Real Life SD, Unemployment by Susan Reagan

It is desperately hard to wake up each day and have no purpose, no job and few prospects.  Searching for a job can be one of the most heartbreaking and demeaning processes a human being can live through.  In a good economy it can take the average person a while to find suitable employment but compound this challenge with a recession and the complications of having a condition like Spasmodic Dysphonia or any vocal limitation and the odds seem insurmountable.   

Making the right connections and securing the right fit, hopefully finding a position that will prove to be long term is the biggest challenge.  In a tough economy we sometimes forget about the more human side of employment such as personal satisfaction, feeling a sense of achievement and having an opportunity for advancement; all while being compensated fairly and not just settling for a paycheck. 

At one point in my search I had become so physically tired when sitting down to send out resumes.  Intellectually I knew the overwhelming sense of depression was temporary but at times it was very hard to overcome.  This sense of depression came from the internal conflict, a cognitive dissonance that was created when applying for jobs that clearly stated “excellent verbal skills required”, knowing that, at times talking on a phone would be near impossible as well as having face-to-face verbal interactions.   Making presentations in front of large groups would be not only painful but aggravating for the listener; the sense of inadequacy can be debilitating.

One of the lessons learned along the way was to stay true to your inherent nature and not try to jam a square peg into a round hole.  My inherent nature is to be very outgoing, extroverted, gregarious and engaging.   Why would I ever think that I would be happy trying to seek long-term meaningful employment outside of the bounds of my natural gifts and persuasions.   The counselor assigned to my case from the Pennsylvania Office of Vocational Rehabilitation had to remind me of that fact.  Her main concern was not only helping me to find a job to pay the bills but to find employment that was inherent to my nature; to find employment that would make me truly happy, offer a sense of satisfaction and fulfillment.  I could never be a person that sits behind a desk with limited human interaction and contact and she reminded me of that fact after only knowing me for a very short period of time.

Her strategy for me is to emphasize my abilities and de-emphasize my inabilities.  Focus on the strengths, experience and education instead of getting mired down into the ever present thought pattern of having vocal limitations.   Not to betray my inherent nature and shrink away from careers paths that are of interest but to rather seek those roles out while making masterful use of adaptive equipment to accomplish the goals of the sought-after position.

The job hunting process has several separate and distinct steps that need to be executed properly.  The first of which is presenting a professional and concise resume that lets potential employers know your accomplishments and achievements, let’s say your resume will leap the first hurdle and make it into human hands.  A potential employer likes what they see while reading your resume and the phone rings; how do you handle this next barrier, YOUR VOICE?  There are several options to manage this hurdle, take control of the interaction times when you know your voice will be at its strongest.  Plan your phone interactions wisely by choosing a place that will have limited or no background noise therefore limiting the amount of strain required to project you voice.  Include a mention in your cover letter about setting up phone interactions via email allowing you to control the interactions to ensure your best voice is present.  

When meeting with a potential employer speak with confidence, conviction and be well studied in your subject matter.   Do not apologize for the condition of your voice; maintain eye contact and a commanding posture with strong body language.  With so many people looking for work these days how can someone with Spasmodic Dysphonia prove they are the right person for the job?  For each person that answers will be different: one way to accomplish this goal is to make sure WHAT you say is more important than HOW you say it.

Yes the job search can be exhausting and depressing at times.  One key way to avoid depression is to always be cresting a wave.  Have several applications out there at any given moment in time; do not rely on one golden opportunity that could disappear in the blink of an eye.   Explore all options with intensity, interest and conviction.   Have persistence, perseverance and utilize all resources that are available to assist you in your job search.   Being unemployed is a temporary state of existence that can seem like an eternity.