Q & A: Help! I'm Not a People Person!
Q:
I don't enjoy dealing with the public. I guess you could say I'm not
a "people person." After work, I can't wait to go home and
deal with as few people as possible. Is this weird? Is there any
kind of work that I can have where I don't have to deal with a lot of
people?
A: First, let me say how refreshing your question is.
When I ask my in-person clients what sets them apart, most of them happily proclaim, "I'm a people person." That, of course, does not set them apart. And, if they answer the same way to the same question in a job interview, they have instantly put themselves into the "also ran" category. That's why it's so refreshing to have someone tell me they are not a people person.
Now to the core of your question - what kind of work a "non-people person" can perform. You didn't mention what kind of experience nor training you've had, but from the tone of your question, it seems like you're just looking for anything other than what you have been doing. It's an interesting question - and one that needs to be answered from a few different angles. As such, we'll begin to answer the question today, then continue to answer this coming week.
If you're not a people person, you can find good work with minimal contact with others. Here are a two very good general ideas (we'll look at specific occupations for non-people people later today) for you to consider:
Telecommute.
There are a number of ways you can telecommute. To get a some good
advice on how to telecommute, be sure to check out The
Daily Machete's
telecommuting
series (Part
1, Part
2 and Part3).
Thanks to the Internet, most people can arrange their jobs to work
from home. Which means, of course, that you won't have to be around
people on a regular basis. You might still have to go in for
meetings, and you'd definitely have to stay in touch with the home
office during the course of your day, but telecommuting is a great
way to reduce your contact with other people.
Start
a web business.
This is neither as hard nor as easy as it sounds. It takes work and
dedication. But by running a web business, you won't have to be
around people. You'll still have to market your online business, but
most of your marketing efforts will be online. Your customers will
be online customers. It will be you, your products and your
computer. Unless, of course, you're wildly successful and need to
hire people to help you (but you may even be able to have them
work remotely, too).
IN THE CARAVAN: If you're not a people person, two great ways to find good work is by telecommuting and running an online business.
LATER TODAY: Specific Jobs for Non-People People
Check out last Friday's posts:
Q & A: How Do I Deal with Clock Milkers?
Q & A: Handling Clock Milkers: Outting Them by Contrast (Supplemental)
Sponsored
by Indeed
JobsA: First, let me say how refreshing your question is.
When I ask my in-person clients what sets them apart, most of them happily proclaim, "I'm a people person." That, of course, does not set them apart. And, if they answer the same way to the same question in a job interview, they have instantly put themselves into the "also ran" category. That's why it's so refreshing to have someone tell me they are not a people person.
Now to the core of your question - what kind of work a "non-people person" can perform. You didn't mention what kind of experience nor training you've had, but from the tone of your question, it seems like you're just looking for anything other than what you have been doing. It's an interesting question - and one that needs to be answered from a few different angles. As such, we'll begin to answer the question today, then continue to answer this coming week.
If you're not a people person, you can find good work with minimal contact with others. Here are a two very good general ideas (we'll look at specific occupations for non-people people later today) for you to consider:
Telecommute.
There are a number of ways you can telecommute. To get a some good
advice on how to telecommute, be sure to check out The
Daily Machete's
telecommuting
series (Part
1, Part
2 and Part3).
Thanks to the Internet, most people can arrange their jobs to work
from home. Which means, of course, that you won't have to be around
people on a regular basis. You might still have to go in for
meetings, and you'd definitely have to stay in touch with the home
office during the course of your day, but telecommuting is a great
way to reduce your contact with other people.
Start
a web business.
This is neither as hard nor as easy as it sounds. It takes work and
dedication. But by running a web business, you won't have to be
around people. You'll still have to market your online business, but
most of your marketing efforts will be online. Your customers will
be online customers. It will be you, your products and your
computer. Unless, of course, you're wildly successful and need to
hire people to help you (but you may even be able to have them
work remotely, too).
IN THE CARAVAN: If you're not a people person, two great ways to find good work is by telecommuting and running an online business.
LATER TODAY: Specific Jobs for Non-People People
Check out last Friday's posts:
Q & A: How Do I Deal with Clock Milkers?
Q & A: Handling Clock Milkers: Outting Them by Contrast (Supplemental)
By the way - if you have a job search or on-the-job question, feel free to email it to editor at wildjobsafari dot com
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