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?

I find your attitude so snobby Op, maybe as others say, you should leave the job for someone who wants it. We have friends with attitudes like yours - one of my snobbier “my kids will never work in retail” friends sneered terribly when my son got his first retail job at 17. But interestingly, also made some quips this year regarding all our family earning money through lockdown, unlike hers.

I have a 20yo working in a large supermarket whilst she works out what career she wants to do long term. She has already had a sabbatical to go volunteering abroad and would have been off again travelling now, but for a certain virus. She has worked extremely hard throughout, yet I still have friends asking when she will sort herself out and get a proper career! I am sure the skills she has gained will stand her in good stead whatever she does.

I also have a new graduate who has a dream of working in aviation. He had a very successful year in industry working within the sector in his 3rd yr but the virus has smashed those dreams for the time being. At the end of March, he heard his finals were cancelled, so applied for and got a retail job to tide him over - probably one of the last lockdown recruits. Not a supermarket but similar and was promoted in the summer to the bottom rung of mgmt, so responsible for opening up and closing down.

He has also been applying for graduate jobs in areas where his aviation experience can count. Yes, he did put both his retail jobs (the latest and his 6th form one) on his CV. He has landed a great job and handed his notice in to his retail job. It is to his credit that the store manager said that, unlike others, he had no idea my son was looking elsewhere, such was his great attitude to the job.

Interestingly, a close friend who is a retired HR director, said she thought he was a wonderful role model, as he went straight after retail work in March, but then got stuck into looking for jobs outside aviation, despite it being his dream.

We are extremely proud of both kids. We hardly see them both together at the moment, such are their different shifts in retail.

Meanwhile we have friends with graduates from this year and last, who are sat in their rooms waiting for that top company to offer them a job!

OP works in aviation, an industry which to be honest will likely face huge cuts even when things are 'back to normal'. It's not reality for the OP that it will make it harder to find work.

We don’t know what the post-covid landscape will look like. I think it’s helpful to the OP to be honest about how people sometimes behave. She knows this anyway.

I’ve had many jobs including professional jobs, one of my favourite jobs was in Tesco.
YABU and being a snob, calling people’s jobs a ‘blip’ in your career is down right rude.

What sort of job did OP do in aviation?

Doubt any supermarket would employ you with that attitude and even if they did you probably wouldn't last long because you are not superior to anyone else and they wouldn't take too kindly to your snobbery

I don't think doing a retail job as an undergraduate is remotely similar in terms of your CV as when you have twenty years in a particular industry under your belt.

Undergraduates are always going to have those type of temp jobs on their CVs as they haven't got other jobs! So, anything that shows initiative, managerial skills, organizational skills- volunteering, charity work, working in a restaurant/supermarket, for the uni itself, or relevant work experience (unpaid) will look great on an undergraduate CV going into graduate employment opportunities.

Most of the above is NOT true once you're a decade out from your starting point. I don't include my waitressing career, my time managing a small shop etc, it's not where I want to position myself in terms of future jobs. I'm not remotely snobby, it's just not what these employers expect to see (bar the one line explaining your temp work somewhere at the bottom).

Some of the replies on here explain why women don't do so well in terms of remuneration/getting promoted in the workplace, do you think there are many men in more senior roles that put down SAHD or worked as a waiter on their CVs (unless they are going to relevant jobs)? Hint- no! Other men do not value diligence, organization etc in the context of childcare or poorly paid service sector jobs, we can see that from the way they treat their wives.

Oh dear, how the mighty have fallen.

We don’t know what the post-covid landscape will look like. I think it’s helpful to the OP to be honest about how people sometimes behave. She knows this anyway.

Yes OP should reject the job because there's a tiny chance someone might turn their nose up at it on the CV, dont worry about paying the bills, or the fact it's a valuable job. Please say you don't dispense careers advice to people.

I wouldn't want to work for an employer who turned their nose up at me because I'd had to take a job "below me". Do employers really think like this? Well I guess they do, if they've always been lucky enough to stay in jobs commensurate with their skill set...maybe they need to think of that old adage there but for the grace of God and all that. I agree with the pp who said they'd rather employ someone who will turn their hand to anything.

Also, as a pp said, there's a lot more going on in customer facing jobs than you realise. Library staff are ridiculously underpaid for their skillset, for example.

I don't think the Op shouldn't do the job, I think she shouldn't feature it at the top of her CV just to show she's not snobby or has great organizational skills, unless she wants to make a transfer to retail.

And- men don't worry about appearing snobby to other men, they are used to boasting about themselves and their achievements, and that's the biggest barrier for women in our sector (academic sector) because they underplay themselves, undersell themselves and don't put themselves forward for better paid/higher status jobs.

This is a presentation issue, not whether working in a temp job over Christmas is a sensible thing to do (which it is).

It’s a terrible indictment of how poorly people view supermarket workers that a person would consider not taking a necessary job for fear that it would blight their career prospects for life.

I’m sure there are stressful times but I imagine it being quite laid back as long as you get your job done.

Lol - no.

The OP would be a nightmare to work with and should swerve the industry - nobody's got time to handhold someone like that through Christmas time at a supermarket!

@Tenyearsgone

Oh dear, how the mighty have fallen.

Quite!

I don’t want to work in a supermarket either OP. Not because I look down on anyone doing that but because it’s too hard and no well paid and a lot of people treat retail workers like shit.
However, luckily I don’t have to but I have nothing but respect for people who do it

Yes OP should reject the job because there's a tiny chance someone might turn their nose up at it on the CV, dont worry about paying the bills, or the fact it's a valuable job. Please say you don't dispense careers advice to people.

When I do, I actually do read what they said.

As for "my kids will never work in retail", there was an article in the Times a few days ago about reintroducing national service (the people who suggest it are always in the age group who wouldn't need to do it) but while I am totally against that, I saw someone commented that everyone should have to work in retail for three months and I agree. Might make everyone a little bit nicer in shops (though it can work the other way too, makes you very frustrated about bad service when you know you wouldn't have got away with that when you worked in a customer facing role).

And- men don't worry about appearing snobby to other men, they are used to boasting about themselves and their achievements, and that's the biggest barrier for women in our sector (academic sector) because they underplay themselves, undersell themselves and don't put themselves forward for better paid/higher status jobs

I agree with this and it is also one explanation why eg library staff are so underpaid because most of them are female. But that's for another thread.

OP, have you thought about getting a seasonal job with the Post Office? Sorry if it's already been suggested or you have tried.

@Justmuddlingalong

I had hoped that retail staff had gained some respect after they worked tirelessly through lockdown. Hopes dashed.

This

I wouldn't want to work with someone like the OP who would no doubt think she was better than everyone else working in the supermarket.

I'm surprised she got the job really. The sneer on her face must have been well hidden at her interview.

It will look fine on your CV.

You just put: Asda - temporary post due to hiatus in travel industry during Covid. Skills acquired include ditching snobbery.

Don't work in a supermarket then. I have been made redundant from a good career. I am now working in a supermarket. Yes I don't want to do it - but I paint a smile on, the people are nice, I've lost weight, I'm being paid and my mental have has improved because I have routine. You need to get over yourself.

And for the exact reason I don't want a gap on my cv. I'm a grafter and happy to work - whatever that may be.

@CherryPavlova

But she isn’t applying for that role is she ?

I understand @Lola528. I’ve had to do the same ( albeit a different industry) and I’m really swallowing my pride after being so upset at my situation. Going into work a the beginning I was really tearful ( especially because I’m working with people in the role that I lost). I just learn what I can and try to think about what I’ll be doing next year.

To all those privileged senior managers, those with secure jobs and SAHM in their armchairs telling OP how disgusting her attitude - it’s all well and good sitting in your comfortable job and being nasty. OP is looking for support. Are you the same people making fun of the adverts the Government put out about people from the arts re-skilling? It’s you people with a distinct lack of empathy and a disgusting attitude.

Ofc there is nothing wrong with a supermarket job, but if you have 10 years of education or 30 years of experience in a niche role it’s soul destroying to go into a role like this. What you have given up to get where you are feels so pointless, when you could have had this job without all those sacrifices.

💐💐💐 for you OP.

I'm going to repeat my experience after the last recession, where I was one of many who left my profession, did something different for a few years, then came back.

Saying I had been made redundant in 2010 had little stigma. The only "what was this" was the year I had off to have DS (not explicitly labelled) and we talked through what I'd learnt in my other roles. I ended up with two companies trying to outbid each other for my time when the market picked up.

Do something with this time, be it the supermarket job or a new qualification. You don't want to say "I spent covid sat at home doing nothing, even after schools reopened"

Although it shouldn't be the top job on your CV - that's just structuring though.