Loss of confidence after dismissal

[TheGreatFairyRescue]

The thread title is slightly misleading as the dismissal happened 10 years ago for me!

Basically, I was offered a new role and decided to go for it, despite a lot of people warning me about the company and how dodgy they were/ how many tribunals had been set up against them etc.

From day 1 it was awful, mainly because the job was totally not as described and turned out to be an accountancy role when I’m awful at maths and only have basic excel skills! I was never given any tuition on anything, just basically told to get on with it and then when I (inevitably) got things wrong, got bollocked!

I lasted 6 weeks before calling a meeting with my manager and was going to quit when he sacked me due to ‘poor performance’ well yes, no shit Sherlock, if you wanted an accountant then that’s what you should’ve advertised…not administrator!

Anyway, fast forward 10 years and I’ve had two jobs with two other companies that I’ve done 5 years in each and have been successful in.

I applied for a senior administrative role a few weeks ago that I know I can do 80% of. But there are a couple of bits which worry me. One being ‘financial administration’ I’m worried that this will mean I need to pretty much be an accountant again and also be an absolute advanced whizz at Excel.

I’ve got an interview for it on Friday and I’m already getting cold feet which is annoying as this could genuinely be a great opportunity for me if I’m successful.

I think I’ve just become so confident and comfortable in my current role too that I know inside out, I know I’m competent at etc that the thought of moving on to a more senior role is terrifying me. I’ve never quite recovered from being dismissed to be honest, it rocked my self esteem more than I care to admit.

Has anyone else been in this position?

Bump

Go to the interview, find out what is required, then make your decision. If necessary be frank with the employer about your actual skill level.

Haven't been in this position OP but I would have thought the job and person specs would have given some detail on what is meant by financial administration and what is required from you?

As to being able to do 80% of what is required I was reading a thread the other day about applying for jobs where you don't meet 100% of the spec. There was more than 1 PP who had experience in recruitment and interviewing who advised the OP to apply for the job regardless. There were anecdotes about people getting jobs who weren't necessarily the best candidates on paper but were felt to be the best fit personality wise.

It is hard to move on from any upsetting experience even when it wasn't your fault. However, you have proved yourself in the two jobs you have held since then and should feel confident in applying.

If you get an interview and are still unsure of the requirements by the end you can ask questions then. Good luck!

I am an accountant. Just ask the question at interview….do you need Advanced Excel skills including Pivot tables for this role? That will give a feel

Thanks all. I will ask if they don’t clarify off their own backs.

On another note, is it possible to be good at excel if you’re bad at maths? I’ve never been sent on a course or anything but could probably really do with going on one. I may look up how much it is for a beginner course at my local training centre. I can do basic tables and charts but that’s about it, once you start getting into complicated formulas etc, im completely lost. My basic skills have been fine in my last 2 roles (and the ones previous to those) just didn’t cut it in the dismissed role!

Just remember the interview is just as much for you to find out about the job and the company as it is for them to find out about you. Ask all the questions you need to, to make a decision as to whether YOU want the job, if you are offered it.

And no - you absolutely do NOT need to be a whizz at maths to use Excel. In fact, the while point of Excel is that it does the work for you. BUT - you do need to know how to use it properly. And you need to know how to ask it to do what you want.

I used to use it a lot, but only at a basic level. I found it a great help, but I am aware there are lots of things I could have done with more training. I basically taught myself and I worked with some great people who gave me tips if I asked them. I would say something like... Is there a way to get it to do this? And more often than not there was, and it was quite simple, you just have to know how to do it in the first place.

Thank you!

I think I’m just having a wobble at the thought of taking on a new challenge. My current role is pretty repetitive and easy, requires a lot of attention to detail and it’s fast-paced, but the work itself really isn’t rocket science.

However, I’m bored and know that I am capable of more (just worried maybe not all of this potential new job!) it comes with great benefits and a lot of scope for career development so I think if by some miracle I'm offered it, I should probably be brave and take it.

This is all probably going to be so moot anyway as the chance of me being offered it is slim, but I’m a worrier!