Easy and Hard Tasks at Work

[Patte Rosebank]

@Wanderquest, it looks familiar…and it makes perfect sense.  Because, as we know, “If it’s not right there in front of us, it doesn’t exist” (and sometimes, not even then!)

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[Rick Green – Founder of TotallyADD]

I’ve spent the day editing a new full-length video on ADHD in the Workplace. Disclosure, and Accommodations.

The key message is follow your strengths. And do what interests you.

Which is kind of what you’re doing already, Munchkin. But the stuff that you don’t do well, that doesn’t match your mindset, (And I hate to do most of the same things you do) still have to get done. That’s where you need to get creative.

Talk to your boss and point out what you do well. Even better, ask, “What do I do well?”

Then explain, “I think I can do even more of that.”

Then when you ask for accommodations, frame it in a positive. As in positive for the boss/company/bottom line. So, instead of, “I have a disability and paperwork is impossible for me, what are you going to do about it?” you might try, “I’m really good at meeting customers, dealing with people, sales, talking with the public, and my invoicing and paperwork is really not a strength. If we hire an assistant part time to handle my paperwork, it will free up enough time that I can make this company way more money that will pay for the assistant four times over.”

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[Blue Yugo]

Been waiting a long time for such a video!  I have 3 pages of stuff I’d written up on that topic which is full of many questions that hopefully it (or future videos…?) can answer.  As a current job-seeker, I’d also like strategies and help for things like job interviews.  I sometimes have a hard time paying attention during interviews (esp. the dry blah blah about the job…just tell me how much it pays!) and when they ask me about my prior work experience.  Is it cheating or does it look bad to have to consult my resume to remember what dates I’d worked where…and what I did during those pesky couple-month gaps between jobs?  Ugh, I could go on…but I’ll wait for the video and claw the walls for more later.

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[blackdog]

@wanderquest – Disaster area? That all looks very organized to me. 😯

@munchkin – Your list of things you hate is very similar to mine as well. Especially the getting up, getting dressed part and being on time part. The things you like, however, I can’t say I do. Although I might like talking to people in person if I had lower anxiety and higher self esteem.

@Larynxa – Out of sight, out of mind. I try to explain that to people, that they have to remind me of things and if they leave a note for me or something it has to be in a place where I can’t miss it. Preferably more than one place.

And I have a really hard time keeping track of things that are a long  way off. Like when the doctor gives me a requisition form for blood tests that I have to get done 3 months from now, or a prescription that doesn’t need to be filled right away. I pretty much forget about them as soon as I walk out of the office. And I often have to phone to find out when my appointment is because I have lost the card. I am a little better now because I have started trying to write everything on the calendar. That way Husband reads it and reminds me.

I never know what to say at job interviews and I don’t understand the purpose of half the questions they ask. What difference does it make where I see myself 5 years from now? And how should I know why I want to work for their company?  I just need a job.

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[Patte Rosebank]

@Blackdog, it helps to rehearse job interviews with someone else as the interviewer—because we’re so used to being in our heads, that it’s unfamiliar territory for us to be interacting with another person. Especially if the other person is in a position of authority to judge us.

After you’ve done a practice interview, discuss it with your partner to learn from it.  Then, switch places, and you be the interviewer, trying to meet the needs of the company. It’s really an eye-opener to see it from the other side like that. And to realize that interviews (like auditions) are uncomfortable for everyone, but they’re the best way we have to find the right person for the job.

Before you can rehearse, you need a script. So, research commonly-asked interview questions, and figure out what they’re really asking, and how best to answer them to focus on the positive.

For example, I’d worked a lot of temp jobs during a 10-year period. Potential employers tend to see that as “unreliable, because she hasn’t held a long-term job”. But being a temp. actually meant that “I had to keep my skills at peak-level, so I could just get in there and do it, because there isn’t time for a steep learning curve. In fact, I’d quickly become the instant-help-desk for the department, because I knew more about Microsoft Office than they did.”

You may find it helpful to contact your local HRDC office. They’ll have counselling services to help you figure out which jobs and settings would be the best match for your skills, experience, and working style, as well as taking you through practice-interviews. They also offer grants to companies, to help cover the cost of supports for disabled workers.

Based on my own experience, the not-for-profit sector tends to be much more welcoming to workers with disabilities, because it’s all about seeing the possibilities and making them happen.  In Canada, these jobs are listed on http://www.charityvillage.com.  Well worth a look!

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[munchkin]

My desk looks even worse, Wanderquest, but that’s probably because my boss is pretty permissive… Take your desk, add a bunch of food and empty soda cans, and a nearly dead plant, and you’ll have my desk 🙁

What I’ve been doing over the years is advocating for a paperless office, and the more paperless we get, the easier my job gets. There’s just something about being able to file something on a computer and then search and retrieve it later that works soooo much better for me 🙂

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[wanderquest]

My nearly dead plant is sitting on a shelf, off camera. 🙂 Lol.

There is actually another desk, with my computer on it, that’s where all my drink cups/coffee mug/pop cans sit.

I’m 95% sure that my mess is what got me my own office though. I was out in an open area but I think our CEO got sick of seeing it, so I got shuffled into what used to be a storage area. I’m walled in on one side by filing cabinets, but I’m cool with it.

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[Bibliophile]

@Rick
What if you can’t determine what you enjoy to do? Or what you enjoy changes often? Also, some things are too general to easily translate into a job. For example, many people enjoy working with computers, but that doesn’t mean they should be programmers or web developers. The fact that they like to work with computers is too general to be used to narrow down selection of a profession.

I can relate to those in a situation where you have become proficient at what you do (mostly office and computer work in my case) even when you know that it is neither an ideal fit for the ADHD mind (repetitive tasks, data entry, few hard deadlines, etc.) nor is the work all that stimulating.

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[blackdog]

I don’t actually find that practice interviews help at all. It’s not the same as doing the real thing. Besides, I have never once been asked a question from a practice interview in a real interview. At least not beyond the typical ones that you can expect to be asked.

I have done all the personality tests and career interest surveys and seminars etc. Some of what they came up with was interesting, but not practical. At my age and with my finances and other obligations, going to university for 4 or 5 years isn’t an option and that is what I would have to do to get into any of the careers that come up on the tests.

Now working for a not-for-profit, that I could get into. It would be nice to do something that makes a difference. Just as long as there is no dishonesty and corruption… That I could not tolerate. And high and mighty people who think they’re something special and deserve to be constantly congratulated for the good work that they do…..

Okay, I clearly have some issues. But it is something I would consider doing. 🙂

I can relate to becoming proficient at things that are not an ideal fit as well. I think I would excel in a boring repetitive job as long as the reward is good and I have enough interesting stuff to do on the side. That is why I am considering doing office work, like transcribing,  from home. It doesn’t seem like a good idea but I think it will work because it takes the pressure off, no worries about being on time or being organized. And I can do lots of creative stuff in my spare time to make up for the boredom, which I don’t have the time and energy to do with a regular job. Plus, there is little opportunity for your mind to wander when you have one task to do that requires your full attention.

The main reason I am hesitating to do the training is what Bibliophile  said about not knowing what you enjoy or changing your mind about what you enjoy from day to day. I always think to myself ‘but what if I spend all that money on the course and then I hate the job?’. Throughout my life I have wanted to do everything from A-Z. (Literally- Astronaut and Zoo Keeper were both on the list at one point in time.)

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[munchkin]

I work for a non-profit, and it has been the best job ever. People who work there are interested in helping others, so they are more tolerant of my quirks!

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