Does anyone have any tips on how to do well in a job so that your ADHD symptoms don't get in the way of making a good impression. I'm sure inattention and terrible memory get in my way. I also think I tend to misinterpret things a lot (like instructions) and communicate things wrongly. Does anyone else have experiences like this - ADHD getting them into trouble on the job, that is? Is there anyone who knows some tricks to resolving this problem?

Hi Gibran...welcome aboard the forums too!

First on instructions, always have pen and paper handy to take notes when instructions are given, and then ask clarifying questions, so that you and the "instructor" both know you understand. A good employer should appreciate the time you take to do that. Many just jump right in and do things incorrectly, so you are actually saving yourself and your employer time by doing your best to get as much information as you can before you start a project.

Also, when you are faced with a situation that "gets you," do your best to calm down first, think it through, and have a solution handy when you present an issue. Time in cases like these is almost always in your favor. ;-)

Also, none of us are perfect, but the more effort we put into correcting any mistakes and letting our employers know what steps we are taking, are generally well-accepted and appreciated.

Voice recorder to record your thoughts or if your boss, etc ok's it, record instructions.

sit down after getting instructions, write them out, read and then make a list of questions and things you don't understand or need more info about and then-only then go back to the person and present you questions logically and clearly-not as if you are dumb or ADD, but as any person who needs clarification and information. After all, many people give very poor instructions....so......is it your fault or theirs? Or better yet, no one is at fault, it is part of the communication process!!!

Hope this helps....just don't blame yourself-empower yourself and go for it!

Does anyone have any tips on how to do well in a job so that your ADHD symptoms don't get in the way of making a good impression. I'm sure inattention and terrible memory get in my way. I also think I tend to misinterpret things a lot (like instructions) and communicate things wrongly. Does anyone else have experiences like this - ADHD getting them into trouble on the job, that is? Is there anyone who knows some tricks to resolving this problem?
My friend,

I hope you have a group that is as diverse as the one that I have been a part of for many years.

Sure, we all have areas that need improvement but in the meantime, find ways to give RESULTS!

You see things in a different manner than most and don't be afraid to voice your opinion after you have made sure that it is fitting and you don't appear as one that thinks above the others. (Let your actions and results speak for themselves).

Humility and a spirit of service to others speaks loudly even though you tread lightly.

Never exalt yourself and be nothing more than a servant.

Jesus washed his desciples feet!

s

SHUT UP! (I'm not kidding!)

To put it more delicately, do not be chatty, get into other people's business, flirt at work, go to bars with employees, go to employees houses.

We are highly intelligent and a likeable breed. Make your work about your work. Keep your friends, personal thoughts, and personal life seperate. Don't blog or go on sites not work related. Never write down anything negative about a cohort or the company.

Don't make suggestions about how the company should be run and you will be fine!

Finally, always negotiate the highest pay level possible before you start and get it in writing. Once you are in the machine, your starting pay has been decided!

good luck, my friend!

The challenges an ADHD person faces are dependant on the personality of the company they work in, and this is dependant on the personalities of a few significant individuals within the company, both currently and in the comapny's history.

Thus it is very difficult to give any tips beyond Gonefishin's pertinent SHUT UP. There are very few organisations that I have worked in where I would not have done better by taking such advice.

About writing down instructions......email is good for this..take down the instructions, go back to your desk, sit down and write an email that confirms your understanding of what came out of the "meeting" and what you will be doing..... a rough project plan so to speak.

This is a useful device as it ensures that there is written evidence of at least one sides interpretation of what was said and allows the other to challenge it if there has been a misunderstanding.

However this has pitfalls.......................not all managers like their instructions being recorded, or even worse...being asked to confirm the record. There are some, and I've worked for two, who rely on never having a written record of events so they can push blame onto others for their own failures.

In my limited experience, managers of this type are actually highly insecure people and can get quite aggressive if they feel that their own obfuscation and lack of clarity is being shown up by a subordinate. Mainly because the subordinate will have "evidence" of the managers failings and possibly "bullying" behaviours.

Most managers in large corporations expect their subordinates to SHUT UP and just DO STUFF.....after all that's what their boss has told them to do. Middle managers in large corporations are just pipes down which vague, echoing and confusing directives flow. Do not expect them to be rational.

This is where Gonefishin's advice is very cogent.....Shut up, don't get involved, you're not actually there to make the company more efficient despite what is constantly said, you're there to make money to feed yourself and your family, anything else is a bonus.

So...as Gonefishin says......go for the highest starting salary you can......at the beginning respect is not gained by doing a good job, but by how much you're being paid.

I would add the following to Gonefishin's wonderfully general comment

SAVE.......put a chunk of your salary in the bank every month, you're going to need it...because ADHD people have a toughtime staying in one job.

kilt

SHUT UP!
:LOL:

Oh, I'm as quiet as they get around the job. I'm mostly the inattentive type, not the hyperactive type. I'm too self-conscious and self-doubting to be so boastful and impulsive on the job. I'm sure my problem has to do with remembering and interpreting instructions (but in the end, I never know). Bosses in the past have refered to this as an "attitude problem" which couldn't be farther from the truth. I think they think I just don't care about my job. I bend over backwards trying to perform well on the job, worrying myself sick that I'm going to do the wrong thing or screw up on something. I don't know how that can be an attitude problem.

Anyway, thanks to everyone for all the advice. Keep it coming.

This is all good advice. I would add, come up with a system of organization that is effective and stone-ax simple.

I've found that when I train everyone to send their instructions or tasks or anything with a deadline to me in email it works best.

For example, in meetings it is a best practice for someone to take minutes, especially noting action items, then email those minutes to everyone who was in the meeting. The note taker can be anyone, not necessarily you.

When you get in the habit of getting your tasks in email...it takes a big load off and makes organizing and prioritizing simpler. Of course, if you work in a job that doesn't use email...the best advice I can offer it NEVER volunteer for anything. Then you have less to worry about. (I'm not kidding--it's all too easy to always say yes when someone asks for something.)

I want to share something with you: The three little sentences that will get you through life. Number 1: Cover for me. Number 2: Oh, good idea, Boss! Number 3: It was like that when I got here.




HAPPY FRIDAY!

what kind of work do you do? Advice does not apply to all job situations. Sometimes the reverse is true.

Personally, I value honesty more than anything in my employees. Honesty as in "yo boss, I'm getting really bored at work, can you get me something more interesting to do?"