Hi Crystal,

I’m so sorry you are having a hard time finding a job and reaching that independence you need, on top of the emotional abuse you had experienced or are currently experiencing at home. I can see why you had broken down in your first interview. All of that sounds like a lot to be carrying around. I hope you can access a safe space and any resources you need to take care of yourself in the time being.

I hope you don’t mind me sharing some advice/thoughts, which you can ignore or otherwise. I won’t mind at all. I read you said you were more venting than anything but in case any of this helps.

I believe if you held a position where you had responsibilities in the past, even if it’s volunteer work or an unpaid internship, you can still transfer some skills into other seemingly different industries. Basic customer service skills are a willingness to learn, patience, attentiveness, knowledge of product, conflict resolution, and positivity/outgoingness. And the ability to act. It can be relatively easy to pick up. I think it’s just the closing deals and up-selling that one learns with experience. And schedule lots of self-care to make sure you don’t become cynical of humans and life.

It might be helpful to make a list of all your past positions, internship or volunteer, and then list out the different skills you’ve learned and responsibilities you’ve had for each one so you can be fully aware of your abilities, strengths and weaknesses. And check out this .

And, this is probably obvious, my apologies if you already know. If the job posting states previous experience as a requirement, you may be able to get away with communicating how you’ve practiced those skills in your cover letter. Personally, I usually avoid postings that say “x years of experience required” and go with ones that say, “experience is an asset, willing to train the right person”. That say though, it definitely won’t hurt to apply to the former ones. The “Fake it ’till you make it!” mentality might be helpful.

Lastly, I highly recommend a book called the Woman’s Comfort Book by Jennifer Louden. While it says woman in the title I think the information would be useful for all genders. Borrow it from a library or buy it for keeps. Seriously. So good.

I truly hope you find a job soon! Best of luck. 🙂