#ZeroSocialSkills #SuccessWithoutSocialSkills #SociallyAwkwardSuccess
Are you feeling like you just can’t seem to succeed due to your lack of social skills? 😬 Don’t worry, you’re not alone. Many individuals struggle with social awkwardness, but that doesn’t mean you can’t still achieve success in your professional life. In fact, there are plenty of ways to overcome your social shortcomings and thrive in your career. Let’s explore some tips and strategies for achieving success without the need for top-notch social skills.
##Understanding Success Beyond Social Skills
First, it’s important to understand that success doesn’t solely rely on charisma and networking skills. While these traits can certainly be beneficial, they are not the be-all and end-all of a successful career. Here are a few key points to consider:
– Success is often built on hard work, dedication, and expertise in your field.
– Many successful individuals have achieved their goals by focusing on their strengths and continuously improving their skills.
– In some cases, being introverted or socially awkward can actually be an advantage, as it may lead to a greater focus on individual projects and deep thinking.
##Embracing Your Unique Traits
Instead of viewing your lack of social skills as a hindrance, consider how you can embrace and leverage your unique traits. For example:
– Your attention to detail and ability to work independently can set you apart in certain roles and industries.
– Your honesty and authenticity can be appreciated by colleagues and clients, especially in a world where genuine connections are highly valued.
##Finding Your Niche
Consider pursuing a career path that aligns with your strengths and interests. This can help you thrive in a role that doesn’t necessarily demand strong social skills. For example:
– Technical fields, such as coding or data analysis, may value precision and problem-solving over social prowess.
– Creative industries, like writing or graphic design, can allow your work to speak for itself, minimizing the need for extensive social interaction.
##Improving Your Communication Skills
While you may never become a social butterfly, there are steps you can take to improve your communication skills in a professional setting:
– Practice active listening during meetings and conversations to show respect and understanding.
– Hone your written communication skills through clear and concise emails, reports, and documents.
– Consider seeking out professional development opportunities to enhance your presentation and public speaking abilities.
##Seeking Support
Don’t be afraid to seek support and guidance as you navigate your professional journey:
– Look for mentors who can provide valuable advice and insight.
– Consider working with a career coach who can help you develop strategies for success based on your unique traits and abilities.
– Join professional organizations and groups where you can connect with like-minded individuals and gain support in your career endeavors.
##Focusing on Personal Growth
Ultimately, achieving success without strong social skills requires a focus on personal growth and continuous improvement. Here are some strategies to consider:
– Set goals for yourself and work towards them with determination and perseverance.
– Stay informed about industry trends and developments to remain competitive in your field.
– Continuously seek feedback and learn from your experiences to refine your approach and skills.
In conclusion, while social skills can be valuable in a professional setting, they are not the sole determinants of success. By embracing your unique traits, finding the right career path, improving your communication skills, seeking support, and focusing on personal growth, you can overcome your social shortcomings and achieve success on your own terms. Remember, success is not limited to those who excel in networking and charisma—there are plenty of opportunities for individuals with different strengths and abilities to thrive in the professional world. So, don’t feel doomed by your social awkwardness—embrace it and pave your own path to success. Good luck! 🌟
Join toastmasters
How did you pass interviews with no social skills? 😭 I struggle a lot with interviews for this reason
Places where this can work: academia, specialist roles in large companies, specialist consultancies.
Academia can work as academics are expected to be self-propelled and are often left to succeed technically by their own merit. I’ve known a few moderately successful eccentric academics.
In large companies, unusual people can be accommodated in specialist roles with a narrow remit, and given either assistant or admin support.
In specialist consultancies (doing some niche but in demand thing) you only have to have people around you that you can cope with, and even then a lot of it is hands-off. I know of one guy who is a master of a very specific interface to a commonly used platform, and sells his own software to interact with it. It’s very specific and he only interacts with customers to fix his library, and otherwise just gets paid for the product’s usefulness.
Alternatively, try to fix the socialisation issue. Be aware that most technical people’s socialisation is a thin veneer – they aren’t actually great at it, they’ve just learnt how not to insult people in the course of normal conversation.
Management generally means more people stuff, so large companies with narrower remits and more scope to advance on the technical side without becoming a manager are often a safer bet.
It’s time for an honest assessment: do you just need practice (are these skills that can be learned)? Or, do you think that you are on the spectrum?
Even if you are on the spectrum, you can still learn social skills. But, you’ll just need additional help.
Think of it as a skill, and like all other skills, it can be improved with training and practice.
The Dale Carnegie “how to win friends and influence people” is a classic book to read, but you can start by socializing/practicing your pitch (or interview) with friends/colleagues/trusted individuals, and work your way up from there.
What can also help is for you to know your material (whether it’s your CV, domain or whatever you are talking about) down cold; being a master at what you do will give confidence.
Just let go…start small..force yourself each time to make minimal 1-2 sentence conversation when u buy you coffee each day. With the cashier and with the barista. Do it to everyone where ever u go. Throw compliments out thier 10x’s a day..you’ll make other persons day despite fact u r trying to help yourself…doing this progressively eventually numbs to to the anxiety or awkwardness and one day it’ll hit u, I just don’t care what they think, I have nothing to fear, Nothing wrong with u, you are designed for survival and you have a hieghtening sense of anxiety from socializing and this is problem by design. Imagine all humans congested and one virus wiped out race…that would happen with the people like u snd the species remains
Yes and like others say work ur way to toastmasters without expectation of being a great speaker but instead being comfortable and networking.
I felt the same about myself. You only really need to present yourself well in your interview, because once you land the job you have plenty of time to open up to you coworkers. I forced myself to take as many interviews as possible when leaving university. I was even applying for jobs that I was over qualified for and did not want just so I could get the interview practice. If I happened to land an offer, it was great to have as a back up, but most of them I turned down. The main point of doing this was to build my confidence and really iron out the best talking points to sell myself. By the time I started interviewing for roles I actually wanted I felt like I knew exactly how each interview was going to go and exactly what the interviewers wanted me to say.
Without a doubt your first few interviews will be rough, but those are the ones you are going to learn the most from. You may stumble and feel awkward, but you have to push through and take more interviews. Eventually the interviews become easier and easier with practice, and you will end up being excited to crush your next interview.
You might be on the autism spectrum, if you’re unable to work with basic social cues. Might want to get yourself tested by doctor..there are opportunities available specifically with people with this condition.
e.g. https://www.verywellhealth.com/top-autism-friendly-employers-4159784
talk to me. lets practice 😉
Study computer programming
Develop some social skills. You will hit a wall when trying to climb a ladder at any company regardless of the profession because of social skills. Toastmasters would be a good start since many people who join are there for the same reason, so it will a supportive and relatable environment. Also, don’t be afraid to change the club if it’s not working for you.
It is a slow journey but worth it when you see results. You will notice that you’re initiating more conversation with strangers and walk into rooms full of strangers without a knot in your stomach. I know that feeling and the only way to get rid of it is to speak openly and freely, which only comes with practice. I still struggle sometimes remember not to be too hard on myself.
If you think it’s anxiety underlying the issue, perhaps consider CBT. Only consider PRN GABA-ergics like Ashwagandha or benzodiazepines if it’s really bad, but of course speak with a doctor about that.
I used to have extreme social anxiety. I used to have to plan conversations with people in my school the day before, and if it didn’t go exactly to plan, I couldn’t speak.
Don’t take my advice as a guarantee, but what worked for me was door-to-door selling and fundraising for charity. Jesus man I’ve never been less scared of people now, as I don’t think anything can startle me as much as going up to a cranky, old homeowner. Some people near chased me out of the garden.
Ironically, I made a lot of friends after this, and became great at telling stories. It’s a learned skill for some (from the sounds of it, you’ll need to learn it). I actually did a good bit of sales work too.
Again, everyone is different and my social success could be complete luck. On the topic of luck, I wish you good luck. I remember how hard it is with social anxiety.
Edit: Just to clarify by no means am I saying go into Sales, but if you have the opportunity to do something like d2d selling, do it to build yourself (not as a career).
Get into trading Futures
Accounting or actuary is for you. Get a crap load of education.
You need people to help with your resume and interview skills. You have an inability to empathize with others so you need to be instructed on their perspective.
EQ can be increased over time with experience. Leverage your education and experience to compensate for your weaknesses. The better you are, the more weirdness people are willing to put up. Also have a great worth ethic.
door to door sales for one year and you’ll be where u want to be
You can either be a quant or should develop your social skills.
Just like any other skill it is something that you can develop. Also improving your social skills will have benefits outside your career.
This might be really bad advice and I don’t guarantee it will work, but I have quite bad social anxiety but get around it by pretending I’m acting. I imagine what a charismatic, charming person would do in a situation and then try and imitate it. Then try and play that character at every opportunity possible – small talk with cashiers, waiters, barbers, basically anyone I’m not already familiar with. If the conversations are janky and a bit weird at first, it doesn’t matter, you’ll probably never see them again. Now I’m very good at carrying a conversation and often am the one to break awkward silences should they occur, even if I still feel anxious when doing so.
However, the source of my problem was introversion and social anxiety rather than autism, so I can’t speak for more serious inhibitors of social interaction.
Be a software engineer. They’re total weirdo neckbeards a lot of the time.
“Networking” skills are little like dating skills. You think you know how it should be like so you try to self teach but it never works. Work on public speaking, toastmasters OR take an acting class. Your job isn’t learning how to network, it’s learning the confidence needed to speak to strangers. Charisma comes naturally to certain people and not others.
Practice practice practice
Risk and technical jobs are less dependent on social skill. Also realize that social skills are just that, they are communication skills. I know people who are legitimately highfunctioning autistic that have managed to have decent careers and become senior managers at their work. Its learning how to present your self, communicate effectively and listening to opinions.
Academia is also a world thats full of these types, but people have this idea that they sit in a room by themselves. Majority of them have to know how to present information to students and present papers to their peers in a conference.
Go into accounting
Go into accounting
I’m sadly facing this now. I’m in my current finance job a few years and feel like it’s hurting me. I don’t have the right connections or champions. To top it off, this year’s compensation discussion was a joke. I feel so low right now.
I got a job at a jewelry store Saturdays and Sundays doing sales while I worked full time. I made extra cash and was forced to be friendly and have many uncomfortable small talk conversations. Now it comes very easy to me. Before that I was too socially anxious to even ask a coworker a work related question. The work on weekends was also very easy I couldn’t even consider it work. I was always around Rolex watches, all sorts of diamonds and gemstones. I had many customers who would tip me with cigars.
What if my social skills are ok but I just hate dealing with people?
Just be respectful of others, work hard, and be an easy person to work with. If you do those things you won’t have trouble fitting into the corporate world. It is important to network, but everyone in business understands this and most of your seniors will be more than willing to help you out. You probably won’t advance as fast as others who are better at networking, but you will do just fine for yourself and that is more than enough.
Data analytics or back office roles, in financial services, the CFA goes a LONG way
Take jordan peterson’s personality test, that could better help you understand yourself and how to interact with people
Meeting with your Dr to discuss your anxiety+ would be a great step. Tackling my ADHD was the first step towards facing my crazypants fear of public speaking (like, I’m talking even on zoom I was petrified). A lot of my fears were based on my tendency to get really distracted and forget what I was talking about. Have you ever heard of Discalculia? It’s been such a huge embarrassment my whole life, but it turns out that unlike what my 4th grade math teacher said, I DO carry around a calculator all the time! Find your own hacks and you’ll be fine. You already recognize that there’s an obstacle in front of you and you’re taking steps. That’s a pretty big deal.