Job serch

Hi there my name is Jonathan im an 18 year old with an icd. Ive been trying to find a job for about two years now, with no luck. So lately I have been wondering if my pacemaker makes it difficult for me to find a job or its the economy and bad luck. Your feedback would be great thanks Jonathan!

7 Comments

What kind of work...

by donr - 2012-09-19 08:09:30

...are you looking for? Where do you live? Finish High School? Other than the ICD, what's your health? Do you have any particular technical skills? How do you dress? Need a haircut? Use illegal drugs? Have a police record? Ever had a job before?

Face it - you have asked a "How long is a piece of string?" question. All the subjects I listed will have a bearing on your hireability. Answer my questions & I'll give you some opinion as to why you cannot find work. Face it - it's a harsh world out there & the answers may be harsh. Unfortunately, potential employers usually will not tell you why they won't hire you.

Don

Looking For Work

by SMITTY - 2012-09-19 09:09:08

Hey Jonathan

I think Don named it when he said your question was about like a "how long is a piece of string."

One thing I wouldn't do is volunteer the information that you have a defibrillator. It is not likely will not interfere with your working in most jobs and in fact if it should kick in to help your heart the results will certainly be better than if you didn't have it. My suggestion is talk to the dr about what kind of work you should avoid, if there is any, and take it from there.

But being 18 and with our country's economy being what it is today the job market is just not all that good. But as I said, I would not walk in telling about my health. Let them find out for themselves as I do not think you will be withholding information they should have. Of course if you try for something requiring a license you have to tell as a defib may rule out you having that license.

I see you live in Crosby. I lived about 10 mi. North of you (Lockshire) for some 25 years. I know the job market can run hot and cold in that area, so good luck.

Smitty

Thanks and answering Don's questions. And Smitty that is an awesome name!

by jrobin23 - 2012-09-20 03:09:46

To be honest I've only ever given out the information once in an interview when the interviewer asked if anything could restrict my work. Yes I graduated from high school back in May, in fact the reason I want a job so badly is one to save up money for college since I was unable to go this semester and to get my step dad off my back plus having a little pocket money would be nice. No I don't have any special technical skills. My hair is pretty short right now kind of like an Adam Sandler haircut and for the most part its kept around this length unless I can't get it cut for some reason but even when it's longer I keep it washed and combed. On a day to day basis I usually wear a t-shirt and jeans but I have no problem dressing to impress if fact I like to dress up it would just be very uncomfortable to do and I don't have money to dry clean them for everyday attire. I have never ever used illegal drugs!! I do not have a police record in fact I never got in trouble in high school, which I really don't understand because I know several people that do do drugs and they were able to get jobs. I did work for a country club as a waiter during weddings but I only worked three days and they never called me back in and they didn't pay me for two events so I don't even put that on applications. As for my health I was born with a disease called transposition of the great arteries where all my arteries were backwards, this was corrected with surgery the day after I was born. When was 2 years old blood wasn't following correctly so they put in an artificial stent to regulate blood flow, as a result of poor blood flow my left lung had no blood to it and shriveled up and stopped working completely also they never found my spleen in fact I have to take antibiotics because of it. Well I hope these questions will help you out Don I appreciate your time and help! Smitty you are so right the job market in the Crosby, Baytown, Attascocita area is crazy!! Also thanks for your help too Smitty

Another thought

by Shortcake - 2012-09-20 04:09:34

Hi Johnathan,
You've gotten some great advice so far but I felt compelled to tell you about my son, who is also 18 (will be 19 next month). He's an extremely bright kid, actually graduated from high school 2 years early. His problem immediately became college. He wanted to attend Berkeley and was accepted except for the fact they would not take him unless he became an emancipated adult. (he was only 16 and could not live in the dorm). There, as his parents, we put the brakes on that idea. So instead he began their online courses. However, he wanted to find a job since he planned on attending in person when he reached the legal age. He has a heart for the homeless. I think he has probably fed more meals on street corners and in shelters than I have ever imagined were needed. He sat down and wrote to the major organizations in our area (we are right outside Atlanta). He was really just wanting to volunteer with the hopes something would work into a job later. He received two phone calls within three days wanting him to apply for paid positions. Mind you, he had no experience (other than volunteer work). He is now a supervisor for the volunteer groups at the Atlanta Community Food Bank. He continues his classes online and now says he will keep going that way. He doesn't want to leave his job. He has full benefits with this organization, including things like insurance and retirement. Every day he comes in to tell me how many thousands of pounds of food is going thru this place. He loves it!
My recommendation to you is step out there and follow your heart, volunteer for what ever you love doing. It gives you great experience! You can volunteer at thousands of different types of places. Once you do this put it on your resume. Start writing companies To find out how to get in with them. It never hurts to attach a resume....volunteer work counts as experience. My son also took a course on forklift driving just so he could go volunteer at the Toys for Tots warehouse. Put all classes you take on the resume as well. The owner of the food bank was impressed that my son went to the trouble to take the course just so he could volunteer.
Go or call your local colleges and find out what they offer on line. You can begin your core classes one at a time if you have to do it that way. Employers love to see your desire to get your education. That's always a plus as well.
Follow all the advice you were given here for applying and interviewing. Just make your self that person the employer wants on his team! Good luck with your search and keep us posted!
Susan

Job Hunting

by donr - 2012-09-20 09:09:56

Jon: OK, you answered a whole bunch of questions for me that I hadn't expected you to answer.

You have a lot of pluses. Your worst minus is that you are inexperienced at competing in the absolutely crappy job market that exists today. I do not know Texas markets, but Smitty implies that it sucks just as badly as it does other places. You write pretty decent English for a HS Grad. NOT the typical cell phone texting shorthand that we see from most kids your age. Your speling was decent - meaning that you know how to spell & you did a decent job of proofing your work. (Don't come ask to borrow my keyboard - it leaves out about 75% of the L's, N's, & spaces between words. Proofing is a real chore! It'll make you look like a real dolt!)

Amazingly, people are hiring - but theu are looking for certain skills that you do not have - & no way could have at your stage of life & experience. F'rinstance, I stumbled across a company inLA that was looking for truck drivers w/ commercial driver's licenses - I do not believe that you can qualify for a CDL while having an active ICD. That is one health costrant your ICD will place on you. There are probably others, but you will not know what theyare till you interview for such a job. Apparently there is a pretty decent market for refrigeration & HVAC repair/sericing techs - but that takes at least a year of training in a technical school. Unfortunately, the job market everywhere for people in your boat is crappy, & if the business analysts on TV are correct, will remain that way till well into the new year when bsinesses find out what the US Gummint is going to do in terms of taxes, general regulations, environmental regs, the Obamacare Act, & other policies.

Angry Sparrow laid it on the line for you in a no punches pulled format with her long comment. You do exactly what she said to do & you are standing near the front of the line to be hired. I don't recall if she said it or not, but she is a small business owner, so what she told you is straight from the hiring horse's mouth.

I will echo what others have said. Don't volunteer that you have the ICD unless asked. MOF, only give information asked for. Don't volunteer anything.

Meanwhile, in your spare time, switch from MTV to the Fox News Channel whenever Neil Cavuto is on in the late afternoon when he does an hour show on business issues. First, observe how the men dress & emulate that when you interview for anything other than a pure manual labor job. Second, listen to what he & his guests say about the business market - it will give you a feel for what is happening out there. If you have the stomach for it (& the channel on your TV) go to the Fox Business News Network & watch it. They talk all day long about business issues - pretty far out, esoteric stuff, but again it will give you a feel for the jobs world.

Sounds like you can relax when they give you an empty paper cup after agreeing tohire you.

Whoops! a BTW: If you don't mind good, hard work & some crappy hours, if there is a Cracker Barrel restaurant anywhere near you, they have a humongous turn over in servers, but they work their butts off. That's true for any big chain of restaurants. It's a place to start building a decent resume'. At least it gives you a decent reference if you can be successful at it. They willnotcare if you have an ICD!

Good hunting.

Don

Thanks!

by jrobin23 - 2012-09-20 10:09:38

Thank you everyone for all your advice and time I assure you it will not go to waste.

Jonathan

Its not you !

by lahbigbro6 - 2012-09-20 12:09:32

I have a pacemaker, but I do not give the information out.
I have been looking for a great part-time job with no luck. Most jobs out there are jobs someone left because it was so bad they left. I am finding that out by taking these jobs. Good luck with your job search, try indeed.com or local free paper online. Jobs should pick up for the holidays. I do demo work, but its not many hours or days, but it is fun to do.

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Your pacemaker receives radio frequencies.

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