Lately I've been trying to find myself a little part-time job to make a little money and occupy my time while Russ is away. My only choices are retail and food service which is extremely unexciting and daunting. So, when I got a call on Monday from a grocery store/department store (like a Walmart competitor) about a bakery clerk job I applied for, I was ecstatic. After going to the interview today I learned that the bakery clerk position I had wanted had been filled already. So, they saw my extensive cashier experience and pounced. I passed the first interview and have a second one for a part-time cashier position tomorrow.
I really, really don't want to get back into cashiering. I absolutely hated working at Walmart and the possibility of having that experience again makes me have painful flashbacks like some sort of war veteran.
What struck me today, and what is the subject of this post, is how eager the hiring manager was to stress the fact that they wanted outgoing, friendly, smiley people to work their registers. In essence, introverts need not apply.
Outgoing and smiley are two things I am definitely not.
It seems to me that introversion is something that's extremely undervalued in our culture. The introspection, quiet, and thoughtfulness that goes with being an introvert is thrown aside in favor of outgoing, lively, and sociable.
Now, I understand that from a business aspect you'd require employees who are engaging and lively. But, there's nothing wrong with my way of relating to people too. I just find small talk extremely pointless and I'm not going to stand around smiling for no reason. I am polite, straightforward, and friendly. That's my way of relating to the world and the people in it and I fail to see how that's the [wrong] way, even though it is in the eyes of society.
Being an introvert in a society where only extraversion is accepted can be tough.
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