Jobs that Help with Self Improvement

[Enquiring Mind]

I have been applying for lots of jobs where social skills are essential recently. They're not necessarily good jobs or particularly well paid, but they're part of my self improvement plan. Jobs like door to door sales and that kind of thing. I'm just wondering if anybody else has done this, and if they think it benefited them? I have noticed that a large number of guys who are comfortable talking to women (without a hefty amount of alcohol) have at some point been in a social kind of job. I can only speak for myself here, but I think it is in many ways better than simply jumping into the deep end and approaching strangers you fancy all the time. Different strokes for different folks and all that though I guess. Doing a job like this will still scare me, but it won't be on the same level as cold approaching women for their number all the time. The idea is that if I do one of these jobs for a while, it will be easier to progress to the next level, as it were. I should say that I'm doing it for overall improvement, not just as a possible stepping stone to approaching women.

Some of you guys will have decent careers in well paid jobs or jobs you're passionate about, so this sort of thing wouldn't be an option for you. I'm just doing it because I've not been in a stable job the last couple of years and I'm still unsure where my passion lies. I have an interview on Friday for a door to door sales job. As I'm not naturally confident and don't naturally have the 'gift of the gab', do you guys think I should be honest at the interview and just say I'm looking for a change of career and that I'm partially doing it as a self improvement kind of thing? I know the purpose of an interview is to sell yourself - which I will be doing. But do you think a bit of honesty can go down well in some cases too?

I'll appreciate any replies.

[dan300]

Man don't be going into door to door sales just to get more sociable. The only thing it will do is stress you the fuck out rather than turn you into a smooth operator.

Like K said do something you enjoy or are at least interested in. I thought I wanted to go into sales but it turns out that all those rejected applications were a blessing in disguise.

I "secured" an interview with a sales company last year (i sent an email is all) & a very lively young woman phoned me telling me that no experience was required, to make £400+ per week. Great I thought, then I stumbled upon this when doing research on the company...

Ripoff Report | dcg marketing,topaz,imperial Complaint Review belast, Select State/Province: 713423

If you have been told you need no experience etc, then I strongly suspect it is this pile of sneaky bastards. They operate under dozens & dozens of names because they have such a bad reputation.

I was so fucking angry after reading these that I was going to turn up to the "interview" & be a sarcastic, difficult cunt to them. But I thought it was best to not turn up at all.

You see them in Victoria square regularly trying to get money for deaf kids or selling you credit cards - all scams. I recently laughed at them & said listen, I know who your fucking boss is, so fuck off.

Even if it isn't this company (although it really likely is), those former employee reports will give you an insight to what door to door sales is like.

[Enquiring Mind]

Fair enough, at least you guys are being honest. I'm under no illusion here - I have read about door to door sales and know that it will probably not be glamorous to say the least. But I'm prepared to be humbled if it means I'll push through my comfort zone. I'm 30 and I'm somewhat of a late bloomer as far as confidence is concerned, and I have had a few years to find my passion but it has eluded me so far. There will come a time when I'll want stability, but right now I'm not too bothered about money - or even dignity to a certain extent (at least I'll be wearing a nice smart shirt and trousers during the spring and summer) - I just want to get out there and talk to people.

I've researched the company as best I can, and there doesn't appear to be any red flags so far - nothing that stands out anyway. I think they're quite new though. It looks as though it's a set amount of hours, which probably means minimum wage plus commission, although I'll have to ask to be sure. I'll go to the interview and see what they have to say, and if I do start I'll make little updates on here.

[dan300]

Originally Posted by Enquiring Mind

I'm not too bothered about money - or even dignity to a certain extent

It almost sounds like you have zero self-esteem or confidence in yourself. Dignity should be a top priority for any man, particularly at 30 years old (I've just turned 30 as well).

I just want to get out there and talk to people.

I'll reply to your PM with my number. I'll try & get out on Sunday & get you talking to girls during the day. You'll soon see you don't need a face to face job in order to do it.

I've researched the company as best I can, and there doesn't appear to be any red flags so far - nothing that stands out anyway. I think they're quite new though. It looks as though it's a set amount of hours, which probably means minimum wage plus commission, although I'll have to ask to be sure. I'll go to the interview and see what they have to say, and if I do start I'll make little updates on here.

They're quite new? That to me - with my already critical & cautious approach to this - sounds like it could be the same people with yet another name. Did you read those reports I posted? That in itself is enough for me to scrap the thought of doing door to door. Are they called Forward Continuance, or some other generalised hollow name like this?

[Enquiring Mind]

Originally Posted by dan300

They're quite new? That to me - with my already critical & cautious approach to this - sounds like it could be the same people with yet another name. Did you read those reports I posted? That in itself is enough for me to scrap the thought of doing door to door. Are they called Forward Continuance, or some other generalised hollow name like this?

Dignity wasn't the best word choice. I meant that I'm prepared to do something that some others may look down upon. I'm prepared to roll up my sleeves and take a few knocks, so to speak. I didn't mean that I am willing to throw away my self respect - certainly not. If I ever go down that road I'll kick my own backside. This is the kind of job where you'll more than likely meet a few ignorant and abrupt people. So what I was saying was that I have accepted that, and I feel it will be a humbling experience. Maybe some people would feel it wasn't very dignified. But that's personal opinion. If you're in a job that requires you to interact with others, sooner or later you're going to encounter an ignorant tosser. At least in this type of job you can walk away and move on to the next person. There are some very intimate jobs where you are forced to work with someone you don't like for an entire day, five times a week. To me, that is much worse than almost anything else.

Cool. I'll tell you about them when I reply to the PM. I actually think they might be alright. But that doesn't mean the job will be great. I'll at least go to the interview and see what they're all about. I don't see what I have to lose by doing that. It's a bit of interview experience if nothing else.

[Enquiring Mind]

I got the job. It's not quite what I had expected though - it's door to door charity fundraising. I genuinely believe that this could be the making of me. I'll be working as part of a team, which is cool. It should help with motivation. I have never done anything even remotely like this before - it will definitely be a challenge.

[dan300]

Congratulations on getting a job. However...

Charity fundraising is hell mate. It wouldn't even be so bad if you were actually selling something. Times are hard enough for most people without being put on the spot to sign up with a monthly payment. I think it was Phil who said he either knows first hand or knows someone that knew for certain that between 85/90% of money "raised" goes to administration & lining the bosses pockets. It's a little more commonly known now to be honest, & for this reason most people are like "You taking the fucking piss mate?". I'm concerned you're going to be one of the latest former employees writing a bad review on the above link. I hope for your sake I'm wrong.

What was the interview like? Gimme some details.

[Enquiring Mind]

Originally Posted by dan300

Congratulations on getting a job. However...

Charity fundraising is hell mate. It wouldn't even be so bad if you were actually selling something. Times are hard enough for most people without being put on the spot to sign up with a monthly payment. I think it was Phil who said he either knows first hand or knows someone that knew for certain that between 85/90% of money "raised" goes to administration & lining the bosses pockets. It's a little more commonly known now to be honest, & for this reason most people are like "You taking the fucking piss mate?". I'm concerned you're going to be one of the latest former employees writing a bad review on the above link. I hope for your sake I'm wrong.

What was the interview like? Gimme some details.

Oh don't worry, part of me is skeptical. But I'm doing this for a challenge more than anything else. The boss actually seemed alright. He's in his late 40s and said he has only made it big in the past couple of years, after working hard for a long time. He was talking big, which is to be expected, but nothing he said seemed outrageous or unrealistic. He's working on behalf of a number of different charities, and is looking to expand all over Ireland and America etc.

As I said before, I'm under no illusion here. I know the chances of actually progressing are probably slim, and you probably need to put an immense amount of effort in to just make a reasonable wage. But I'll be getting up off my backside, dressing smartly, and will be earning my bread by doing something way beyond my comfort zone. I could make contacts and meet interesting people. If I do reasonably well and stay a while it may even look good on my CV and enable me to apply for jobs I'd never have considered applying for in the past.

[Shahanshah]

If you're a student or young adult then sure go for something like bar work in a decent place, club repping, some kind of instructor but not sales jobs. Sales jobs are like opposite of social skills. Or go travelling, that'd be a lot better for developing yourself.

If you are older with a career in mind then go for something you want to be progressing at ten years down the line. Then get some hobbies that build your social skills up.

Or go travelling anyway.

[Sugarspin]

Watch Glengarry Glenn Ross if you want to understand sales!