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Starting over after a long absense, Advice?

  • February 4, 2016 at 11:08 am

    #99020

    Problem: I have a great resume, but can no longer do the work at the level I once did due to medical problems from which I have recovered.

    So, I want to work, but am having difficulty. I can't do the work I once did, it will literally kill me, but I am having a hard time with recruiters and interviewers who want to know why I want to step back a level or two.

    Any advice on how I should approach this situation?

  • February 4, 2016 at 11:44 am

    #1856623

    Be honest and say you need to slow down and due to medical reasons you cannot handle the stress the previous positions held.

  • February 4, 2016 at 2:04 pm

    #1856684

    djj (2/4/2016)

    Be honest and say you need to slow down and due to medical reasons you cannot handle the stress the previous positions held.

    Not only do you need to be honest with interviewers, you also need to be honest with yourself as well. If you're unable to perform duties as you once did, would you be better off with lowering your expectations about yourself? A self-assessment and checking it against where you're applying might be in order.

    Personally, I'm discovering (or, more accurately, re-discovering) talents I have that have been dormant, and I'm discovering that they're taking me in directions that I didn't expect. And (I think) I'm all the more better for it.

    +--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
    Check out my blog at https://pianorayk.wordpress.com/

  • February 4, 2016 at 2:08 pm

    #1856686

    I agree with djj...be honest with why you can no longer perform at the level you used to. However, keep in mind this might require a lower salary or not be an option. You don't explain what the lower level is...it's not necessary to explain the medical issue or lower level to us...but if it is something like: stress is causing me heart issues, so I can no longer do oncall or stressful tasks. Well, being a Database Admin usually means being oncall at times...if you can't cover oncall, they have to find an additional person to cover that..so why not hire that person instead of you? Stressful task? How can they define that...what if you are assigned an important task and the deadline is approaching? Is that too stressful? Can you only handle routine work?

    Now I'm not saying your issue is stress....I'm just using that as an example. You need to determine what you CAN do and decide - is the position one that matches what I'm able to do or am I asking them to alter the job position so it fits my current abilities?

    Maybe you used to be a manager and no longer can handle the stress/confrontations that are part of managing people...be honest with them. Or you can always tell them that you have found you don't handle the stress of confrontations well and that being a manager isn't the right position for you (I've used that when offered supervisory/management positions in the past, because I dislike confrontations. They don't affect my health badly...I just don't handle it well.)

    Not knowing your specifics, nor what kind of positions you are interviewing, makes it hard to give good suggestions.

    -SQLBill

  • February 4, 2016 at 6:07 pm

    #1856728

    ulrichrpu (2/4/2016)

    I can't do the work I once did, it will literally kill me...

    First of all, hat's off to you for trying. Never cut yourself down because of such a thing.

    I do have to ask though. With reference to the quoted snippet above, what does that actually mean?

    --Jeff Moden

    RBAR is pronounced "ree-bar" and is a "Modenism" for Row-By-Agonizing-Row.
    First step towards the paradigm shift of writing Set Based code:
    ________Stop thinking about what you want to do to a ROW... think, instead, of what you want to do to a COLUMN.

    Change is inevitable... Change for the better is not.

    Helpful Links:
    How to post code problems
    How to Post Performance Problems
    Create a Tally Function (fnTally)

  • February 4, 2016 at 9:11 pm

    #1856739

    djj (2/4/2016)

    Be honest and say you need to slow down and due to medical reasons you cannot handle the stress the previous positions held.

    Jeff Moden (2/4/2016)

    First of all, hat's off to you for trying. Never cut yourself down because of such a thing.

    I couldn't agree more with both of these comments. Kudos for wanting to work and for trying.

    You know what your medical limitations are and, hopefully, what you're able to do and not do. It sounds like you're already being honest with yourself, so continue that honesty and be honest with the recruiters and prospective employers. You probably already know there will be salary implications with a "step down" in responsibility.

    There's no advice I can offer than you don't already know, so I'll offer a word of encouragement. Good job. Don't ever give up.

    Tally Tables - Performance Personified
    String Splitting with True Performance
    Best practices on how to ask questions

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