Stutter making it hard to find a job?
Apr.23, 2010 in
College Jobs
I have been near the top of my class since high school and now i am nearly though college. Finding factory grunt work to pay my way through school was no problem. Now, looking for a post-college career I find that my stutter( which is mild as compared to the way stutterers are depicted on tv) is directly affecting the outcome of my interviews. Is this descrimination?
I am applying for technician positions where i do not interact with customers of the company. I would doing IT work on computers or electrical devices behind closed doors. I have been near the top of my class since high school. Since I am not apply for a job with customer service responsibilities, is this discrimination?
April 23rd, 2010 at 11:47 pm
What types of jobs are you interviewing for? Remember that a company must project a professional image at all times. If you have difficulty being understood by others and are applying for sales or phone jobs, you may not be hired. And no, that’s not descrimination.
But if you are applying for research work, or analysis work, etc… then you should be equally considered for employment.
April 24th, 2010 at 12:47 am
It might be, or might be subconscious. Suppose the employer liked you and someone else to get the job. If he was not sure who to pick he might have just picked the other person because he sees them as having a better self-image. Stuttering makes people think you are not confident or nervous, and everyone prefers relaxed people to nervous people.
April 24th, 2010 at 1:39 am
theres no way to prove it…even it is. And, yes, stuttering can hurt you with your career…it’s not consider apt communication skills. My suggestion is taking some speech therapy classes. Here’s another opinion most ppl have about stutters: They’re not confident…they stutter b/c they are insecure or could be lying about something. This is what your interviewer is thinking while conducting an interview…go to speech class and have it corrected.
It will be very difficult to find a job that you are qualified for and will most likely have to take a lesser paying/profile job b/c of this character flaw. i know it sux but welcome to the real world kid.
April 24th, 2010 at 2:00 am
Yes. I also have a stutter, but I have to talk to people all the time on the phone, during meetings etc. I can keep it under control most of the time by speaking slowly, unfortunately during the interview phase, an employer can pass you over for any number of reasons and they don’t have to tell you why. I’ve found that if I show people that it doesn’t bother me, then it doesn’t usually bother them. Just be yourself, stutter your way through whatever you’re trying to say, and if people want to judge you that’s their problem. Don’t let it stand in the way of communicating ideas to people because obviously you’re an intelligent person with a lot to say, and don’t let it stand in your way of being successfull.
p.s. I’ve looked into speech therapy and there is currently no method to “correct” a stutter. All you can do is try different techniques to minimize it.
April 24th, 2010 at 2:46 am
No its not discrimination. Employers are allowed to turn down people for their disabilities if it affects their ability to do the work. If we didn’t have this provision in civil rights laws, things like pools being forced to hire paraplegic lifeguards would happen. Unfortunately for you an argument could be made on almost any job where you have to speak that your disability could affect your work.
My advice: Go back to those factory’s you did grunt work. Factory’s have office jobs too.
April 24th, 2010 at 3:27 am
The interviewer may think your mild stutter is a nervous response which may put you lower in the ranking of others being interviewed as they may seem more confidant. Anyone who stutters should tell the employer up front that he/she stutters. One of my uncles took a brochure that The Stuttering Foundation has with him to each of his interviews, told the interviewer that he was a stutterer and gave him the brochure. Uncle Ken said that he stuttered less when he did that plus it made the interviewer aware of his situation and usually brought on questions about stuttering and working with both coworkers and the public. Go to http://www.stutteringhelp.org and look under their brochures for the one for employers. You can download it from the site or order some from the Foundation that are printed on really nice slick paper.