Never have enough to do - selling point in interview?

August 2, 2016 12:42 PM

I have been working in offices for about ten years now and have yet to have a single job in which I did not have copious amounts of free time. Seems like no matter how many tasks get dumped off on me when other people leave the company, I still work so fast and efficiently that I'm sitting around bored for 3/4 of the day. I have an interview tomorrow. If I mention this, would it be a selling point or a red flag?

I have inattentive ADHD, a very fast brain, and I am a very fast typist, and I have never had a non-fast-food job in which I was not screamingly bored all day. I'm currently in HR, but in the more administrative non-employee-facing parts. My current duties are benefits administration - I had to describe my normal day to someone today, and it was "well, I have a report I run every morning that takes me 15-20 minutes to get through on average, and I have a bunch of monthly tasks that I just kind of do whenever they're due, most of which take about 30 minutes or so, aaaaand I have a lot of free time." I don't even have calls filling up my day. It's a lot of browsing the internet and hoping nobody notices how much time I spend doing so. I've asked for more work, I am ALWAYS asking for more work, and there never is anything to give me (and if it's an issue with my work output, nobody has ever told me so). I'm not saying I need to have every minute of the day filled up, but at least 70% of it being filled would be awfully nice.

The two best jobs I've ever had were a data entry job where we could go home when the work ran out (bad for my paycheck, but GREAT for avoiding boredom at work), and a corporate payroll job at a big company where not only were there clear deadlines to meet every couple of hours during the day, but chunks of my job were dependent on "waiting for the report to run." Being bored while waiting for a report to get done is a lot different than being bored because I have nothing to do.

I have an interview tomorrow for an external position that on its face seems like it would fill up my day better - more organization and analysis, and probably lots more meetings and calls. I've also applied for an internal position but I'm not confident that one would be much better than the current one in terms of workload (also, if I'm reading the org chart right, I don't like the guy who would be my supervisor much, so that may not be going anywhere regardless).

I've been generally using "I have never, EVER, had enough work to fill up my day on anything resembling a consistent basis, even during the time period when I was doing three different people's jobs" as a selling point - throw whatever you've got at me, I accept the challenge! But is it going to come off as a red flag, that maybe I have all this free time because I'm half-assing it and being lazy? (I'm NOT, and my resume is chock-full of accomplishments, but would they assume that?)

posted by agress to Work & Money (17 answers total)

Best answer: I would hear it as a red flag. It may not be fair, but I would worry that you're the sort of person who just sits there and waits to be assigned work, instead of identifying opportunities. (The former sort of person makes more work for me, the project manager; the latter sort of person makes my life easier, so long as they don't go off the rails before getting my approval)

A much better spin would be, "I'm looking for a more challenging position."
posted by chocotaco at 12:45 PM on August 2, 2016 [40 favorites]

I would hear it as a red flag. It might not be fair, but I would think you were probably working too fast and doing a bad job.
posted by FencingGal at 12:51 PM on August 2, 2016 [5 favorites]

Best answer: Yeah, I wouldn't phrase it like you've phrased it. As chocotaco mentions, it could be read as "I wait for people to hand me work instead of looking for opportunities." It could also be read as "I do work much faster than others and it's often sloppy."

"Looking for a more challenging position" is a better spin. You could add that you like to be busy.
posted by craven_morhead at 12:52 PM on August 2, 2016 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Maybe not "I never have enough to do," but rather, "I have done everything that's been thrown at me, and I've never had to work in a rushed or pressured manner." If you also stay calm and avoid making others around you anxious, that's nice too.
posted by amtho at 12:53 PM on August 2, 2016 [6 favorites]

I have never, EVER, had enough work to fill up my day on anything resembling a consistent basis, even during the time period when I was doing three different people's jobs" as a selling point - throw whatever you've got at me, I accept the challenge!

This is NOT a selling point. There's no reason to point out how you zip through your work day. You not only diss your fellow workers by saying this, you also come off as teacher's pet. Please, don't suck up quite to this degree so early!
posted by BostonTerrier at 1:03 PM on August 2, 2016 [2 favorites]

I would highlight how well you do in fast paced jobs with multiple deadlines because that's the part I read as a net-positive for your employer. Also describe that at times when workload was low you've shown initiative and taken on extra work.
posted by Omnomnom at 1:08 PM on August 2, 2016 [3 favorites]

I'd wonder why you are still working at this level if you have so clearly mastered all of its nuances. At my company, if you were that good at getting your job done, you'd be on a track to being a supervisor or something. The fact that you're not, well, it makes me wonder if you do good work, or just fast work.
posted by cabingirl at 1:09 PM on August 2, 2016 [20 favorites]

As phrased, a red flag. You had all this extra time and didn't use it to improve systems in the office, to start something new, to do some even-informal professional training? Why not? If that position was so far below your level, why didn't you move up the ladder? The bosses must have had a good reason. (This is a really harsh interpretation but job searches sometimes have to be brutal.) Describe a time that you were able to work quickly and well with a time constraint, but don't talk about how you then had 6 hours to check Facebook while everyone around you had their hair on fire.
posted by tchemgrrl at 1:12 PM on August 2, 2016 [8 favorites]

I wouldn't phrase it as "I don't have enough to do," but I think you could spin it as "I don't feel that my skills and talents are being fully utilized in my current position" in response to the inevitable "why do you want to leave your current position" question.
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 1:13 PM on August 2, 2016

I would not put the image in an employer's head of you twiddling your thumbs or surfing the internet mindlessly at work. Even if it's because you're all done with your tasks and no one is giving you more to do. The image will stick, the reason won't. Spin things in a different way: you've consistently excelled at tackling tasks in a time-efficient manner, and you've actively sought out more work and responsibility. These are good things.
posted by naju at 1:18 PM on August 2, 2016

Former manager here. Nthing what others have said. You enjoy fast-paced jobs with multiple deadlines that require juggling different types of tasks--which you do with ease because that's the kind of employee you are: hardworking, flexible, productive.

Step away from the B-word and claim a new job. Good luck!
posted by Bella Donna at 1:23 PM on August 2, 2016 [7 favorites]

Maybe try more positive statements like:

"I tend to work very efficiently."

"I am very goal-oriented and results-oriented."

"I am seeking work that takes full advantage of my skills."

"I hope to find work that challenges me."

Also, when you were so bored, did you do anything that benefited the company on your own initiative? Even if it seemed like a small project, that is a good thing to talk about.
posted by Cranialtorque at 1:46 PM on August 2, 2016 [1 favorite]

Oh God I feel you so much. I am exactly the same - work very fast, get bored quickly, spend the rest of the working day in existential dread. You know things are all wrong when the fact that you are super efficient, do extra work, learn quickly and so on are actually seen as reasons somehow NOT to hire you! But I've come to understand the point of view of others a bit. It can come to seem as not caring, as being slapdash (and I have personally been slapdash in the past), as somehow 'cheating' the whole point of having a working role.

There's also the thing if you have done lots of different things in your previous role (because you were, hey, free to do lots of stuff!) you're seen as a Jack of all Trades etc, which sucks. And people dislike I think having to find extra tasks too, especially if there aren't any, really.

Is the ADHD sometimes that would be fruitful for you to mention at interview? It might mean they allow you a location with fewer distractions, differently timed tasked etc. I know a nice quiet office all on my own would have made me work in a much less panicky fashion.

I would be v. vague about your efficiency personally. Mention your excellent time management, various skills and knowledge you have picked up, and so on. And if you get the new role I would advise you to do what in the past I've omitted to do, which has caused me problems down the line - take the time really to learn the job as slowly as you can so that you have a good solid background which will pay off later. Good luck with all of this. (I work from home now btw - it's awesome :))
posted by low_horrible_immoral at 2:05 PM on August 2, 2016 [1 favorite]

"I'm comfortable with a heavy workload and am good at managing my time such that all my work is completed in a timely manner."
posted by Anticipation Of A New Lover's Arrival, The at 2:59 PM on August 2, 2016 [3 favorites]

Don't mention your ADHD at a job interview, as suggested above!

As a supervisor I can't, can't stand when people fly through their tasks so they can sit around. Or worse, try to go home early. I mean if that's your shtick then that's your shtick. But why not take your time and actually think through the tasks? That's how critical thinking can happen - even with menial tasks, there's room for system improvement and no better people to gauge that than those with boots on the ground. Plus, there is always work to be done. Even if it's wiping down your desk.

I agree that it's a liability, not an attribute.
posted by pintapicasso at 3:30 PM on August 2, 2016 [2 favorites]

Right, it's a red flag. "I work efficiently, which has allowed me to finish my assigned work faster than expected, then support co-workers" would be great -- except it seems nobody takes you up on your offer to expand your role?
posted by salvia at 5:46 PM on August 2, 2016

I've noted that my colleagues who have this attitude with work are typically less effective at driving work forward - they may be time efficient at completing specific tasks, but they don't effectively take responsibility for meeting the business's goal. Or worse, they're not busy because they're not trusted enough to own any real responsibilities, so instead they're asked to complete discrete tasks that don't really matter much if they get messed up. I don't know your specific situation and it's totally possible that this is not you, but that's what I hear from your description. Sorry.
posted by samthemander at 7:25 PM on August 2, 2016 [2 favorites]