It’s so weird talking to people who’s view of “here’s the way life is for everyone” is shattered as soon as they talk to someone with disabilities (physical, mental illness, any). Like you’ll say you’ll have a problem and instead of helping you they’ll argue with you about how you’re not actually facing that problem. Like,
Me: Hey, I’m really struggling to find a job and a part of it is my resume. I was depressed & psychotic during highschool so I didn’t do anything to gain skills or achievements to put on my resume. I also don’t have anyone to put as a reference. What can I do?
Them: You can add your skills, hobbies, clubs you’re in, and different volunteer work you’ve done! You can also get your teacher as a reference.
Me: I already know what to put on a resume, my issue is that I don’t have things that I can use. Also, I’m in my mid 20s so I don’t know if I can put my highschool teacher as a reference.
Them: Well if you’re a part of a church or an activity group, you could add that. Also, think of any projects you’ve worked on in the past.
Me: I already know you can put these things on a resume. I’m not looking for suggests of things I’ve already done, I’m looking for what I can do now if I haven’t done anything.
Them: There’s no way you didn’t do anything during highschool?? What about some odd jobs you definitely did for extra money, like babysitting or mowing the lawn?
Me: I spent all of highschool either in modified classes or in bed doing nothing - not even hobbies, what about that do you not understand?
And then you talk to someone who’s also disabled and they’re like “Here’s a bunch of jobs you can do from home that don’t pay much but look good on a resume, here’s some free online courses that also look good on a resume, here’s how you can be making small amounts of money in the meantime, here’s some things you can put besides a professional reference, and here are your rights if your future employer tries to take advantage of your disability - which you probably shouldn’t tell them about unless you need accommodations.”
And suddenly my will to continue trying returns!
c…can we maybe get some of those ideas in full? Pls?
Two other people asked as well so okay! Though this post will be rather long.
Freelance Jobs You Do From Home That Look Cool On A Future Resume
Please research any company before sign up with then. So many companies are scams and pay you way less than you deserve for your work. Go to r/freelancers and search to make sure nobody has had some horrid experiences. There’s also usually reviews of a company on YouTube as well.
- Transcribing - adding subtitles to videos for deaf and other hard of hearing people. You usually read a big instruction manual, do two or three tests to see how well you can follow the instruction manual, and then get an e-mail if you can work with them or not. Depending on where you sign up, you can also fill out which topics you’re knowledable on and less likely to make mistakes on when transcribing.
- Translating - same as transcribing, but now you’re translating one language into another. I have not done this before, so I’d suggest talking to people who have.
- Article Writing - there are different websites you can sign up to work for where someone sends in a request for an article about a certain topic, you can write that article, and if they like it they can purchase it from you. Some websites have a ranking system where the more good reviews your article gets, the more money you’ll get paid.
- Article Editing - you can also get payed to fix typos and reorganize an article (or list) if writing isn’t your thing.
- Top 10 Lists - There are different sites that will pay you to write 10 ten lists. They usually require a specific amount of words and have an author’s guide on their site.
- Graphic Designer - if you go to different generic freelance websites, you can often find people who are searching for someone to design logos for their company or banners for their websites. It helps if you have a portfolio as well.
- Virtual Assistent - scheduling appointments, answering calls, and managing email accounts from your own home. I haven’t done this one so again, do more research.
Small Amounts Of Money
- Qmee - I’ve been using this app for awhile called qmee where you do surveys for money. Surveys usually pay anywhere in between 30 cents and 2 dollars, and they have a feature where if the survey asks you anything sketchy then you can report them. You can also cash out whenever, like you don’t have to build up a certain amount. (If you aren’t American, you may only get a couple surveys per day.) An extra 20 dollars a month isn’t much but it’s nice.
- Fiverr - A website where you state your talents and you can take on other people’s smaller projects for small amounts of money. A funny example is this YouTube skit where someone paid some people on fiverr to come up with a break-up letter. I believe you can also keep a portfolio for any projects you make during your freelance jobs on fiverr too.
- Redbubble - this is where you can put different designs onto different types of clothing, notebooks, mugs, hats, etc. It helps if you have a design that’s from a fandom, references a meme, or fufills a niche. You can also go to TeeSpring if you want to put multiple designs on one item, but you’d have to promote your items yourself as TeeSpring has this issue where you can’t search for new stores who aren’t already popular.
- Test Products - once again, please research any company you’re going to do this for. There are companies that will send you products for a week or two and ask for a report on how well it works, what you like/dislike, etc.
If You Don’t Have Anyone To Put On Your Resume As References
- Volunteer Somewhere - animal shelters, tutoring, soup kitchens, summer programs, public libraries, etc. If you’re able to volunteer somewhere, you can ask the people there if you can use them as a reference.
- Volunteer Online - you can also do online volunteer work if you’re unable to do physical volunteer work. Here’s a list of examples of online volunteer work which includes things like creating a large amount of thank-you cards, transcribing books into digital form, or answer texts or calls on a crisis line. This may be a better option due to covid.
- Add Personal References - friends and family members do work (just don’t list them as professional references). It’s especially helpful if you’ve done a project for/with them as well.
- Or don’t add references at all - references look good on a resume, but unless you’re writing a federal resume you kind of don’t need them? If someone is interested in hiring you, they may ask if you have any references. You can just say “no, this is my first job” (if it is). They might ask why you haven’t worked before, but you can just say that it’s personal or private information. Or you can give a vague answer like dealing with family matters.
Once you have some, this is how you would format your references.
None of these are long term solutions and not everything will work out for everybody. These are just helpful suggestions I’ve received over the years!
