hey there! i’m 19 and have been unemployed for the past week or so. the reason for my unemployment has to do with a really crappy process at my old work, and i just could not stay there any longer. so i left and decided to pursue other places. i was a team lead, w over 1 1/2 years of leadership experience. i worked hard to get there and i dont really see myself stepping down for a team member position. i love building and coaching teams, and i like being a resource for other people who may need my help. for this past week ive been looking for team lead or supervisor positions.
well my dad had told his friend about my situation (i dont really care if he tells anybody as long as they dont think im a bum), and he told me that his friends son is a exec for a fast food restaurant. his friend knows the manager at some locations and would see if he can do a favor for me and get me an interview as a team member.
for background, i applied to this place before solely bc my dad had asked me to. ive told him multiple times that i dont express interest in this place, because its heavily focused on you starting as a team member and working your way up. considering i already have leadership experience i didnt see it as an option for me. plus ive had multiple friends that have worked there and would not recommend it. so i told him no, i dont want to work there but i appreciated his offer. his respones was "well then forget it".
i received a call yesterday from an unknown number. thinking its a potential employer i answer quickly. its my dads friend, and he said my dad asked him to get me an interview and now the store manager of the location wanted to get in contact with me. i kind of froze then said thank you i appreciate it, and we exchanged goodbyes and hung up. my dad calls me and says that id better be prepared, and should head over to the store tomorrow and introduce myself first and make a great first impression.
i dont know what to do. i feel like im trapped in this interview now because my dads friend went out of his way to support me. so wibta if i declined and pursued other places?
NTA but your view may be too rigid at 19 lead work helps yet titles do not always
You’re 19. You will have a few more workplace start overs – best get ready for starting at the bottom again. That having been said, if you don’t want to work there don’t, it’s your life, but if you have no other opportunities in the pipeline then why not get this job and carry on applying for other jobs?
It’ll bump up your cv, as well as keeping the money coming in.
Eh… No matter where you go to work, you’re going to be the FNG (freaking new guy). You may know how to lead a team at your previous place of employment, but you still would need to learn how things are done at any other place you go. So expecting to be made a lead off the street at your age is unrealistic.
I am retiring soon, so I’m at the opposite end of my employment life, but learning how to interview well is something more people would do well to learn. The best way to do that is by doing interviews. Taking this one will cost you nothing but some time, and will give you more interviewing experience.
Lastly, the connections you make in your life are very important–many people find jobs through people they know. Spending an hour to develop this relationship may pay off down the road.
NAH, but you are a little naive about how work works.
Nta but Depends on how much you need money, it never hurts to interview. It also doesn’t hurt to take a paying job while you look for a better position. Your dad is trying to help even if it isn’t the help you want. Also, idk what you are planning for a career but look at the trades not food service imho. (Hvac guys are making 100k+ in just a fee years on the job)
Try it out. You are 19… why would you be a bum?
If it sucks, search something else.
NAH. I get not wanting to start at the bottom again, but sometimes it’s your only option. I used to be a team leader at a job I loved, now I’m pretty much at the lowest rung at my new company. Just do the interview to appease your dad and get more interviewing experience. You can always decline if they offer you a job.
NTA
But go for the interview experience. Express how you would like to take on a leadership role similar to the last job you did. Emphasize your strengths and how they work with a leadership role. If nothing else it will allow you to hone your interview skills and give you some more interview experience. You can always decline the job offer if you get it.
Next time, if there is one, look for a new job while you are STILL employed. It’s easier to be picky while you have a job. As someone else on here said, you’re only 19, expect to start over at the bottom more than once. You may have some management experience,but not everyone will look at you and automatically hire you for that. Prepare to accept being a team member, then work harder than everyone else, thus proving your worth.
ESH
Your dad shouldn’t have signed you up for this without your permission, and you because i don’t really see how you expect to have a high position when you’re just starting the job. How things worked at your old place can be totally different from your new place. Plus there’s probably lots of people there with more leadership experience than you. Especially since you’re only 19. What you have now is great, and It’s good to know your worth, but also be reasonable and realistic.
NTA.
Make sure to give the manager a firm handshake. /s
You could always show up for the interview, and he all, “It was l want really for me.”.
At least your dad might react to that a little better than not showing up at all.
You will have to start in a non leadership position about anywhere you want a job from, despite having experience. So learning to not be as picky may come in handy. Especially as a job is money while you’re looking for a better one.
NTA for not accepting an interview you didn’t want, but YTA for assuming that you deserve to go in to a new role at 19 at leadership level. Your qualification of 1.5 years in leadership is minimal, and also quite likely not transferable. Eg, leadership position for a year at McDonalds would not be comparable to leadership in say a high vol call centre or a bank.
yta 19 yrs old at home with dad. until you leave the nest, your still under your dads wing. use your spare time to look for the job you want. when you’ve grown up and are out of dads home you can seek with commitment any path you choose. be well
NTA, but I’ve done a lot of recruiting and I’d show you the door if you came at me like that. Nothing personal, just bad attitude.
If you need the job, take it, tell them you have experience as a team leader and ask if you excelled at the lower role, is their provision in the system to perhaps move up? Then promise them that for the time being though, all your attention will be on filling the role you have, if they are open to offering it.
You are 19, trust me, 1 1/2 year experience in a role isn’t the flex you think it is. If you are driven and talented (nd diplomatic – important) , you’ll get back up to the level you want.