Quiet please…personality test required I need to think about this
Personality test required as part of job application (listed as a ‘workplace benefit’ alongside leave entitlements). As a quiet person (aka introvert), I find this a bit of a stretch.
This line in a job advert and potential “job benefit” scares me. Not just slightly — completely, yikes. Is this type of request normal? Or is it designed to scare off people like me? It makes applying for a job even more difficult, as it sounds like they already have a personality type in mind and as far as I’m concerned that is definitely not me!
It seems the further we delve into the world of social media and online ‘lives’, the more we are losing our humanity and having to prove our worth time and time again. It makes me feel as though looking for a new job is more like a dating…it makes me question myself and of course what I’m actually looking for.
I read earlier today about a recent graduate with an $88K study debt who was begging at a large Melbourne train station for a job opportunity in his chosen field of architecture. What hope is there for our future generations if this is how job hunters are being treated (regardless of their qualifications). Is this more about how loud or how much a person can and should stand out, as much as being accepted for your skills? Is this the new job interview?
I’m terrible at self-promotion so I think I might be stuffed if this is the way things are headed. As a patient, reflective and take my time to decide on the answer kind of person, I feel surrounded by loud people, stating their opinion first with often little thought to what I think, feel or say. It’s something I can handle in small, incremental doses, just not all the time. I’m not sure if the COVID lockdowns and stress of recent local storms in our area are making people a bit prickly, but I’m finding it hard to get a (spoken) word in. Let alone be tested under pressure and put in a box.
I just wish I could grab a second, state my piece, I start to speak and am over-run by their competitive and often brash attitude. I’m no expert, but the 40 odd years I’ve lived on this planet have taught me many things, one important lesson is to listen more than you hear. I may take longer than you, but thoughtful responses take time, so please don’t rush me.
My imagination and inner world is magical and I love nothing more than getting lost in the pages of a good book or listening to someone’s story. People fascinate me. We’re all so different, yet we are all the same, deep down — human. We think, breath, etc.
So why is there so much emphasis on being labelled and more importantly loud? I have things to say too, but most of them sit in my head and honestly, I know what to say about 15 minutes after I should. Only last week I received an email from a recruiter who I joined up with a decade ago and have truthfully never had any success with. I get the feeling they were just after people to add to their list.
They sent me an email all casual, ‘oh Julie hope this email finds you well’…seriously I have never met or spoken with this particular consultant and they were very familiar. The job they were “advertising for me to apply for” (sorry I’ve become cynical), wasn’t something I was qualified to do (it was VERY specific) and they still wanted me to apply because I’d previously worked at a similar organization — mind you not doing this role. I was devastated, ‘cos at this stage I would almost do anything. The job market is terrible in Australia whilst almost half the country is currently in COVID 19 lockdown.
Please don’t get me wrong, it’s not that I don’t like people (although there have been times of late when I’ve come close), it’s just the loud ones scare me. I like genuine, kind and funny people, I’m not anti social and I love being with people, just not 100% of the time. Now whilst researching for this piece, I stupidly typed quiet into the Google search engine.
The scary film A Quiet Place came up first, a very scary film indeed. I’ve barely watched the trailer, it had me almost scared of being quiet. So note quite what I was searching for at this point in time, but looks like a cool film. I also found reference to a book I read ages ago by Susan Cain called Quiet. The book looks at the busy talkative world around us, but again I’m looking for something else.
Maybe what I’m looking for is some explanation, a flash of light, an answer to my biggest questions or maybe just to vent or scream. But in the real world of a quiet person (happy in their own skin), especially in an office environment, you are expected to speak up ALL THE TIME. It’s exhausting for me. For example, talking non-stop about football (Australian Football League or AFL as it’s known in Melbourne) in workplaces drives me bonkers. Honestly I’m so not interested I didn’t even know what site to look up for information without almost falling asleep. Zzzz. Who cares.
Everyone has their own passions, interests and things they want to talk about. Surely this is ok? Maybe there’s a class I missed on workplace BS or keeping up with the whoever is cool in this town…then again maybe the answer was right there in front of me all the time? It’s got me thinking.
Anyway, I won’t waffle on, just wanted to say my piece and add my voice to those of you who are quiet and happy all at the same time. To the naysayers, yes this is a possible combination that works. So speak when you need to speak, don’t be rattled by fools and most importantly be kind to yourself. I am still working hard towards that last one! But I guess it’s all part of the journey of discovering who we are and why we’re here.
Of course if anyone has any answers please let me know!
