I’m without a job and any real qualification for a large part because I’ve been battling clinical depression and severe anxiety for years. And I’m often certain that I will never be able to move ahead because of the stigma attached to mental illness. I have ambitions, but they are crushed the moment I look at my CV.
What did she do for all these years? Prison or loony bin? Doesn’t matter, it’s all the same! No weirdos or loonies for us!
And speaking of CVs, I’m not that good at lying.
FUCK!!!
Well, keep in mind, when you look at your CV and are crushed because you think it’s insufficient, that you’re not the one hiring you. So, don’t give up hope, keep on getting whatever treatment for your depression and anxiety that you need to, and if you need to get further qualifications, they are out there.
I know that “keep on trucking” isn’t always helpful advice, but sometimes it’s all you can say.
What the hell are "CV"s? What country are you in? Is that like a resume? Where I live, its a “prone to fail joint” on the driveshafts of little cars. And they wear boots.
Curriculum Vitae. It’s a term largely used in academia for the equivalent of a resume.
And also in the UK. And I think Australia, though I could be wrong there.
You could always say you went travelling. I know you said you don’t like to lie, but people do on CVs at least in their early stages. For example, I changed 9 months of depression and a year in Australia on my CV to ‘two years of temporary jobs in Ireland and Australia’. I was also doing bits and pieces like a typing service and a bit of voluntary work and studying. And I haven’t had a paid job for over a year, but have been freelancing. Some weeks I made enough to live on, some weeks I worked in a bar to make ends meet. Is there anything during those gaps you were doing that you could merge together?
I don’t think the gaps in my CV were ever much of a problem, and now they’re so far back they’re really not. It will sort itself out - arrange some voluntary work or a course or a project and put that in your CV to cover from now. Also, what field are you in? There is no doubt a fair bit of stigma still around mental illness, but there are plenty of charities to work for who aren’t as discriminatory. My first job in a homeless hostel was after a long (very embarrassing, tbh) phone conversation with the manager about my depression meds. You could also try mentoring a younger person in the same situation you were in? Have a look at do-it.org.uk and you should find something in your area.
I know you’re venting and not asking for advice, and I’m no expert, but I’ve been there and been depressed about it, and there are ways around it. Good luck.
…
Yes, I meant a resume.
Thanks, mudkicker - I’m in Luxembourg though, not in the UK.
I’m a creative person, drawing and painting were always my passion; I’m in my mid-20s and doing a course to finally finish secondary school. (I had to leave school due to my problems all those years ago.) My dream is to go to art school one day.
I’ve thought about the “I’ve been abroad” thing, it has even been suggested to me before. It’s just that I’m afraid I won’t sound convincing enough…
I will be away for a few days now, probably without internet access - so if you’re wondering: no, I’m not deserting the thread.
There is for most people, and will likely be for you, a very huge gap between “where I started” and “my ambition”. I consider myself successful now, my very first job right out of college was running a cash register in a deli. Hardly an auspicious beginning.
You’ll have lots of small steps along the way before you reach your ambition. So start small. Take a job that doesn’t require a CV (retail? bar? restaurant?). Volunteer (also doesn’t usually require a CV). Accomplish some things to put on your CV.
And when asked what you were doing during that blank time…
“Painting”
::wink-smile::
You may wish to consider leaving “clinical depression and severe anxiety” off your skill set, and simply put “list of mental disorders provided on request.”
If asked (and I don’t think it’s a lock you will be) what about saying you were caring for an ill family member. You’re a member of your family, right?
I really don’t know. I wouldn’t hesitate to hire a qualified person who explained that she’d been being treated for mental illness any more than if she’d had time off to rehab after a car accident or was being treated for cancer. Unfortunately I’m not hiring right now.
I like what Jimmie Joe Meager said. There are lots of volunteer opportunities with arts organizations, and you could do some boring filing to pay the bills until you make a great contact volunteering and there you are on your career track.
Amber, no constructive thoughts or ideas here.
Just my sympathy and hopes that you persevere.
"clinical depression and severe anxiety " ?
Sounds like you are just lazy. IMHO
I’m sure you also counsel those folks who claim to be in severe heart failure to stop being so lazy and get up and get to work, too.
Yeah, that comment warmed the cockles of my heart too.
Whether someone is mentally ill or not isn’t a matter of humble opinion so much as a matter of professional opinion. FYI.
It’s also commonly used here (in the US) in medicine. Physicians don’t have resumes, they have CVs.
Sounds like you’re a tool.
If you tell someone you’ve got a “list of mental disorders”, they are probably going to start thinking it’s something worse than depression and anxiety. So I would think this would do more harm than good
I’ve never understood the concern about gaps in a resume. Gaps don’t bother me. If you’ve got 17 jobs on there, and none of them last more than 10 months, then I’ve got some hard questions for you. . .
HR is going to run a background check which will assure me that you weren’t in prison during that time period. And that assumption wouldn’t occur to me anyway.
Tell us what you did do on a day-to-day basis, and maybe we can help you craft an answer that is/feels honest. Did you paint? Read? Go to the movies? I’m sure there were days when you just couldn’t quite move, but on the good days, what did you do?
deep breath
WHOOSH!