Ch. 9

This Chapter talks about how to handle your handicaps or anything else that is holding you down from a job.

When you go to a job interview, you could think of hundreds of ways that you could get turned down. "I never graduated high school/college. I am too fat, ugly, etc. I am Black, Hispanic, etc. I am too shy. I haven't had enough experience." These are just some of statements that people come up with when walking into an interview. Bolles says that yes, a handicap might keep some employers from hiring you, but not all; we cannot generalize all employers. But we can divide employers into 2 tribes, "employers who are interested in hiring you for what you can do; vs. employers who are bothered by what you can't do." For the ones who seem to focus more on what you can't do, respectfully decline their offer and ask if there are other employers who would be interested in your skills. It's okay if it takes a long time to find a job you'd really love and feel respected by the employer.

Everyone is handicapped in their own way, so it's best to not only focus on what you can't do. 

Bolles suggests to get a piece of paper and write a list (side by side) of skills you have and don't have.  He has a list of 246 skills as verbs list on the next page if you are having trouble getting the list long. Once you're done, he says to pick out 5 skills that you like and write examples of how you've done them recently.

Disabilities and prejudices are 2 very different things. "A disability is something wrong with you. A prejudice is something within the employer." But both are considered handicaps because both can prevent you from being hired. Some examples of prejudices are being out of work too long, age, returning veterans, ex-offenders, former patient, and others.