Help finding job coach covering 3 specific needs

March 12, 2022 11:33 PM

Looking for a *virtual* coach to help someone find and apply to jobs, BUT needs to be able to handle all three of their specific needs (anxiety/executive dysfunction, post-academic to tech or digital game industry, large gap in resume)....

Asking for a friend: suggestions of specific virtual coaches (or help searching for one) who can handle all 3 of these specific factors?:

#1 Executive dysfunction/anxiety around job search: freezes when trying to figure out what to do and getting it done (no job search progress in years)

#2 Specific industry interests: has math PhD and solo indie game development experience. Interest in videogame dev, AI, data science, other programming. Avoiding academia (no teaching), Dilbert-cubicle jobs. Salary is less important (can take unpaid/lowpay work to get to something better); wants interesting problems to solve, some autonomy/flexibility, nerdy coworkers. Needs help on where to apply, how, which jobs, how to interview...

#3 Weird resume gap: Prestigious math PhD then no formal employment for decade (did program/publish their own videogame during that time)

I've seen tech job coaches who don't look able to handle the fear/exec dysfunction stuff, or coaches who can handle that but don't understand the academic/tech/videogame fields or handling the huge resume gap. Thanks for any leads.

posted by anonymous to Work & Money (2 answers total)

For one thing, the programming and publishing their own videogame is NOT a resume gap; it should be listed on the resume along with work history/experience. Even volunteer work should be listed in this section. (That's info coming straight from a state applications workshop THIS WEEK - things like this need to be placed properly into resumes, or they will not be considered for things like pay equity.)

Your friend needs someone competent at writing resumes, or needs to learn to do them properly themselves. (The coaches apparently are not.) This may or may not be the same person who can help guide them in job search. Depending on the area the friend lives in, it's possible that there are free resources in the area.

There should certainly be help with interviews and the like, and the nearest unemployment office, or adjacent office that helps with this portion of it (in my state, it's Worksource) are what your friend should seek.

It's also likely that there is an organization in their area that helps those with disabilities seek appropriate jobs - and please, don't take offense nor let your friend take offense at this suggestion - because if it's impacting their ability to live a full life, the challenges ARE disabilities. It need not be something that they are receiving social security for (if in the U.S.).

For the things above, start with the local unemployment office for local resources. Maybe give local social services organizations a call. (I'd honestly be happy to do a search for you and see what I can find if your friend is in the US and you're willing to share a state.) There are also national organizations that help with disability job placement and resources.

And, just to add... your friend also needs to seek good therapy for dealing with the anxiety/ executive dysfunction. These do not need to be the same person/people as above, and honestly, you're unlikely to find someone strongly effective at both. Failing to tackle this part of the issue will make maintaining the job exponentially more difficult.
posted by stormyteal at 3:17 AM on March 13, 2022

Editing to add: JAN: Job Accommodation Network might be a useful site to explore for some of the disability-related things I mentioned.
posted by stormyteal at 3:35 AM on March 13, 2022