Posted by Craig on March 25, 2000, at 1:37:05
I'm 44 years old. I haven't worked since 1988, when an extension of my medical leave was rejected and I was terminated from my position. I have been "mentally ill" all my life and even spent 13 months in a hospital during high school. The pattern of my life is that I do well for a relatively short period of time and then I get sick again. At the very least, this does not look good on a resume. I could use some advice on how to present myself at a job interview and how to summarize my short career. To my advantage, I don't "look sick" and I usually make a good first impression. The last time (a few years ago) I tried to complete a job application, it took me nearly two hours trying to finish it. The whole thing was a disaster and I had panic attacks for the next two weeks. Now I've improved enough to start thinking about finding a job.
I once had a doctor who, when I asked how do I explain myself to potential employers, looked at me incredulously and said, "You don't think we're going to tell the truth, do you? We're going to lie!" I don't want to lie, so I don't know what to do. Maybe I should just tell people I won the lottery and didn't have to work during most of my life. Or maybe say that I inherited a lot of money and haven't needed to work. Then there's the old standby I use when I meet someone new who wants to know where I work: I work for my family. The truth is I've lived with my parents since 1982. I'm totally out of the loop when it comes ordinary conversation with people my age. I've never had anything to say when co-workers talk about their personal life and what they did over the weekend. It definitely makes me seem odd.
Back to the point, has anyone else here had problems along this line? I'm depressed enough without getting depressed over finding a job. I could use any suggestions anyone might have.
poster:Craig
thread:28106
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20000321/msgs/28106.html