Is it hard to find a job for aspies?

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howzat
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16 Sep 2012, 3:33 pm

At present it is very difficult to get a job.



Fnord
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16 Sep 2012, 4:29 pm

It's more difficult to get a job now than ten years ago (maybe), but there are some things you can do to increase your chances in the U.S.:

  • Stay out of trouble with the Law
  • Earn a high school diploma
  • Earn a driver's license
Lacking any of these will decrease your chances drastically. Other things that will not only increase your chances, but increase the quality of the work you get:
  • Enrolling in R.O.T.C. in high school and college
  • Earning an associates degree in a medical or technical field
  • Earning a four-year degree in a medical or technical field
  • Earning an honorable discharge after a minimum of four years of military service
  • Enlisting in the military as a reservist
Volunteering also looks good on the resume. Here's a list of Community Service options:
  • Cleaning a park
  • Collecting items for charity such as clothes, food, books, or furniture
  • Cleaning roadside verges
  • Helping the elderly in nursing homes
  • Helping the local fire, police, or search-and-rescue service
  • Helping out at a local library
  • Tutoring children, especially those with learning disabilities
  • Cleaning nursing home gardens
  • Cleaning local areas
  • Helping at a local food pantry
  • Volunteering for Red Cross blood drives
  • Helping out at a nearby hospital
  • Working at a soup kitchen
  • Lending your services to community fundraisers
  • Assisting at a local animal shelter
  • Volunteering as a reader or Teacher's Aide for an elementary or junior high school
To become attractive to a potential employer, it is up to you to make yourself attractive to that employer; and if there is one thing we look for that sets those we hire from those we don't, it's whether the person performed voluntary community service or just sat one his or her butt in front of the computer all day.



WantToHaveALife
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18 Sep 2012, 4:45 pm

yeah it is for me because i don't have much work experience and in this horrible economy, recession, competition is at an all-time high, you need years of experience just to get hired for a simple entry-level, minimum-wage job



kirayng
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20 Sep 2012, 11:20 am

Would you believe there is fierce competition for volunteer positions as well? This shocked me... I'm on the waiting list for the position at the local food bank and have been bounced around another place I wanted to help. I think working for yourself could be the ultimate answer, tbh.



WantToHaveALife
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20 Sep 2012, 3:37 pm

kirayng wrote:
Would you believe there is fierce competition for volunteer positions as well? This shocked me... I'm on the waiting list for the position at the local food bank and have been bounced around another place I wanted to help. I think working for yourself could be the ultimate answer, tbh.


now that is even more shocking



GiantHockeyFan
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20 Sep 2012, 7:32 pm

kirayng wrote:
Would you believe there is fierce competition for volunteer positions as well? This shocked me... I'm on the waiting list for the position at the local food bank and have been bounced around another place I wanted to help. I think working for yourself could be the ultimate answer, tbh.


Yes, and most places expect you now to PAY to volunteer (by buying a shirt for example). There's even a number of people who volunteer at multi-billion dollar companies just for the experience. Now THAT is pathetic!



LunaticOnTheGrass
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20 Sep 2012, 9:25 pm

Just wait until you having to pay for an internship (unpaid job, merely for "work experience") becomes more common.



WantToHaveALife
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21 Sep 2012, 3:59 pm

LunaticOnTheGrass wrote:
Just wait until you having to pay for an internship (unpaid job, merely for "work experience") becomes more common.


what is the world coming to



LunaticOnTheGrass
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21 Sep 2012, 9:16 pm

Quote:
what is the world coming to


Free Market policy and a "race to the bottom" in terms of wages, at its finest!



WantToHaveALife
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23 Sep 2012, 12:40 pm

LunaticOnTheGrass wrote:
Quote:
what is the world coming to


Free Market policy and a "race to the bottom" in terms of wages, at its finest!


makes me hate capitalism and free-enterprise sometimes



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24 Sep 2012, 7:39 pm

Being a brown nose does not come easy to us so yes to your answer :wink:


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aussiebloke
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24 Sep 2012, 7:41 pm

WantToHaveALife wrote:
LunaticOnTheGrass wrote:
Just wait until you having to pay for an internship (unpaid job, merely for "work experience") becomes more common.


what is the world coming to


Well we have "work for the dole" in this country so I guess it's to be expected I suppose :roll:


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WantToHaveALife
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24 Sep 2012, 11:19 pm

aussiebloke wrote:
WantToHaveALife wrote:
LunaticOnTheGrass wrote:
Just wait until you having to pay for an internship (unpaid job, merely for "work experience") becomes more common.


what is the world coming to


Well we have "work for the dole" in this country so I guess it's to be expected I suppose :roll:


much more severely now ever since this economy became the disaster it still is, have to make yourself stand out more among the god damn competition



aussiebloke
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24 Sep 2012, 11:21 pm

^^^^

well we don't have that "problem" here our unemployment rate has a "5" in it .


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25 Sep 2012, 9:45 am

WantToHaveALife wrote:
makes me hate capitalism and free-enterprise sometimes


There's nothing 'free' about free enterprise. I learned that one the hard way as a idealistic, intelligent but highly naive university graduate. You eventually come to realize 'capitalism' and 'communism' have much more in common than you might think. Thank God I'm unionized otherwise I would be guilt-tripped into working for peanuts because of all the oxygen I consume. I'm not going to get into a political debate but you quickly realize what you learned in economics class has little bearing on reality. I could never figure out why so many people laughed at my fanatical Libertarian views until a few years ago.

I was told to become essentially an indentured servant in order to stand out from the competition but what happens when everyone does the same thing? On the plus side my experiences have served me well to live in a lower income area and be very well respected. I've been in the trenches and I know unemployed Aspies know more about how the world works than most economists.



GiantHockeyFan
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25 Sep 2012, 10:09 am

Fnord wrote:
It's more difficult to get a job now than ten years ago (maybe), but there are some things you can do to increase your chances in the U.S.:
  • Stay out of trouble with the Law
  • Earn a high school diploma
  • Earn a driver's license
Lacking any of these will decrease your chances drastically. Other things that will not only increase your chances, but increase the quality of the work you get:
  • Enrolling in R.O.T.C. in high school and college
  • Earning an associates degree in a medical or technical field
  • Earning a four-year degree in a medical or technical field
  • Earning an honorable discharge after a minimum of four years of military service
  • Enlisting in the military as a reservist


Good list and I'm sure it applies to most countries including here in Canada. To should also add (I don't want to mention my specific job for privacy reasons but trust me, I'm in the know) is to avoid getting any tattoos or piercings other than a single set of earrings for women. Like it or not, many employers will not even consider anyone with either no matter how impressive a resume they have. The single worst thing you can do to make yourself unemployable is to get a tattoo on your arm or especially above your shoulders (like behind the ear for example). I shake my head when I see unemployed young women tattooed up and down complain they can't find work. :wall: If you are into those things great but if either is visible during the working day you can kiss your chances goodbye. I'm not saying whether that's a good or bad thing but it's reality.