I'm in the US - Texas

. To have a difference many people may not be used to and which they react to, it's easy to think you are all alone, and then you learn about it happening to others. On one hand, you see it isn't just you, but then you don't want others going through anything similar. Such as what a way to relay confidence to Pen^2's DH, as he was told, "Let's see if we can work with you anyway." Goodness. And about the lady with service dog that camlan shared, it's boggling to think people wouldn't catch on to there of course being a routine dealing with the dog's needs and so forth. Especially since it was specifically-trained and it would be going everywhere the lady would.
Tyler Belle - I wanted to add something.
You sound like a very smart and insightful person. I know how hard it is to find a job, and I know that when someone is also dealing with a *difficulty" then that can make it even harder to get hired.
(I know because my DS is dealing with difficulties of other sorts and he cannot find a job)
So here is some advice -
first, your case worker should not be saying things like that to you. so she had another client who was a small person and had difficulties getting hired. so? maybe that other person also had *other* issues? and besides, everyone is different. so what didn't work for him may work for you. don't let your case worker discourage you.
Second - and I apologize if I am saying something inappropriate to you - maybe you should look into some kind of trainign or education. I don't know if you have already gone to school for a career path, but maybe it's something you should look into. is this possible?
third - and this is something that worked for me - when you keep doing the same thing and keep getting the same results (= not getting a job) then it may be time to change course. I know you got some good advice here and i know that you are thinking about it. I like the suggestion that you raise your height issue in the interview. Even if they don't ask you "do you have any questions" then just say "before we finish i did want to say something".
and good luck.
Thanks! My dad for another thought it shouldn't have been said when I shared with him about what I'd been told. It wasn't meant to be nasty, but it wasn't too fair either, and unfortunately left quite an impression with me.
There is a place for job training in a town not too far from me. I just recently found out about it, and plan to be looking into within the coming weeks.
Cheyne's advice worked for me, too. I used to get super nervous, so I started writing down all the 'standard' interview questions I could think of and would then answer them aloud to myself a few times (not memorised, just to get used to saying certain points in a certain order). It helps a lot, because then when you're in a stressful situation, your brain can just default to what you practiced, and you don't have to act like a deer in the headlights. I found that for nearly all the questions they asked, I had an answer stored away somewhere that fit, even if it wasn't quite the same question as I'd anticipated.
Absolutely. This is the number one best interview advice I ever got. I had a list of questions like, "So, tell me about yourself!" and "What have you done before this?" and "Why did you leave your last job?" and "Tell me about a time you had to overcome a challenge." I spent weeks thinking about and typing out and refining my answers to present the most important information that I wanted to make sure an interviewer learned about me, and to present things I was nervous about in the best light. Then I practiced saying my answers, by myself in the mirror and then with friends, until I sounded like a normal person instead of reading cue cards, relaxed and confident.
Doing this helped me internalize some good ways of describing myself and my work, and instead of freezing and going blank during an interview, I was able to respond in an intelligent and well-spoken way to almost anything they asked me.
I'd say the most important thing is to come up with a 2-3 sentence "elevator pitch" to describe yourself and what kind of work you're looking for. If you can quickly and intelligently respond to "So, tell me about yourself!", then you've got a huge advantage over most people.
I really hope you find work that you love!
Thanks! I do like the idea of getting questions prepared and then considering answers to possible questions the interviewer will ask. For as you mention, I too have gone blank and not known what to say. Oh yes, practicing is what I'll need to do, and lots of it, to get things down pat and used to what I wish to get across, and not get all stumbling.
Or, volunteer to be asked.
"I know that my height probably carries some concerns for you that I might not be able to handle this job. I'm here because I'm confident I can. Are there any tasks you think I might have difficulty with so I can talk you through how I work around it?"
This feedback might be really helpful to you going forward.
Oh yes, I see the responses and feedback as great tools and information for moving forward. To say I'm so grateful for all is an understatement. I worried (which I'm good at) that my shorter-than-short appearance would be more of a focus, and it hasn't been. I gotta say it's inspiring to hear about *inviteseller's coworker and to know with folks here if you were to interview ones like me and I had a good presentation and with the right qualifications, that I would have a good chance to be hired. There is hope

. I have also learned in here how to tactfully broach the subject of how my height might effect my being hired and how I could suggest or assure I can't say thanks enough!!