Question:

I am a college graduate, currently in graduate school, and excellent experience working with computers and networks, and stutter. When I interview, I tell the interviewer that my stuttering doesn't affect my job performance in any manner, yet employers have often hired less experienced people instead of me because of my stuttering. How can I get prospective employers to see past my speech and look at my credentials?

First Answer:

If your stuttering is really significant, it would be foolhardy to assume that no one will notice in interviews, or on the job. In a perfect world, employers would look past even the most aggregious disability, but it's NOT a perfect world.

I'm assuming that you have already tried to worth with a speech therapist to improve your level of gluent speech. If you haven't, you should. It will be an investment that gives you dividends for a lifetime.

Above this, I think it depends upon the job you're applying for, and the employer. If you are applying for jobs for which you can reasonably perform the duties required of you despite your stuttering (E.g. you work mainly with machines) then the employer must still consider you for a job if you are qualified in all other ways. On the other hand, since most offices require the use of phones and other equipment for which adequate speech and verbal communication is essential, only you can decide carefully what jobs to apply for.

I think overall appearance will help employers see you holistically, instead of zeroing in on your stuttering. If you want emplolyers to focus in on something other than your stuttering, give them something BETTER to look at! In my book, YOU ARE THE PRODUCT: How To Sell Yourself To Employers, I make it clear that selling yourself to an individual employer take advance work and a personalized approach to every interview. If you look and feel confident that you can do the job, the employer is more likely to be convinced of that, too. Make it clear in the interview what you would work well despite your stuttering, and emphasize all your other qualities that will help the employer get the job done!

-- Alison Blackman Dunham, life & career expert, columnist, personal public relations consultant, half of THE ADVICE SISTERS®, and the author of the ASK ALISON career advice column

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