to not want to work in a supermarket ..

[Lola528]

Yes, it is very snobby of me I know, and especially right now it’s a “needs must” situation when so
many are being made redundant and don’t have much choice. The only jobs where I am right now seem to be in a supermarket or cleaning houses or offices (I’m a rubbish cleaner).

It may be petty, but I don’t want it on my CV amongst the other jobs I’ve had (aviation/travel working with major players of the industry) to then have “Asda” or equivalent as my most recent job. I just feel I have so much more to offer but nobody in my industry of choice is hiring right now (understandably).

AIBU to think this will go against me for future job opportunities? Or will future potential employees understand this is a blip of “COVID times” and not see it as a negative? Am I just being stupid?

Yes, very snobby of, glad u can be so choosy, clearly you don’t need to provide food/mortgage.

When I see the Asda store teams, they really look like they are having, pretty jolly.

Could you handle jolly?

I used to hire teams to work on projects for banks. I was keen to see evidence of pragmatism on CVs, and at interview I was just looking for people who would get along easily, and had the required hard skills. I did not want to hire some twatty person who thought they had it all worked out, and/or who was arsy because they lived to work. So I think it's a great look personally.

Also it may actually help you secure a senior role in the Retail industry in your actual specialism. ManySupermarket head offices want their non-store people to understand how stores work - colleagues of all levels may have to do a stint in a store as they join and it's not unheard of to have to do x amount of stock replenishment shifts at Christmas. Think big picture really is what I'm saying...

I work in a specialist role with qualifications and am working towards chartered membership of my profession. Would I want to return to a role of an NHS med sec that I did years ago? No. Not because I’m “above” audio typing and filing but because I’ve worked hard in my career to get where I am and wouldn’t want to lose the salary I have now.

I personally, would find working in a secretarial role boring. That’s not to say that working as a medical secretary is an easy job. It’s a worthwhile role, generally very busy, dealing with distressed patients on the phone, having huge typing back logs and dealing with NHS pressures. I used to do that job, I certainly don’t look down on anybody doing it.

There are many people who would find my job boring or undesirable for whatever reason. Somebody working in a profession on six figures (of which there are many on Mumsnet) have worked towards their own professional qualifications and wouldn’t want the salary drop when doing my job.

@Todaywewilldobetter - What would happen if an omission like this were discovered?

Let's say I'm an accountant with 15 years' experience. My last role ended six months ago and it's clear this was due to redundancy. My CV either has nothing since or I mention some online courses I've done to keep updated. I have an interview for a new accountancy position and either am not asked about the gap, or, focussing on the job I want, I talk about the relevant development I've done.

A year later, having got the job and been doing well, it comes out that during those six months I worked in a supermarket.

What would happen? Why would it be important? Would I be considered a 'fraud'? And if so, how would that make sense unless you did see the supermarket work as letting my CV down in some way?

[quote lollylimejuice]**@browneyes77* you said it all. You were much more eloquent than I was. I hope @Lola528* reads your post[/quote]
Ironically I work in both internal recruitment and for a supermarket

I know when I’m reviewing cv’s, someone working in a position that isn’t their usual field doesn’t put me off. Even outside of Covid. A decent employer will pick up the phone and have a discussion with you about the change of role and in my company, it most certainly gives a good impression if someone shows they’ve been able to adapt to negative circumstances they’ve encountered, by taking on a role outside of their comfort zone.

I see it often, where people have been made redundant and they’ve taken on a role thats totally outside of their usual field. I never see it as a negative. It shows me that person is keen to continue working and learn new skills.

Are people really suggesting they'd look at an impressive CV whose writer lost their job due to Covid and think "lazy dosser, should be working at Asda"?

No, more saying it absolutely wouldn't be a negative to see it there, rather a positive that they have continued to work despite hard times.

No words

I know when I’m reviewing cv’s, someone working in a position that isn’t their usual field doesn’t put me off. Even outside of Covid. A decent employer will pick up the phone and have a discussion with you about the change of role and in my company, it most certainly gives a good impression if someone shows they’ve been able to adapt to negative circumstances they’ve encountered, by taking on a role outside of their comfort zone.

Do you genuinely think that anybody sifting CVs for a senior, sought after role in the aviation biz would ‘pick up the phone and have a discussion’ with somebody whose CV showed that their last job was working on the checkout in Asda, to ‘discuss the change of role’?

If so, you are living in cloud cuckoo land. Senior roles are usually filled via recruitment firms because there will be so many good applicants that anybody looking to fill a role in their own team, who will themselves be very senior, will have nowhere near enough time to do a sift, let alone ‘pick up the phone’ to talk about why a candidate has been working in Asda.

The recruiters look at the CV and focus on the person’s last role. They might spend two minutes on each CV. They shouldn’t, but they do. There’s no ‘picking up the phone’. They choose the CVs that most closely fit the job spec or tick boxes like, “has she worked for a competitor and done a role almost exactly like this?” and which they think are most likely to get them a hire and hence commission.

Anybody still deluding themselves that putting a supermarket job on the CV of e.g. a former head of customer experience for an airline applying for a similar role at a different airline is going to make the person stand out from the crowd for ‘being a grafter’ or ‘having a work ethic’ should wake up. It’s more likely to get the CV a place on the ‘no’ pile because the role has no relevance to the role being recruited.

I understand that in some supermarkets Aldi for instance you have to be really fast to last on the checkouts.After a trial period if you dont reach the required amount thats it,you are out,Its always struck me in my local Aldi apart from one woman who has been there years they are mostly in 20s and 30s,anyone older doesent seem to last.And seeing them haul these massive pallets around you would probably need to be young and strong.

Same as people saying o well people can always work as carers,its not for everyone,many are not just not cut out for it and are not remotely suitable.If youve always done a completely different job for years,say office work you could be totally unsuitable.Thinking anyone can do all jobs is ridiculous.

So no you are not being unreasonable.

I cannot see an employer counting any job during the "COVID Era" against you. On the other hand, I cannot see any employer faulting you for "at home, COVID" on a CV either.

Me? I'd put it on there, and tell them during the interview, "I am a person who does what must be done. It was not my ideal job, but I did it to the very best of my ability, and with a smile."

@Funkypolar as a med sec my job is anything but boring. Ward rounds where you get to tell patients news about their care pathway, talking to patients relatives who are often distressed, communicating with the MOJ, local council, other hospitals, meeting doctors from other disciplines and helping ward staff with their duties.
We had 165 applicants for our last vacancy so frankly if anyone doesn’t have recent experience in a similar role, preferably also in mental health, they’re not getting a job.
My bugbear is when people who have been in ‘career’ jobs for a while tell people ‘just get a supermarket job or a low skilled admin job.’ The competition is huge and there’s no reason that a supermarket would choose people with no recent retail experience when there are thousands out of work who have. Same for admin, why would be pick an out of work managing director who can’t type over a band 3 from another trust who can just slot in and get on with the work. Also, I might add, without them telling you every five minutes that they had a ‘proper job’ before and this is just a stop gap.

@Byllis I am an accountant and sometimes recruit accountants. Six months down the line if you mentioned having a jov that hadnt been on your CV then I would be unlikely to even remember what had been on your CV.

Claiming you were qualified when you werent or suddenly revealing that you had an unspent conviction for fraud would be a different matter.

Once you have a number of years under your belt I wouldnt expect every job you have ever had to appear on your CV. Once or twice when being interviewed I have been asked why I left a job in 1990! Someone once asked me about my A levels (interview in the 2000s, A levels taken in mid 80s). I tend to see those as inexperienced recruiters.

I've taken steps "back" iny career several times because needs must. Once left a job managing a call centre, head of the whole thing. Resigned. 4 months later was very happy to have the opportunity to go back to the same call centre but this time as one of the operatives. I was being managed by people i had been managing only 4 months before. It was strange but i think it shows integrity and i've actually used that scenario in interviews since to demonstrate work ethic.

Personally I wouldn’t put it on my CV but would rather test the discussion in an interview and put it out there if it made sense to do so. In an “oh I’ve just taken on a temporary job to keep myself busy while I job search” way.
I’ve had two short periods of unemployment in my career and I’ve always decided against taking just any job as I’ve worked bloody hard to be where I am in my profession and I’d rather wait it out for a couple of months. Job hunting for a professional role is a time consuming activity.
I’ve always had some savings to allow me to do this though and I appreciate not everyone is that lucky.
I would also agree with others no-one will even blink at a gap on a CV in 2020

I think if your previous industry is one of those that are struggling due to Covid it will be OK to put on your CV but if not directly affected leave it out. Take the job. It will likely be Ok. I work in a very specialised job in technology but had to take a job as a waitress while doing a university course as I needed something flexible. I really enjoyed it. Hard work for sure but such a different set of skills I had to learn. I never put on my CV but sometimes mentioned in interviews to ilustrate that I have customer facing experience

Supermarket workers have been amongst the people who have kept this country going this year.
They deserve your respect.

If you feel it’s beneath you to work in a supermarket please don’t take the job.

There are 1000s of people looking for work right now. Let one of them have the job and enjoy working there.

If you’re desperate for work you’ll take any job. So many Brits are absolute snobs, it’s partially a reason why we actually need immigrants to keep the country going but you know, Brexit is a great idea...

If you feel it’s beneath you to work in a supermarket please don’t take the job.

She has taken the job.

She has taken the job.

She has taken the job.

Is that clear now? Have you got it?

@Byllis it usually comes out before that. At offer / reference stage. People either panic and fluff when they are asked for references or they don't say anything but their referee does. At that point, I've had a few incidents where it has become an issue.
One notable one was a guy who was a really, really nice guy but he didn't tell me or my client that he'd been working in a different sector for about 8 months after his "most recent job". My client found out when he was taking a reference and the referee gave him an ok reference and conversationally said, "how's he doing? Was was working at (xyz) last I heard."

My client (rightly or wrongly - don't shoot me - I'm not him!) felt really uncomfortable. Not that he'd been working in a "lesser" sector but that he'd spent over 3 hours with him over 2 interviews, they'd also talked about their respective families, hobbies their girls shared, the state of the job market and he'd never mentioned it. It put him off him completely. He felt he'd been lied to. He pulled the offer. Believe me, I did everything I could to mitigate it (In my interests as a recruitment consultant) but he wouldn't budge. Just maintained, why did he not just say so?
I've had people panic when their new employer has sent for their P45 in the past and the "latest employer" had already been asked for it by another firm.
Not everyone is an FD. Not everyone is able to style it out either! People make situations much worse when they haven't been honest.

I can't quite believe I'm having to justify not lying to a room of adults.

My experience now, it that employers aren't batting an eyelid if you're working in Tesco. If your prev experience is relevant then it's being taken as that.

I think it's also worth mentioning that in 09 recession, quite a lot of my hiring clients lost their jobs and took something to tide them over. Most that wanted to managed to get back to where they were over time. Don't give up hope.

Also worth mentioning that if you are, say, an accountant, you're not as vulnerable because you can move industry confidently. Still as an accountant. As an 'industry specific' professional, that's different and relies on transferable skills, which can be difficult in a job short, candidate rich market.
Keep going folks. It's getting better every day out there, job wise, if you're not looking at hospitality, travel, treatments.

I can't quite believe I'm having to justify not lying to a room of adults.

I'm sure that if you tried, you could see the nuance of this particular situation.

I really don't believe anyone on here doesn't understand where OP is coming from. And a lot of the comments about CVs and hiring sound very naive to me

A lot of people on here who are hiring managers have made clear that they will look at unrelated work experience sympathetically. I would too. That doesn't make me naive, it makes me pragmatic and I also have an understanding that not everyone stays in the perfect job all their life, there are hiccups and sometimes you just need to feed your kids and keep a roof over their (and your) head. Especially when there has been a crisis like covid or the 2008 downturn.

I had a break from the law for a year and it didn't stop me getting legal jobs afterwards, in fact people welcomed the transferable skills I had obtained.

OP, it may be worth looking up how to do a CV based on transferable skills rather than listed by jobs.

A lot of people on here who are hiring managers have made clear that they will look at unrelated work experience sympathetically. I would too. That doesn't make me naive, it makes me pragmatic

I'm thinking more of the people who claim that a supermarket stint on a CV for a senior professional in aviation makes the CV objectively BETTER for that specific role, and claim that time spent at Wilkos will be what gives Candidate X the job over Candidate Y. There is a difference between being sympathetic to a needs must situation, and claiming that it actually gives a professional advantage and is always very relevant.

If supermarket work indicates a suitability and competence for a senior role in aviation, why don't hiring managers for it look directly there?

A lot of employers do background checks and it would be easy to find out that your last job was in a supermarket. It would be awkward if a potential employer found out and asked you why it's not on your CV so I think it's best to include it.

I agree with PP. There will be many people in your industry who have done the same thing due to lack of relevant jobs during the pandemic. Gaps in CVS always look worse compared to having a job you can talk about. They are completely different industries but there will be transferable skills...teamwork for one. Good luck with whatever your decision is OP

Unemployed or Asda on your CV?
As an ex interviewer Asda would win, particularly if l knew the applicant had decided sitting on their a*se was better than working