Job Hunting Tips for the So-Called Handicapped or People Who Have Disabilities

by Richard Nelson Bolles and Dale Susan Brown

Book Overview

Richard Bolles's WHAT COLOR IS YOUR PARACHUTE? has helped millions of readers find their path in life, and now his creative approach to job-hunting is brought to bear on the specific challenges faced... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1580081959
• ISBN13: 9781580081955
• Release Date: October 2001
• Publisher: Clarkson Potter/Ten Speed
• Length: 162 Pages
• Weight: 0.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 6.1" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Eye Opening and Realistic!!

This book was one of two I purchased to help me gain some perspective in how to represent individuals who had various disabilities but wanted to work if they were able. As a job placement counselor, it is my job to help the clients see what they CAN do and teach them ways to accomodate themselves and communicate their needs effectively to employers. This book helped me understand ways to do this so that clients of mine not only attained employment, but also retained that employment for a long time. This book is a great one and I encourage anyone who is disabled, or knows people who are and need your support, to read this. Keep an open mind and try out the ideas presented. I think you will find it gives some great advice!

This is a great book

During my own job hunt, I was constantly frustrated by comments made by family and friends. They had assumed that I could receive special preference just because I have a disability. I have known that my reality is much different; employers do not have to hire me for a job which my disability prevents me from performing the essential functions, and I am responsible for getting myself to the office. These critical legal distinctions had made my finding a job very difficult inspite of having a dynamic resume and job recomendations which other people must work their whole lives to obtain. I was placed in the unenviable sittuation of having to turn down job offers while classmates with much lower GPAs and far less reccomendations quickly were being placed. This book is a great resource and affirmation. Job hunting is hard enough as it is, but being a person with a disabilty adds one more challenge to the mix. This book is beneficial for people with disabilities and their friends of all perspectives, but I feel that prospective college graduates and their families should especially read it.

A Wonderful Book

This is one of the best books I have read in a long time. Written by Dale Susan Brown and Richard Nelson Bolles(Author of What Color is Your Parachute), it is a simple and concise guide to finding a job if you have a disability. It pulls no punches and tells it the way it is.It gives simple, concise advice on how to conduct a job search, and what to do in an interview. It tells you how keep a prospective employer from getting nervous about your disability, and how to communicate in an interview in an honest and positive way.If you are person with a disability this is a terrific book, if you have a co-worker with a disability, it is a terrific book, if you have people working for you with disabilities it is a terrific book, and if you are a "normal" person (whatever that is...} it is a terrific book.The advice in the book leverages the expertise of both authors and is sound and easy to understand. It also helps you to do a better job, once you have employment. The book is highly recommended for everyone!

Great book for job-hunters with special needs.

This is a great book for the individual with a disability who is thinking about getting off public assistance or who is just planning to switch jobs. This would also be a good book for any employer who might hire an individual with a disability. Often both employers and prospective employees have misconceptions about what the law says about disabilitiy. The book explains how the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) protects individuals with disabilities. At the same time, it also explains what the ADA will not do. I particularly liked the section on creative ways to interview for a job. Having a disability may make one seem strange and unfamiliar to a prospective employer. The book suggests creative ways to emphasize how one is also similar to the employer. Even if you do not have a disability, you may still want to read some of these clever suggestions. It is often difficult to get disability benefits in the first place. This makes returning to work seem a risky proposition: What if you try to go to work and you are really not ready. If you fail, will you lose your disability benefits and have to start all over again? The book explains ways to protect some degree of benefits while easing back into the work force.The two authors blend their areas of expertise to produce an outstanding book. The book is divided into sections with clear explanations and objectives. In the back of the book there are useful appendices with resources for further help and support.

A wonderfully user-friendly resource!

Richard Bolles & Dale Brown have given us a delightful book for individuals with special needs. Job hunting for this population is a frightening arena, filled with feelings of inadequacy and doubts about how to stress the positives. In Job-Hunting for the So-Called Handicapped, the authors have provided 6 well-designed chapters that deal with (1) background information--A Short Course on Disabilities for Those of Us Who Do Not (Yet) Have a Disability; (2) the law: (ADA) Americans with Disabilities Act: What it can do--and what it cannot do; (3) the in's and out's of Job-Hunting and People with Disabilities; (4) the Fears an Employer Has When Inteviewing People with Disabilities and How You Can Persuade Them That You Are Qualified; (5) Overcoming Your Own Fears And Avoiding Self-Sabotage; and (6) Eight Reasons for Hope That Are Important To Those Of Us With Disabilities (As well As To Our Would-Be Employers, Counselors, Friends and Families). In addition, we are given 3 appendices that include a wealth of information on Handling Special Situations, Organizations and Resources, and a List of Written Resources. I especially appreciate seeing a "p.s. to Employers" at the very end of the book. It is a warm and honest appeal to an employer to be aware, sensitive, and wise when working with a person with special needs. They explore the need to find the delicate balance between caring and knowing how to treat such individuals as "normal." It's a rare opportunity to reach the "other side of the desk," and I believe that Bolles and Brown demonstrated pure genius to think of including that! For many individuals with disabilities, ONE MORE BOOK given to them prior to the job hunt can be an overload. But, presenting them with this delightful and informative gift can make the difference between feeling hopeful--leading to success, or feeling defeated. This is a wonderful treasure!