What makes you unemployable?

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I volunteer once a week at the library, and I manage ok at the moment.
But I don't think I could get a real job, because I'm late sometimes to the volunteer work because of sleep issues, I can't deal with people, and I overload with lots of noise, people, or warm heating. Also gastrointestinal issues can sometimes interrupt what I'm doing, and they get worse when I'm anxious. Also there's 'the knack' to things and not knowing what to do with myself, but hating direction.

The library job works in my favour though, because there's a rigid system for pretty much everything. That means I can just go do what I've been told to, and I don't have to deal with people directly. Also not being interrupted is a bonus, because that's something that makes me stressed out, and my singlemindedness gets tedious time consuming jobs done when other librarians don't want to do them.

I have family members in academics and I'm afraid even though the University setting is more accepting of special interests and quirks, there is a definite social dynamic one has to navigate. I had an older friend when I was in college who was buddies with many of my professors so I got to see them in their social element. Not too much different from junior high. Academics are more and more competitive. My cousin has a recent doctorate in Anthropology and is scrambling to find a position. She recently had a 5 hour interview with Smithsonian. It's hard everywhere.

Partly me. I rarely even try and get a job, the one time I tried all I got was spam and attempts to get me to money launder.Partly I have Asperger's Syndrome and can't get on well with others.

Yes, me too, I always looked further for his posts and still hope he'll come back some day.

What happened to Willard? Did he say he was leaving? I always loved his posts too. I hope he is okay.

My friend scared him off by saying he didn't have AS and all and listed reasons why. Then he came back and left again shortly.

I don't know that I'm "Unemployable", but I'm damn uncertain about my job prospects. For one, I've been out a real job so long because of my disabilities (Depression and Insomnia, primarily. My AS also puts limitations on what I can do; not a "people person" by any means.) that I feel like, however illogical this may seem to others, potential employers would wipe their backsides with my application. And because all of my disability money for AS goes to just keeping a roof over my head, there's not much I can do to pay for appointments, medicine, etc, while keeping as much money as I'd like in my account. Sorta sucks, doesn't it?

That said, I'm thinking of getting in touch with an old employer and maybe going back to Supported Employment and seeing if I can't just trudge through my issues to maybe find some decent work. I have my concerns, such as repressing the symptoms of my illnesses as best I can during my shifts, how much time it will take to find a job, hopping from place to place, dealing with people and stressing myself just to get an application with no guarantees of employment, but while those concerns have and do weigh very, very heavily on my mind, I still think that maybe I have a shot if I spend some time looking. If nothing else, I suppose there is dignity in the attempt; in going out and looking to reintegrate yourself in the workforce.

Ego & the pursuit of freedom in this short existence.

no one will hire me anyway so i gave up..if someone offers a work sure ill do it...but likely not at least a paying one...so ill just get some van and go have fun

The interviews are what make me unemployable... I think. I've had a few, and they always ended very quickly (and you know what that means).

Reasons I'm unemployable--
Sensory overload leads to regular shutdown.
Social skills are too weak to work with people.
Unable to detect duplicity/lying, etc., except through logical contradictions.
PTSD and depression left over from childhood abuse (both currently in remission).
Burnout usually happens within three months because the amount of downtime I get isn't enough to recover.
Executive dysfunction leading to problems with task-switching, planning, and organization.
Self-care takes longer for me than for most people, even though I'm completely independent with it.

Yep, I agree with those things. I know, because those were the facts I put down on my application, and what I explained to the examiners. I also explained my work record and how I kept trying to work and kept getting fired because I couldn't do the job. At one point I actually called the social security office to explain how my status had changed because I had been fired from yet another job for being unable to intimidate the customers into not stealing gas from the gas pumps. Doing your own social security paperwork, if you can do so, does have its benefits--you can look at your situation thoroughly, unlike a lawyer with whom you would only meet occasionally. Thankfully I am pretty good at understanding relatively complex things, and studying SSI itself (I read a couple of books from the library) helped me get through the system the first time I tried. The important thing is just to make things very clear for them, stick to the facts, and explain what the barriers are that you are facing. You don't have to go into any pity party or anything--just say exactly what your life is like and exactly why you are having trouble working. They like that best, when everything is clearly stated.

If you keep trying to work and you keep getting fired, you may still be unemployable. The criterion they are looking for is "Can you find sustained employment?", not, "Can you find a job?" In fact, I suggest you do keep trying, because you may have overlooked some specific situation in which you can work (in which case you won't need SSI); and if not, it won't hurt your chances of getting SSI to have a work record of multiple short-term jobs that you kept not being able to do well enough to keep them. Not only does it illustrate why you have trouble working, but it makes it clear to them that you keep trying to work and that you are not a lazy bum who just wants a meal ticket. And like I said, you might get lucky--maybe you'll find a job you can do, and you can go tell SSI to kiss your butt and go bug somebody else with their flood of paperwork.

I would also suggest getting hooked up with your local bureau of vocational rehabilitation. They can often find little niche jobs that skip around your weaknesses and let you work even with a disability. In my case, they are helping me buy textbooks and occasionally pay for tuition at a local college, so that I can use my talent with science and logic to find a job as an engineer. I'm still on SSI until I can support myself; but I might be able to get off it, if I can get a job in my area of strength. That's another possibility: That you are unemployable now, but you would be employable with training. There are ways to access that necessary training.

If you have trouble figuring out the system, I would highly suggest getting a case worker. These are usually social workers available through referral from mental health agencies, etc., and can help you with everything from paying bills to navigating the job market to getting SSI paperwork filled out.