21–30 of 50 posts
The market is very difficult right now from my experience. Some people I know have been out of work since the start of the year and still haven't found anything. I think once IRS section 174 is overturned the market will get better.
I thought it was overturned with passage of BBB and retroactive even, is that incorrect?
You mentioned you had CP and you walk with a cane. But didn’t mention if it affects your speech or your hands. You know this I’m sure. But most people don’t know that CP affects different people differently. I have left hemiparesis CP that really only affects my left hand and very slightly my left foot - i walk with a slight limp. But properly conditioned, I’ve run a 10 minute mile up to a 10k. I’ve been working prof…
You mentioned you had CP and you walk with a cane. But didn’t mention if it affects your speech or your hands. You know this I’m sure. But most people don’t know that CP affects different people differently. I have left hemiparesis CP that really only affects my left hand and very slightly my left foot - i walk with a slight limp. But properly conditioned, I’ve run a 10 minute mile up to a 10k. I’ve been working prof…
Please do not abbreviate Cerebral Palsy.
Please don’t tell me you are one of the “allies” making sure we engage in “right speak”.
"What is a physiically disabled person to do in this job market?" Same thing as a person with a social-emotional disability - get screwed. I'm being pushed out of an early career role even though I'm overqualified and producing similar numbers as my peers. I'll end up working at Walmart. Good luck.
Please don't give up and just go work at Walmart If you have the skills, please do your best to keep applying them at a new job It's really important not to let this wear you down and defeat you. You're worth it
Network did not get me enough interviews. I think this was fatal. Resume blasting is useless but I only kept doing it to not feel the despair of "doing nothing" each day, that was the only purpose. Menial jobs in-person just tell me to apply online
I got rejected from Walmart and related jobs (stocking/janitorial/cashier) even hiding/dumbing down all my tech experience. And it's been going on for months
Paid too much for therapy and insurance.
I now believe the market has concluded that they aren't looking for someone with my skills, too generic or something. Too intelligent for minimum wage, not skilled enough for industry. I work on certs but I figure what's the point if it isn't the difference between interview or no interview, a literal phone screen (setting aside an actual offer). It costs money and I'm following in the footsteps of an industry that offers me no path forward to survival. I have specifically been rejected on the basis of my employment gap regardless of explanation, all the shit I've attempted to make up for it. It's meaningless punishment for already being unemployable
Persistence is the key, but at some point you just gotta admit to yourself that enough is enough and no amount of screaming at a wall will change reality. I needed a win at some point, but I didn't get anything, zero. Lamenting the death of my career daily. This is not a feeling you can medicate or counsel away. Have all but accepted that homelessness is approaching for me and I'll soon have to downsize my life goals
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Please do not abbreviate Cerebral Palsy.
Am I really being chastised for abbreviating something I’ve been dealing with personally for 51 years? Please don’t tell me you are one of the “allies” making sure we engage in “right speak”.
Even during great hiring times, the roles you're seeking are often slow to hire and sometimes don't get filled even when there are qualified applicants. There has to be a hand-in-glove fit to the team for these roles to be effective, which means interviews often get delayed because someone key can't be there... then later, another key person is out, and the cycle turns into a crisis and finally interviews happen and…
But not seeing that profile myself, and assuming you don’t look like dogshit, the rest of the above advice definitely rings true. “Difficulties” and “hot takes” sound like the profile directs someone’s first impression of you in a sour direction. With LI it’s all about conformity and optimism.
Also, it helps, in my experience, to be incredibly up front. "This is my diagnosis. This is the prognosis. Here are my achievements." You shouldn't have to reveal anything, and certainly no one can ask, but it breaks the ice.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Please don't give up and just go work at Walmart If you have the skills, please do your best to keep applying them at a new job It's really important not to let this wear you down and defeat you. You're worth it
I would be unable to walk from one corner of Walmart to the other in less than one hour. I use a walker because walking is hard. ( as mentioned in original post )
Assuming it doesn't affect your typing, develop a shtick in case your Cerebral Palsy comes up in an interview, maybe say something that people could consider humorous such as: "It doesn't affect my ability (analyze etc) and (type out reports etc). If Usain Bolt had to run a race using his fingers, he would have to get used to being in second place behind me (and smile showing it's okay to laugh)"
You mentioned you use a walker, would a wheelchair (just for in-person interviews) be doable? I think people are less likely to be negatively judged for using a wheelchair than a walker. Seeing a younger person in a wheelchair is far more common than seeing a younger person use a walker. Seeing something strange (uncommon) will be treated negatively subconsciously. If you can locomote faster in a wheelchair, than people will subconsciously equate that with your ability to work faster, especially if you can roll faster than other people can walk.
If you do the wheelchair thing, and you get a job working in-person, use the wheelchair for a week or two, but tell people a white-lie such as your doctor says you can transition to a walker in the next week or two, which will help strengthen your leg muscles. Always spin stuff positively. That way when your coworkers see you using a walker, they will be supportive and think positively to themselves rather than thinking how terrible that must be.
(Just be sure to have a complete backstory ready to go for things like when people ask, how long have you been in a wheelchair. Or maybe have a reason why the wheelchair was just temporary and you used a walker beforehand.)
Hmmm... Would that be considered a "hack" good enough for Y Combinator's application? It's been a few years since I looked at their application.
Even during great hiring times, the roles you're seeking are often slow to hire and sometimes don't get filled even when there are qualified applicants. There has to be a hand-in-glove fit to the team for these roles to be effective, which means interviews often get delayed because someone key can't be there... then later, another key person is out, and the cycle turns into a crisis and finally interviews happen and…
I would not follow the advice on changing photos because since when does that matter in software related work. But not seeing that profile myself, and assuming you don’t look like dogshit, the rest of the above advice definitely rings true. “Difficulties” and “hot takes” sound like the profile directs someone’s first impression of you in a sour direction. With LI it’s all about conformity and optimism.