Is it possible for someone who stutters to get a job?

Question

I stutter and no one will hire me. I call for jobs and when they hear me talk they make excuses like the job is filled or something like that.

Answer 1

Go in person instead of calling. Take a copy of The Stuttering Foundation's brochure for employers with you. Also, work on improving your fluency by reading the Stuttering Foundation's book "Self Therapy for the Stutterer" available through them or public libraries. Go to www.stutteringhelp.org and look under "Brochures for All Ages" and print out the brochure for employers. You might also read the one about talking on the telephone.

Answer 2

Wow, that's awful. I honestly think people are just caught off guard when they hear you, and probably feel bad about it after they hang up. Try calling back and asking again, be persistent.

I once worked with a woman who had a hard time placing a guy, and after a while she found out it was because he lost 3 of his fingers in a war. She just called the hiring managers first and said "you'll notice he shakes hands weird, he happens to be a war vet" People weren't taken by surprise anymore, and he got a job offer.

Maybe if you send an email stating your talents, and you have one little itsy bitsy noticeable difference (happen to stutter) people won't be caught off guard. I know people shouldn't have to state that in cover letters, but it may be your best defense. The other thing is contact Goodwill Industries, they place people with disabilities, maybe stuttering is considered a disability and they can help you find a job.

Answer 3

Of course you can.

You just need to really impress them with your abilities in other areas. The best comeback I ever heard came from a man that stuttered. He said that his brain was moving so fast his mouth could not keep up.

I do need to question the way you are trying to get a job. If you do realize that oral communication is not your best strength, why do you use it to communicate with a potential employer for your initial contact?

You do not say what career field you are attempting to enter. I am going to assume that your skills can be captured with the written word. Show the potential employer what you can do with a fantastic resume. Exhibit your skills on paper, illustrate how your skills have saved employers time and money---they will understand that those skills can help them as well.

If you do not change the way you present your varied experiences and skills to potential employers, it looks like you do not have a real interest in success. I hope that you are not using your stuttering as a crutch to show the world "Woe is me, I can't get a job".

No, I do not think that is the case; otherwise you would not have asked us for help. So grab some paper, and write down what you can do for a potential employer based on your education, experience, skills, and natural gifts and get busy writing yourself a winning resume. Good Luck!

Answer 4

Job recruiters often mistake what they hear for ignorance...

People who stutter are among the most intelligent people you will EVER meet.

Stuttering is a striking sign of someone who is thinking at three times the speed of their mouth moving motor skills and a serious indication of a level of intelligence that often hides a person's inner true genius.

Beware of supervisors and managers who think a person is stupid or handicapped because "he can't talk in a complete sentence..." -- how very wrong they really are -- even worse, it shows how very ignorant they really are...

Einstein, Watt, Tesla, Tom Cruise, Roosevelt, and many many many famous people with REAL brains OFTEN stutter. Some stutter really badly too, but their brilliant performances on the stage and screen often fool their audiences.

...Yes, I stutter too. But, I can do three digit math in my head and memorize 30 digit numbers and understand complex electronics, do technical writing, and even taught myself to program in Windows and hookup complex electronics to programs I self write and display real time info on charts that scroll across the screen. When I taught in college, I often taught for weeks without even opening the books and often run circles around my peers.

I'm no genius, but I know I'm smart.

Don't let me put words in your brain, you know what YOU are truly capable of...Don't let anyone tell you that you are average, because you're not.

Answer 5

I have known a successful attorney and a successful scientist who both stuttered. Both wonderful guys. I learned patience from them.

Both of them armed themselves with tools through ecucation so they cannot be denied. You also should persue excellence in a field that you find rewarding so that you cannot be denied.

You don't have to be a scientist or a lawyer but for example if you are a car mechanic, be an ASC certified mechanic. If you paint houses, be the guy everyone in the neighborhood recommends.