Personality doesnt fit my job.

Post Reply New Topic

I work at Chipotle.. and the first job at chipotle is working the tortilla press, which means greeting strangers and asking how they are.. what they want.. etc..

My bosses keep telling me I need to increase my "energy level" with positive, bright, smiling greetings to people. What I'm confused about, is that I thought I WAS doing that..

During my review one on one with my boss I told her that I try my best but I don't think tortilla press position would be the best for me. I told her I think I have aspergers.. and she said there are certain personalities that just don't work out at chipotle and that they might fire me if I don't improve.

Im so nervous when I'm working the tortilla press because I'm so awkward around random people I don't know... but I do my best and smile and ask them how they are and what I can get for them.. I think it all has to do with the tone of voice I have when I ask people these questions.

The problem is, I don't know what to do to fix my tone of voice! It just comes out.. because I'm not very good at control over that.. so how do I improve? should I just forget about this job or try to fix my "defective" personality?..

Are you at all good at being a chameleon and playing a role? If so, maybe you can develop a "character" to be and/or to play while you are there at that tortilla press ... acting like someone who somehow gets great pleasure from "talking Tortilla" with anyone and everyone coming through the door into that place. If you have ever been to a theme park, think of the "Guides" you might have seen there in their various attires and reciting scripts while appearing to interact with people (but without ever really looking into their eyes).

Overall, it would be best for us if employers could/would hire people only for specific jobs or positions where each employee is best-suited, but that is just not going to happen where there are high turnover rates. My wife recently got a new job where most of her hours are spent doing what she does best, but she does not get a lot of hours because it is still a struggle for her while she is at the front counter taking orders and punching keys and filling trays and sacks. So, the best we can do is the best we can do, and we, where possible, must be the ones who adapt.

The same thing happened to me once, in a customer service position. I really empathize with your situation. I know it's too late now, but if you're going to disclose AS, it's best to do it before you run into problems. Because as it happened, your boss probably thinks you're just making up some excuse. I'm going to guess she doesn't have a clue what AS is or how it effects people, because most people don't. I agree with Leejosepho that coming up with a script or playing a character might be helpful, but I know that a lot of us have difficulties with being really aware of our mannerisms. Playing a character can also become extremely draining over time, so you also need to be aware of your stress levels.

There's always the possibility that you're doing a decent job, but the boss has chosen to pick on you because she can tell you're different. It's happened to me, and to other people. My best advice is to start looking for another job. I know this type of boss, and they don't tend to let up or give you any help to meet your goals. I've had jobs in retail (seems like a similar level to Chipotle) where people didn't seem to care as much about enthusiasm, unless you're a greeter. You could also have the opportunity to do stocking, or something else that didn't involve working with the public.

Your personality is not defective.

GraphicHayley wrote: My bosses keep telling me I need to increase my "energy level" with positive, bright, smiling greetings to people. What I'm confused about, is that I thought I WAS doing that..


I have a boss like that too. Worked at my current job for several years now. Just lately, he's made suggestions that I need to adjust my personality to be more perky. I despise my position in customer service, worse than dealing with whining unhappy customers is working for a tyrant. So if he doesn't like my personality why did he hire me in the first place? Makes no sense to me. Some of us are not cut out to be happy perky people. Some are...if that's what they are looking for, that's what they should state right up front. Are there other jobs available in your area that you could apply to that would be more suitable?

I wish you luck!