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OP, I totally understand anxiety because I suffer from it too and take medication for it.
You didn't explain if you graduated or went to college. Did you do any volunteer work or have any hobbies while your parents enabled you to stay home? There is an epidemic of young adults staying with parents until 30 years old and sometimes longer and now have to deal with the consequences of it.
You have some work experience although you said you "barely have". Did you have any hobbies or did you volunteer? Did you keep score at baseball games, serve food to the homeless, work in a kitchen, helped organize an event, involve yourself in anyway with the community, or work in your family's business? Likely the anxiety prevented some aspects of my suggestion but those activities count and any skills you got from them can be transferable. Did you belong to any clubs? I doubt that playing computer games for 30 years is going to endear you to the interviewer.
It is best you don't lie. You must sell yourself. If they ask, tell them you were ill but then you found proper treatment and can finally live normally and are ready to contribute to your own welfare in a healthy way. Explain you have always been reliable and you have always been able to pick up instructions quickly. Also you are highly motivated and excited to succeed, to improve your lifestyle and leave your previous situation behind you.
There are training centers available for job hunters who need help with resumes and how to put forth your best qualities. For me, it was very effective in teaching me how to find a job. I am sure you will learn how to overcome the problem you posted about. You are not alone with your troubles.
Look for entry level work. You can't start at the top without a work history or a diploma of any kind. Maybe it will be McDonalds. That's okay. You gain work experience even though the pay might not get you out of your parent's home. Save as much money as possible. Have a goal to work towards. Write it down and describe the steps you will take to achieve it.
But what did you find difficult about working at Taco Bell?
I think the orders were difficult. I don't know how much it's their fault or my fault why things didn't work out. I did everything they asked cleaned bathrooms unloaded the food. I don't know if your suppose to know all the ingredients or if there suppose to tell you. Maybe I do have a learning disability or memorizing issue.
A couple of people have mentioned grocery stores. I will agree, and be more specific - night stocker. There’s less customer interaction at night - or none if the store is closed. The work is fairly solitary, which might fit the OP’s personality. Working overnight would eliminate the problem of waking up to an alarm clock, rolling out of bed and going to work. You’d probably be awake several hours before it’s time to go to work, and you’d go to bed soon after you get off. Lastly, the grocery business has many levels of advancement.
I think the orders were difficult. I don't know how much it's their fault or my fault why things didn't work out. I did everything they asked cleaned bathrooms unloaded the food. I don't know if your suppose to know all the ingredients or if there suppose to tell you. Maybe I do have a learning disability or memorizing issue.
You said you played a lot of video games and participated in other activities on the computer. Did you find that difficult?
Your calling might not be fast food, as those environments can become chaotic and fast-paced. Maybe something in retail, like a computer store or Best Buy where at least you can speak intelligently about the products. Of course, you'll need to overcome your social anxiety if you're to work with the public.
I think most if not all employers would reject me if I were to be honest.
Read "What Color Is Your Parachute."
Do the suggested exercises.
Then when you know more, then worry about finding an employer - or a customer to hire your business. {You don't need to impress an employer if you're the BOSS}
The book recommends networking to find "the person with the authority to hire you", rather than sending out resumes in bulk, shotgun fashion. It also recommends carefully figuring out what one is best at and what one enjoys most, which Bolles asserts tend to coincide. The Flower Exercise is a key element of the book, featuring seven ways that job seekers can define themselves in order to inform their job search.
...was an American engineer, scientist and inventor who over a span of fifty years was granted well over 400 patents, mostly in the areas of energy and information. Many of his inventions have had wide-ranging applications. Among the most prominent are: the nickel-metal hydride battery, which has been widely used in laptop computers, digital cameras, cell phones, and electric and hybrid cars; flexible thin-film solar energy laminates and panels; flat screen liquid crystal displays; rewritable CD and DVD discs; hydrogen fuel cells; and nonvolatile phase-change memory. Ovshinsky opened the scientific field of amorphous and disordered materials in the course of his research in the 1940s and 50s in neurophysiology, neural disease, the nature of intelligence in mammals and machines, and cybernetics. Amorphous silicon semiconductors have become the basis of many technologies and industries. Ovshinsky is also distinguished in being self-taught, without formal college or graduate training. Throughout his life, his love for science and his social convictions were the primary engines for his inventive work.
Last edited by jetgraphics; 07-06-2022 at 02:06 PM..
The alternative to not working for a living would probably be homeless. That's a great motivator to not giving up. I guess I can't be sure what will happen but people can change for the better. I can't know what will happen unless I try. Laziness is not my main issue, social phobia is.
I would recommend looking for a job that doesn't require interaction with the public. If you can handle the pace, an Amazon job might work, either delivering packages or working in a fulfillment center. I'm an introvert, which is not the same as having a social phobia, but still. I had a summer job delivering flowers when I was in high school and college. I absolutely loved that job. I was alone in the delivery van for most of my work shift, and when I'd have to see customers, they were always happy to be receiving flowers. Anyway, something along those lines might be a good choice for you.
The book recommends networking to find "the person with the authority to hire you", rather than sending out resumes in bulk, shotgun fashion.
FWIW, at one time, I was buddies with several company owners and corporate presidents, and they all agreed that the one thing they value the most is putting the interest of the company first, and loyalty. They couldn't give a hoot about past work history - IF - they got a recommendation from someone whose opinion they trusted. And they weren't penny pinchers once the new hire showed his merit.
(Bizarro memory anecdote - was hired to be a lowly dishwasher in a small department store cafeteria. Worked like the blazes and got 4 raises in as many weeks. The assistant manager even wanted to sponsor me as a manager trainee.)
I also knew a few folks who were hired to be assistants to the "big cheese" - again - without going through HR, or sending out resumes. The key was finding "the person with the authority to hire you" and getting THEIR attention.
(Read Robert Heinlein's "We Also Walk Dogs..." for an insight into THAT level...)
One friend went knocking on doors at every small business in his rural county, looking for business for his one-man software shop. He had no degree nor credentials, but his chuztpah got him several lucrative contracts.
"See a need - fill a need!"
Do not lie about your background. You can honestly tell them that you were dealing with medical issues that now are under control. Interviewers do not have the right to specifics about your medical history UNLESS you will be asking for a reasonable accommodation.
Do you have a Goodwill Industries near you? They do job training and help people get jobs at Goodwill or other places.
Who do you or your parents know personally who might be willing to take a risk on you?
Do you or your parents go to a Church, Synagogue, or Mosque? They might be a source of contact for you.
Go to your unemployment office and see what they recommend as far as jobs based on your history.
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