I started working with the blue collar job seeker last week – he came over on Thursday for our first in-person session.
Granted, I’m not a coach, but I’m coaching him. I’m confident I can help him get to a certain point, and he needs the help.
On Thursday we talked about a bunch of things (mostly drilling down on my posts from last week), and he said something that I’ve been thinking about since our meeting.
He had an interview and was asked if he was currently working. He is indeed currently working, but he’s not proud of where he is working. So his response to where he was working was “I’d rather not say.” And he left it at that, and didn’t say.
This saddened me because he is working IN HIS FIELD. He is doing real building maintenance stuff. The company he is working for is associated with a company that most people joke about, or talk about if they reach the end of their rope… it’s not prestigious… but it’s a good, solid company, and he’s doing what he’s trained to do.
He came across as ashamed to be working there, and that can’t help in an interview.
Let’s flip the coin… and share about another guy. I heard about this other guy who has great credentials but has had a hard time landing a job. He was brought into an interview where he was told he was the least qualified, on paper, but he is hustling.
How is he hustling? He was doing a number of jobs to pay the bills, including stocking shelves at a grocery store. This showed the employer that he is a hustler, and that he is going to work hard to get the job done. This type of dedication and work ethic showed the potential employer that he was the type of person they wanted to hire.
Should you be ashamed of your temporary, step job?
