? If so, what did they do?

Is there anything you wish you had said to him? You say you didn't react at the time -- is there anything you wish you had said when he insulted you? (Anything that would be considered appropriate on-the-job conduct I mean.)

Do you have any regrets about how you handled the situation and would you handle a similar situation any differently in future?

Including the answers to these questions (if you didn't this time around, maybe you did) when talking about why you left that job might minimize any problems with that situation negatively affecting how future employers evaluate you.

 

[Mr Allen]

Did you ever go to your supervisor/management about this guy (this is the standard/expected thing you should do after telling someone to stop insulting you, or if you can't tell them to stop insulting you)? If not, why not? If so, what did they do?

Is there anything you wish you had said to him? You say you didn't react at the time -- is there anything you wish you had said when he insulted you? (Anything that would be considered appropriate on-the-job conduct I mean.)

Do you have any regrets about how you handled the situation and would you handle a similar situation any differently in future?

Including the answers to these questions (if you didn't this time around, maybe you did) when talking about why you left that job might minimize any problems with that situation negatively affecting how future employers evaluate you.

By rights I should've phoned the coppers as he'd committed a "hate crime" against a disabled person, and I would've done but Dad said not to "rock the boat and make an atmosphere" at work by doing so.

Anyway about a week later I was scheduled to do an extra shift on a Friday to cover for someone off poorly, but it turned out I was ill myself that day so I couldn't work! Anyway I called in work on the Saturday afternoon to apologoise for not being able to do my shift, HE was on the till and looked at me and said "what tha' doin' 'ere?" all official like, and he's not even the Manager! And like I said he'd been goading me for nearly 3 years and I'd sucked it up and not belted him like I would've done at one point, and I was in the mood from hell anyway because I felt like crap so I told him in no uncertain terms what he could do with his low opinion of me.

Consequently, Mum and Dad had a meeting with the Manager the following Monday, and she told me I was no longer welcome to work for her, even though HE started this whole thing she stuck up for HIM because he's been there years.

If this was a proper job I would've seriously considered suing the knickers off her for unfair dismissal, but it was a volunteer job.

 

[the_tortoise]

Consequently, Mum and Dad had a meeting with the Manager the following Monday, and she told me I was no longer welcome to work for her, even though HE started this whole thing she stuck up for HIM because he's been there years.

That really, really sucks.

It's one reason that you should go to management promptly when things like this happen -- at least then they have your side of the story, and hopefully it gets taken care of instead of escalating to the point where you say something in self-defense that gets you fired.

In your position, I might explain the story to an interviewer something like this:

A coworker was bullying me -- was routinely calling me insulting names (and whatever else) for over 3 years.

I said and did nothing, because my dad advised me not to "rock the boat". (Don't mention wanting to call the police or hate crimes -- the interviewer wasn't there and can't see the situation the way you do; If you mention hate crimes and police you risk being seen as someone who over-reacts.)

Eventually there came a day where I was ill and extremely stressed and couldn't take the harrassment anymore, and I stood up for myself in a way that was not appropriate -- I lost my temper and cursed/shouted at him.

(It doesn't matter that he started it or deserved it, telling someone where they can shove things is considered inappropriate workplace conduct and your manager didn't have your side of the story until after it happened -- so from her perspective, it may have looked like you were just making excuses rather than explaining a legitimate grievance that affected your behavior that day.

It also doesn't matter that you were off the clock that day, especially given that you were inside the store when it happened.

It will look better to the interviewer if you say that your conduct was inappropriate than if you try to justify it; It will show that you can take responsibility for your own actions in a conflict no matter how awful the other person is being towards you (this is especially vital for customer service roles, because of how customers can be horrible to store staff) and that you can admit to mistakes -- both are extremely valuable qualities in any employee.

If you say nothing about it or just say you told him how you felt, the employer may wonder if you are hiding something and start imagining the worst possibilities. You can't count on the interviewer to take your side in a conflict they never witnessed for themselves. But if you show an understanding of why you were fired for your actions, I think the chances of them taking your side or at least giving you a chance to prove that you can handle yourself without cursing at people should increase.)

Looking back, I wish I had handled it differently. I should have sought support from my manager early on, instead of trying to just put up with it until I reached a breaking point.​

Another option for you is to just not mention the job at all. I would seriously consider this, in your place.

You could also try saying you were let go because of personality conflicts. (Although if you say something about personality conflicts they will almost certainly ask you to elaborate.)

 

[Autistamatic]

Or simply

"I left the job because of bullying by a coworker. Management were unsympathetic so staying there would not have been an option."

No lies, but just enough info to answer the question

 

[the_tortoise]

Or simply

"I left the job because of bullying by a coworker. Management were unsympathetic so staying there would not have been an option."

No lies, but just enough info to answer the question

This is brilliant; So much better than my ideas.

They might still ask you to elaborate about the bullying or the response of management, but you could just detail the bullying and say that when you told your manager about it they didn't believe you.

 

[Autistamatic]

Or

"It was a very stressful time in my life, so I'd prefer not to go into too much detail. It was a great disappointment since I had enjoyed the job until then."

 

[Mr Allen]

Or

"It was a very stressful time in my life, so I'd prefer not to go into too much detail. It was a great disappointment since I had enjoyed the job until then."

The problem there is that knowing my luck they'd think I'm hiding something and still dismiss my application.