apply for new job in same organisation where I was previously under Performance Management?

[FriendsWithBeaks]

Hello. NC for this.

Back in 2021 during the final lockdown I had a breakdown which led to Performance Management in my then job. It was caused by two things:

1. isolation of WFH/lockdown: living alone, being single, family of origin being dead, no pets even (LOL)
2. Poor jobfit: despite having used extensive quantitative data analysis during my PhD, it's not really where my talents lie. In my then job, I'd been asked to lead a new project using SQL (they offered only informal, ad-hoc training from the tech guy). I could only really use SQL slowly and anxiously (LOL). For the demands of the work they needed me to use it quickly and happily. Hence Performance Management.

I ended up delivering the project (albeit after some extensions) and then resigning. My Director at the job had said that she thought the whole fiasco was simply down to poor jobfit.

Since then I've done a zero-hours job plus some freelancing in areas which play to my strengths more. The whole terrible experience (including suicidal thoughts, etc.) led me to conclude that my abilities are not best used in a data job, and that I should be working in a job involving people, communication, administration, etc. I have some experience of these areas from the years prior to my PhD. So there are some transferable skills.

I am willing to go into a more people/comms/admin role at entry level to show humility and to give myself a thorough grounding in a new area. Today I've seen some relevant roles advertised online... but they are mostly at the large organisation where I was on Performance Management for the data job.

Am I right in thinking that applying to this same organisation for a completely different type of job would eventually lead to HR disclosing that I was on Performance Management in the data job? And am I right in thinking it would put the new people off me?

I will add that my actual line manager from the data job has since I resigned given me a good enough reference for me to get some recent freelancing work.

Other organisations are of course available, so maybe I should rule out this one.

Is there a reason you feel you should only consider entry level jobs, despite being qualified to PhD level?

Good question @GiltEdges . I tend towards anxiety. I might be ND. I would feel more secure starting something from the bottom.
(I have had a reasonably varied working life, however, and I do have a lot of transferable skills.)