Your record has shown an ability to get jobs, so use this skill to its fullest in your new campaign, but be persevering in trying to get a really suitable offer.
Structure your resume to minimize your erratic job record, and to play up your successes on your jobs. Murray Foster's original resume was chronological and listed the 10 jobs he held in the last 10 years on the first page. In what more blatant way could he advertise the fact that he had an unstable work record?
If you have been a job hopper because of your impulsiveness, it is particularly important that you follow the cardinal rule that you get three good job offers. The fact that you have demonstrated ability to get jobs proves that you can do it.
Stalling will allow you to buy the time necessary to get a second and third good offer. From these three good offers, you should be able to make an intelligent decision on the one that best suits your long-term goals and interests.
Accepting the job is the first step. The experience of having developed the patience to get three good job offers will have developed in you an improved skill in keeping your impulsiveness in check. You will need this perseverance even more on the job if you want to make it an enduring one.
This should be a prime goal of your self-develop-merit program. If something comes up that really bothers you, discipline yourself to say nothing or do nothing that can have an adverse effect on relationships with the people you work with. You probably will have to greatly overcompensate for this tendency until you get it under control,
A physical or emotional disability
You may have a hearing problem or a stammer or another physical disability. You may find that getting a job is more difficult than it is for most people. On the other hand, you can look around your community and find others with your same afflictions who are employed. If you approach somebody who has a similar difficulty in the right way, that person will probably be more willing to see you and perhaps steer you to resources that might be useful. A key factor in your job search is to have a realistic goal.
Use any available agency that deals with people with your disability. Such an agency will have the most competent counseling, or know of it, and will know of employers who are most responsive to someone like you. Remember, agencies are usually understaffed and have limited resources, but regardless of this they are probably your best bet as a source of help.
A key factor in dealing with employers is making clear to them what you can and cannot do.
Those who have had few dealings with a disabled person probably will overemphasize the negative effects of disability. Therefore, it is important that you play up strongly the kinds of things that you have done. And your best chances are with employers that have a reputation for hiring disabled people or with smaller and nonprofit organizations.
Many of the latter have a need for management skills and have more flexible hiring standards. The same is true of people with emotional problems.
Out of work for a long time
Because of illness or family problems you may not have been able to work for a long time, say a year or more. In some job situations, this may not be a major issue; but in most you should have a carefully prepared explanation. The three-tier answer to difficult questions can be a useful tool here, since it enables you to soften the adverse effects of your situation. You should also try to convey that you were doing some consulting work during this period, as is commonly the case, and be able to present that as favorably as possible. Another useful thing may be to get a close friend in a responsible position to cover your time for you as much as possible. This is less important if you were ill.
