Job phone interviews + centrelink issues.

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Why are there jobs that do not require social interaction but insist on requiring a phone interview.

I do not know exactly why this is the case but it is causing me a nightmare and there is no template to prepare for... The problems are worse when they ask me to elaborate and I take a long pause which immediately equals a fail, from my experience.

In order to satisfy centrelink requirements for 10 jobs a fortnight; I ended up applying for some call center jobs just to fill it up. Now I received some calls for these and other jobs but I just fall apart on the phone because there is no certainty in what the next question is. In some extreme cases where the person on the phone has rushed me; I tell them I am no longer interested.

I am in the process of applying for the job capacity assessment but I am falling apart and I have not sought professional psychiatric help for over a year. I do not know if the medical records with my local gp are sufficient or if I have to pester the psychiatrists again.

I only finished study recently but my routine has already disappeared, I just stay up till 4 am in the morning trying to plan the next day but I am a wreck... I try to get a minimum of 3 hours sleep and wake up at 7 am. From organised to a nightmare.

Can an employer make reasonable adjustments to the interview process or is that the only method??? The employer wants to discriminate and is less willing to let go of the right.

Has anyone experienced the process with a Disability consultant? I have not submitted any paperwork yet and I am not sure how exactly they can help me... Can someone reveal to me what kind of help will be given? I am not applying for the disability payment but to access the employment services.

I would not like to end up in a sheltered workshop for undisclosed reasons.

It is only 2:05 AM now so I will have to wait for everyone to wake up.

In my experience Centrelink should be happy with the doctors report, its psychologists reports they take with less weight.

I suggest that you contact CRS Australia regarding looking for work. They help people with a health condition find and maintain employment - they can help you with finding appropriate work and once you're in the workforce, they'll support you for 6 months to make sure that you're doing okay. I've just started with CRS and I've found them to be quite helpful. They have seminars on various aspects of job hunting, like resume writing, disclosure, etc, and they also have consultants that can go through your skills and interests to see what jobs you should be aiming for.

You will need to do a Job Capacity Assessment before CRS can take you on. I'm not sure if a GP's records are enough for that. I had my psychiatrist fill out the Centrelink medical report [I was given a copy by the CRS lady], and Centrelink had no problem with that. Then again, in Australia, the psychiatrist is top dog so if I were you, I would probably try and get your old psychiatrist to sign off on the forms.

I think the unofficial ranks in terms of the mental health totem pole is something like: Psychiatrist > Clinical Psychologist > GP > Mental Health Social Worker > Counsellor.