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A good female friend of mine has been unemployed now for over a year but is still collecting unemployment benefits. She will likely collect benefits for the whole 99 weeks because she is not having any luck at all finding a job. I think that much of her trouble is her weight. She is big really big. She told me she has gained almost 100 pounds from the stress and is now 360 pounds. In all honesty, she looks just terrible.
My friend had a relatively successful career as an Administrative Assistant but after a year of unemployment she has sent out hundreds of resumes and had only four interviews. Each time she was brought in for an interview she was given a shocked look and sent packing in a few minutes. No one said she was too fat but she could tell by their body language that they wanted her gone as fast as possible.
If you were a hiring manager would you strongly consider a woman who was 5 foot 4 360 pounds for an adminstrative job in your company?
I think your friend is going to have a lot of trouble, especially in a job market as tough as this one with hundreds applying for any decent job. Apart from the issue of looks (which aren't supposed to matter but who's kidding), at that weight she is going to have a whole host of health problems which could mean a lot of time off and extra costs on a companies health insurance.
Is there anything you can do to help her get back on track? At the rate she is going, she will end up on disability and her working days will be over and that would be a terrible shame and waste. She's really going to have to choose to make it her job to get herself back, cheap gym membership, regular outdoor exercise, healthy food.
It will be VERY hard for her to make that step but I do know someone who got to the same place, obese, locked in the house, essentially unemployable. She realized she was on the precipice and managed to pull herself back.
I guess it depends. If in the role she will have to deal with clients, customers, etc then perhaps not.
Let's be honest (and I am overweight so it is not as if I am saying that I hate fat people), appearance does matter. Even if the manager does not care-- then the customers/ clients will have a FIRST impression of your business when they look at her. Even if it is not grounded in reality.
What do people think of fat people? They tend to think they are lazy, depressive, escapists, and lack complete motivation. Your friend MAY not be any of those things-- but that is the image is she projecting whether she likes it or not.
Then there is the question of her health. At that size and her height-- she is super morbidly obese. Her health will NOT stand up to that weight. She will be sick more, she will find it hard to get around, her heart is going to suffer as will her lungs. What if the company has to have her travel any? She will find it difficult to get on ANY domestic flight without buying another seat.
Your friend needs to have a harsh reality check and get her weight under control. Gaining 100lbs in about a year's time is completely unhealthy and is not done by just sleeping in the house and eating normal food.
I have had to do the same for myself so I am not just some delusional skinny person saying this either.
I agree with everyone else, she needs to lose the weight and get healthy. I know gym memberships cost money and so do personal trainers, but if you're broke you can do without those. You can find workout plans free on the internet. You can run, do pushups, situps at home, etc. Also, you can search Craigslist or check out garage sales for cheap workout equipment. I found a set of dumb bells in 5-pound increments from 5-45lbs. for $25 at a garage sale.
Once she gets to working out and losing the weight, she'll begin to feel better & become more confident. Usually that confidence will affect every aspect of one's life, so she will begin to see "I can do it, I can get a job!"
My concern would be simply her physical ability to do the work. I've worked with several obese people who were unable to perform some of the required work functions--one was unable to bend to be able to file, while another was unable to climb a metal stepstool to reach office supplies from a top shelf. If travel is involved I'd also be concerned about increased costs--two airline seats for example.
It's a very touchy subject, and the best answer is to encourage her to lose weight. Become her "walking buddy" and take 1-2 mile walks every night and help her find a weight loss support group. (Many hospitals and community centers have them with no cost involved.)
My hugely overweight friend who can not get a job has tried every diet in the world and has never had much luck. Her poverty makes it worse because she can not afford good food now.
Interesting story : Man was hired for the city sewer department about 12 years ago.
He weighed 500 lbs. ( Not sure if friends got him in )
He was never able to go down in the sewer hole and would be the lookout man.
12 years later a new boss noticed he was not performing his total duties and asked him why . He told the boss he was too big to get in the hole.
The boss told him to lose weight. Demanded he lose weight.
Employee went to see an attorney. Employee WON his case because he said they hired him 12 years ago at 500 lbs and always allowed him to be the lookout man. If they hired him at 500 lbs they would have to keep him at 500 lbs.
I think your friend will likely find work. I knew a very overweight guy who got rejected by 8 employers. The 9th one hired him ( this was BEFORE the recession crisis )
I would tell her to start walking her neighborhood daily to naturally get some of the weight off. Tell her to not give up hope.
Its true her appearence is her detriment right now. She needs to help herself to get more healthy.
My hugely overweight friend who can not get a job has tried every diet in the world and has never had much luck. Her poverty makes it worse because she can not afford good food now.
Please don't tell me she is ordering off the BK dollar menu....I know that food is cheap but very fattening..
My hugely overweight friend who can not get a job has tried every diet in the world and has never had much luck. Her poverty makes it worse because she can not afford good food now.
It's not just diet, it's also excercise. Like I suggested, become her walking buddy and do a couple miles each night. It will help jumpstart her metabolism to make losing weight easier on top of burning off calories.
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