How to Deal With Any Handicaps You Have

Hello Everyone,

In this post I will be covering chapter 9, How to Deal with Any Handicaps You Have, from What Color is Your Parachute.

There are a million different kinds of handicaps (physical, mental, past, foreign, age). But you only have a handicap that will keep some employers from hiring you, not all. All employers divide for you into just 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. When you run into the latter, ask if they know of anyone who would be interested in your skills, thank them and courteously take your leave.  Everyone is handicapped. A real handicap means dis-ability: there are some things that a person does not have the ability to do. This encompasses everyone. So what's so special about your handicap? Nothing.

What about a disability that negates your dreams? Try to find a way around it, great minds are inventing new technologies everyday. Just a few years ago people were marveling over smart phones now look at us, some babies even have one. So google experts in a field dealing with your type of disability, contact them and ask for advice or help. If nothing can help, look for jobs that are similar. Remember there are two different types of handicaps, disability or prejudice. A disability is something within you. A prejudice is something within the employer.

Here are key prejudices

1. Out of work too long. 
2. Age. There are a lot of baby boomers out there that don't have quality pension plans so they're still working within the "retirement" years. They will hire you if you have a positive attitude towards aging, if you convey energy, and if you keep working at it.
3. Returning Veterans. This usually has to do with the fear of PTSD. But keep in mind a lot of employers are actually biased towards veterans and hold a lot of respect and would be proud to give you a great opportunity.
4. Ex-offenders. Look on the internet, there are a lot of great resources out there to help you reenter the work force. And Obama is trying to pass new laws to help people with past records so hang in there.
5. Former patients (psychiatric or mental hospitals). 19% of U.S. adults had a mental illness in the past year, you are not alone. Stigma is slowly lightening.
6. Others. Just remember employers are human beings, they are flawed just like the rest of us. And no matter what your prejudice is, keep working at it. There is some employer out there that will look right over that just in order to hire you.

The last and most strong handicap is shyness. One way to take care of this handicap is through enthusiasm. This is where the PIE method comes into play. In order to conquer shyness you need to focus on the P in the method, pleasure. Find something you are enthusiastic about and talk to someone you don't know about it. Remember self-esteem is an art, an art of balance. We are on a tightrope between egotism and thinking too little of ourselves. We are taught that egotism is bad so we usually dive the other direction which can also be departmental to ourselves. The more you see your own gifts clearly, the more you pay attention to the gifts others have. You make yourself equal by not lowering yourself, buy by raising others.

Until next time,

Caitlin Campbell