Stuck in the retail trap

fakeplastictwee

Hi, I'm new on here so forgive me if I'm posting in the wrong place! Have spent some time reading the boards but never got around to posting.

I'm 24 and currently work full time in a supermarket. I spent 2 gap years working there before going to music college, ended up quitting my degree in the second year and going back Sainsbury's just to earn some money while I figured out what to do next. 3 years later and I'm still there, with no clue as to how to get out!

Has anyone else successfully managed to make the transition from retail to another type of job? I'm not entirely sure what I want to do, but I'm open to suggestion really. My main concern is that it's quite difficult living on just above minimum wage. I realise that it's not a good time to be looking for work (and that I'm lucky I've got it in the first place) but I'm thinking more about the long term. My mid-20s have creeped up on me and I need to try and be a bit more pro-active about moving or I fear I'll end up staying there forever!

SueC_2

fakeplastictwee wrote: »

Hi, I'm new on here so forgive me if I'm posting in the wrong place! Have spent some time reading the boards but never got around to posting.

I'm 24 and currently work full time in a supermarket. I spent 2 gap years working there before going to music college, ended up quitting my degree in the second year and going back Sainsbury's just to earn some money while I figured out what to do next. 3 years later and I'm still there, with no clue as to how to get out!

Has anyone else successfully managed to make the transition from retail to another type of job? I'm not entirely sure what I want to do, but I'm open to suggestion really. My main concern is that it's quite difficult living on just above minimum wage. I realise that it's not a good time to be looking for work (and that I'm lucky I've got it in the first place) but I'm thinking more about the long term. My mid-20s have creeped up on me and I need to try and be a bit more pro-active about moving or I fear I'll end up staying there forever!

Hi there, I think it's pretty common for people to end up drifitng through their working life and never really identifying what it is they would ideally like to do, so you're not alone out there! Only you can decide what sort of job would really fulfil you, and I'm not sure what's harder - working that out, or finding a way into that job once you've made the decision!

The one thing I would say though is that you are already working for a huge organisation, which will have many many types of role available without you needing to switch employer (admin, HR, training, IT, procurement, logistics, marketing to name but a few). If you've got a good track record for attendance, performance, loyalty, flexibility etc, I'm sure they will be happy to help you progress through the company. It may be worth speaking to your store manager or HR department to make them aware that you are keen to advance yourself. Alternatively, is there a staff magazine with a vacancy bulletin in it? There may even be a management training programme that you could apply to join.

From your original message it appears that you are bright, interested, forward thinking and certainly a lot more literate than many people. These are all great qualities that employers welcome. You're right in saying that now isn't a brilliant time to be looking for work, but don't let that put you off - there's never any harm in trying.

Good luck!

fakeplastictwee

Thanks for your reply

I have tried to move up a couple of times, in fact I've just handed another letter in for a team leader vacancy so I'm already exploring that avenue. I do have a good track record there, but haven't been treated very well in the past.

It's a long story but basically I ended up doing the team leader role on another department voluntarily. When an actual vacancy came up I didn't get through the interview, 9 months later after I had advanced a lot (still doing the job), another role came up and instead of re-interviewing they just gave it to someone (who's mum happens to be higher up there). My manager had already expressed that he wanted me to get it. Anyway that's all by the by! It's not as black and white as it should be though, and I sort of get the impression that you find it easy to work your way up if your face fits.

As I'm getting older though I feel like any qualifications I've got are becoming less relevant. I went for an interview for an admin job in a school, they began the interview with "so, I see you're in retail" and then picked up on the fact that I'd got my A level ICT "quite a few years ago". Even though I did a short IT exercise perfectly well in the interview, I didn't get the job on the grounds of "not being up to date in IT".

I am bright, am capable of far more than I'm doing but just don't have the experience to move. I seriously considered the open university recently but I doubt I'd find the time to do it without dropping hours at work which I can't afford to do!

SueC_2

The best advice I can give you is to persevere. Try thinking of ways to put a positive twist on situations that could potentially be seen as negative.

eg. "I see you got your ICT qualifications some time ago". "Yes, since then I've been using those skills to <<whatever>>, and I'm now a whole lot more experienced and confident putting them to use than I was when I first passed my exams. I now do, quite easily, things that I used to struggle with".

Or, "I see you were previously turned down for a team leader position". "Yes, I realise now that at that point I wasn't really ready to take on that role, but since then I have <<whatever>> and put a lot of effort into developing my <<whatever>> skills, and now I think I'm much more able to move on to the next level, and really appreciate the opportunity of being allowed to apply again. I think that the fact that I haven't changed my mind about wanting this role demonstrates how serious I am about it".

Whatever you do, please absolutely avoid developing a chip on your shoulder. There is nothing more offputting to an employer (either a new one or your existing one) than some one who comes across as feeling hard-done by or resentful. These are BAD qualities. Whatever the situation, and regardless of how you are actually feeling, find a way to be positive in how you express yourself.

Yes, life is sometimes unfair, and sometimes people do get jobs because their face fits. But it is far more fruitful to work at making your face fit than sit around moaning about the fact that it doesn't!

fakeplastictwee

Yeah you're right! I realise what you're saying about the chip on the shoulder thing, I see it in other people at work and make sure I don't talk about anything like that there.

As far as my skills go, my only problem is that I don't get to use them in my job so find it difficult to demonstrate to other people that I am still capable.

Anyway I still keep plodding. I realise more as I get older that there's no point in being negative as it doesn't get you anywhere!

SueC_2

Don't get disheartened, and keep on plugging! If you have a computer at home (which presumably you do, or you wouldn't be on this forum) there are all sorts of resources for free on the internet. For example, the OU do lots of short freebie courses, some of which only take a few hours to do, and can easily be fitted around your working hours:

http://www.open.ac.uk/openlearn/home.php

There are loads of others out there too though, have a fish around. Keep on looking for solutions rather than problems and eventually you'll get there.

DKLS

Another one to say don't give up, I had to put up with 12 years of the finance/accountancy trap, it was a chance accountancy job that led me to where I am now, doing something I really enjoy.

fakeplastictwee

Thanks for the link SueC, I'll take a look!

What do you do now DKLS?

DKLS

fakeplastictwee wrote: »

Thanks for the link SueC, I'll take a look!

What do you do now DKLS?

Now I run my own company in a Medical Informatics and education.

twisty

Hi I would agree with other posters and say the main message is don't give up.

Put aside some time every evening to look for and apply for jobs and eventually opportunities will come your way.

I graduated from University in 2004 and spent 2.5 years in retail (having worked in shops before and during uni). All this time I was looking for jobs in my area of interest (and, to be honest, everything apart from retail).

I thought I was never going to escape and it was starting to ruin my life. But I was finally given a break in Jan 2007.

It was the best feeling ever and I will always be grateful to the person who took a punt on me, even though I knew I would be good at the job. In the interview I acknowledged that retail was not my chosen career but demonstrated how many of the skills are transferrable (particularly people skills) and how I make the most of any situation I find myself in.

A year later, I was offered a job with another employer and am now in a job I love and earning twice as much. I will never, ever, ever take my job for granted and actually think the whole experience has been good for me in that respect.

So, I have been where you are and I know how it feels but you HAVE to keep trying. It will happen for you.

At times it will frustrate the hell out of you, especially when people ignore you for office jobs for having no experience of offices (I came up against this a lot).

Btw, have you considered a bank/estate agents/mortgage advisor type job? Often these are quite good sidesteps from retail with a good success rate.

I hope this helps.

Hermia

Don't give up!

Are there any other courses you can do? I agree that an OU is a huge commitment when you are working full-time. Does your local college do any NVQ-type courses in management or IT?

You should also persevere with the job hunting. I know two people who worked at Tescos and Morrisons and both started out at the bottom. But the store boss saw their potential and encouraged them to get managerial qualifications. One was my cousin and his boss at Morrisons changed all his working hours around so he could go to college and helped him when he applied for a managerial role. Maybe you just need to get out of the store you are in.