to ask for ideas on how to get a job without needing to interview for it?

[MaskedGoldfish]

Long story, but essentially I'm having to face up to the Catch-22 that I will never get a job in my sector due to abysmal interview skills (neurodiversity/MH-related, so no form of coaching/training/simulations has ever helped), and that I can't go freelance until I've gained some employment history and contacts within the field. And of course, it's Covid, so nobody really is advertising anyway.

So, what sectors might I be able to get into? I'm degree-educated up to PhD, and not afraid of re-training. I've also done plenty of manual jobs in the past, too, though, and don't mind getting my hands dirty. I would consider anything not involve driving (no license) or sex work (no judgment, but not for me) or exploiting others (ruling out eg MLMs). I'm quite good at making crafted tat and shite, but not quite good enough for FB selling etc.

So being unable to interview, what could I do?

Oh THAT question you answer straight away...how odd?!

Maybe @yolopolo was on the panel of that disastrous interview I had last month? If so please explain why people are so unpleasant when it comes to work things.

I simply find it odd OP that you barely answered any questions asked of you but when it came to defending your viva you were straight in to answer that. That is all I said...

I honestly can't really think of any job, particularly in the current climate, and particularly one that would suit someone with a PhD where they wouldn't expect to interview candidates for it.

I'm not trying to be unhelpful, but surely any company advertising any job will want to speak with potential employees first?

Can you find a job for which you could be recommended by someone who is both close to and trusted by the interviewer(s)? It means a lot for someone to be able to say “ I think MG would be fantastic at this as she has xyz - doesn’t perform well in interviews, but certainly will in the role”.

I got my last job as I came highly recommended from those I’d worked with in the past, tried for the current role three times before being successful. I interview horribly, and would probably never have got it had my current manager not previously worked with my previous manager’s manager(I contributed a lot to additional projects so they knew me well), and thought to ask them if any recommendations. All in the same company in my case but suspect academia is a similarly small world. FWIW I performed as horribly as I expected to in both rounds of interviews but a strong written application and recommendation prevailed. You have to endure the interview but it’s not the deciding factor.

Can you try copywriting for journals and blogs that are related to philosophy? There are some copywriting websites that you have to pay for but they are online - Contena is one I know.

Research in a different university/lecturer

Teach A level philosophy online - you will have to market yourself as a private tutor but you could find out the syllabus and coach students who are doing it at school but need extra help

Other
Teaching English online to Chinese children
Put yourself as a freelancer on Fiverr - you would have to research if there is any areas that suit your skills
Set up a fulfilled by Amazon business - I have no idea if this is easy or hard or how much you would have to put into it
Offer to mentor others through their PHD thesis writing
Retrain as an MLD therapist - mine is neurodiverse and I think it suits her very well because she is very clever but is also good at following a routine.

That are all the ideas I have

@Didyousaynutella

Proof reading?

No!!!!!! Proofreading is more than spotting typos. You need professional training to be a proofreader. Would you let an unqualified dentist take a tooth out? Or an unqualified plumber put in a loo? Well then, you don't let an untrained proofreader proof your work.

I'm terrible at interviews. Not neurodiverse but shy with people I don't know and terrible at selling myself. Nothing every helped and eventually I gave up.

I have freelanced for 20 years in a very niche and chronically short staffed area. Short of being a monkey or having no hands, I would always get work in this industry. But that is dependent on having a particular niche skill, which has to be learned.

I do come across palantypists at work quite a bit. They are all self-employed, travelled the world in pre-covid times (although you don't have to) and obv don't have to interview for work. They're in short supply too so run off their feet. Again, that's something that needs to be learned and takes time.

I wanted to give you some reassurance. I have recruited 2 people who did terrible interviews. They both had great CV’s, they were fine when we were chatting but their interviews were shocking. I am very senior but probably a terrible person to do interviews because I tend to go very much on gut instinct. I knew that these two people were good and I felt really strongly about taking a gamble on them. Both have been brilliant. I have since laughed woth them about quite how bad their interviews were.

Apply for something you think you can do and explain in your covering letter your limitations. If you had the skills it wouldn’t put me off

No!!!!!! Proofreading is more than spotting typos. You need professional training to be a proofreader. Would you let an unqualified dentist take a tooth out? Or an unqualified plumber put in a loo? Well then, you don't let an untrained proofreader proof your work.

I'm not sure the pp was necessarily suggesting that the OP go into proofreading untrained. As a proofreader/copywriter/copyeditor myself (as I'm guessing you might be from your post @tenlittlecygnets?), I thought it was potentially a good suggestion, ditto the copywriting suggestion a pp made. I started out by doing the Chapterhouse course then sending out speculative CVs to build a client base, no interviews needed. Obviously you need aptitude, same as in any line of work, but if it's something the OP's good at, it could be worth exploring.

OP you were quite self-deprecating about your crafting skills but if you are talented, that sort of thing shouldn't be ruled out as an earning opportunity too.

@MaskedGoldfish

Maybe *@yolopolo* was on the panel of that disastrous interview I had last month? If so please explain why people are so unpleasant when it comes to work things.

I assume *@yolopolo* was just frustrated that you haven't answered the questions which have been politely asked of you, in order to help you with the problem you have raised.

I interview people all the time as part of my job, so I could, for example, offer you some useful insights into how to better survive an interview. However, you've also chosen to ignore my questions, so I can't.

I do understand that you are reluctant to give away every detail of your life for fear of being identified, but you haven't given enough information for anyone to be able to help you, and there is a willingness here to help you. You have a PhD - that's a great accomplishment. It would be really sad to ignore that PhD and just take any old job where someone would hire you just because they wouldn't care about the interview. Don't you think your own achievements are worth more than that? You battled for that qualification; don't dismiss it so easily yet.

Are you able to answer whether a doctor has actually diagnosed you as neurodiverse? You don't have to say which specific condition, but it would be very helpful to understand if you have a diagnosed condition as this can be a gateway into interview adjustments.

@Sophoa

I wanted to give you some reassurance. I have recruited 2 people who did terrible interviews. They both had great CV’s, they were fine when we were chatting but their interviews were shocking. I am very senior but probably a terrible person to do interviews because I tend to go very much on gut instinct. I knew that these two people were good and I felt really strongly about taking a gamble on them. Both have been brilliant. I have since laughed woth them about quite how bad their interviews were.

Apply for something you think you can do and explain in your covering letter your limitations. If you had the skills it wouldn’t put me off

I've also gone against a panel decision to hire someone who bombed in an interview.

The point being, interviewers can and will look past bad interviews. Especially if there are actual reasons for the interview going so badly, and if the interviewer is told about those in advance/as soon as possible.

Start your own business

Volunteering might give you a chance.

If you could cultivate the right contacts you might be offered a job without having to interview. My DH has had many different jobs and I don't think he has done an interview in his life. He is too unconfident to apply for jobs; they have always just been offered to him by some acquaintance or other who needs someone and thinks DH would be good at it.

It isn't ideal because they haven't always been jobs he liked, or at attractive rates of pay, but he has never been short of work.

Whenever he wants a change, he tells all his friends and relatives and so they are ready to recommend him to anyone who needs somebody.

I rarely have to interview but have quite extensive experience and therefore a network to draw upon, so I come recommended. It’s really hard to help you if you won’t tell us what you do!

Is your CV on Linkedin ?

Do you have anyone that is currently employed where their employer has a "refer a friend scheme" ?

@feistyoneyouare - I'm just fed up with seeing people suggest proofreading as an easy thing anyone can do from home if they want a bit of extra money!!

[quote tenlittlecygnets]@feistyoneyouare - I'm just fed up with seeing people suggest proofreading as an easy thing anyone can do from home if they want a bit of extra money!! [/quote]
I know what you mean - I see a fair bit of that too!

Spread betting. Do people still do that?

When you studied for your Phd what were your plans after? did you have a career path in mind?