Need help to get POINT across about being hearing impaired when applying for jobs...

[CountryWolf07]

It's fustrating how I send out my resumes for full time jobs & I get calls but they end up being vague and I have to figure out the rest. Oh, and love it that they miss the memo that I am deaf. (but I have a cochlear implant as well) Any ideas how to get their attention on that through a cover letter/resume?
Please don't have any pity party on me or anything, but I am having a very, very, very hard time dealing with it, and facing my own demons when it comes to being deaf. It's such a struggle. All I want is someone to see through and realize I am actually GOOD at what I do for that JOB REQUIREMENT.

This is my cover letter:

To whom it may concern,

As a graduate from The Ohio State University with a Bachelors of Art degree from the College of Arts, I am looking for an opportunity to utilize my creativity, art education, and photography training. With this background and practical experience, I feel I would be an ideal candidate. I greatly appreciate your consideration and looking forward to interviewing with you where I would be able to illustrate my creativity and capabilities in the art/multimedia/entertainment field. I am hard of hearing, and if interested into having a interview with me, a in-person interview would be best to communicate with me. Please e-mail me to know further details if you are interested.I have enclosed my resume as well.
Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,
_________________

Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks.. :)

[Freedom]

First, I think I caught a typo for you:

"and if interested into having a interview with me, a in-person interview would be best to communicate with me. Please e-mail me to know further details if you are interested."

s/b

and if interested in having an interview with me, an in-person . . . . Please email me to arrange further details if you are interested.

***
So back to your original comment. "Hard of hearing" means different things to different people. It "could" mean you are age 60 or an older person and that is a whole different issue being thrown in there.

Why not just say "I am deaf, and although I do have a cochlear implant, telephone calls are very difficult and frustrating for me and the other person. An in-person interview is best for all concerned."

Just one idea.

[Karen]

I agree with Sandra (Freedom), I am "hard of hearing" in that I am deaf on one side, but the phone works fine for me, because I use my other ear. In most situations, people would never know.

Saying "I am deaf, but do have a cochlear implant, so I can function perfectly well in most situations. Please contact my by email, as answering machines are one of the things that the cochlear implant does not help much with."

Being deaf should not dissuade people, in fact, it would look well for their business in terms of the ADA. "Hard of hearing" is far more nebulous.

Also, I hope you do modify your cover letter to add specifics about each company you apply to, so you will stand out as someone who has done her homework.

[Bonny]

Just wondering is it even necessary to mention you are hard of hearing until you are interviewed? My husband can't hear a thing without his hearing aids & sometimes he still can't hear unless spoken to loudly with precise wording so he can hear. They aren't getting it about calling you? Can someone else take your call for you? I do that all the time for my husband. He can hear the best on his cell phone but our rotary phones don't work well for him. People just don't get it when you tell them you are hard of hearing it is like speak in an outdoor voice & let me watch your lips move so I can lip read. I go with hubby to appointments & have to sit there & get frustrated with those that hear but don't LISTEN when you tell them he is hard of hearing. There has to be a job out there somewhere waiting for you with the right kind of people. :)

[cyber-sibes]

I agree, being specific about your situation is better than writing something that leaves them wondering what it means. I just read that today on a resume-writing site. And don't get discouraged - the site mentioned that most job applications these days receive at least 100 applicants!!!

But, it gets very frustrating when you know you are qualified. :rolleyes:

:) You are very talented, the right situation will come along eventually.

[Cataholic]

I would not mention anything in a cover letter that could give someone doubts about hiring you, let alone making a phone call to you. I wouldn't put anything on your resume that speaks to your religious background, "fringe" groups, any disibilities, etc. You are, as someone said, one of many, many resumes they recieve. The ONLY thing to include are those things generally considered attributes.

I would forget about the ADA, state laws against discrimination, whatever. The reality is- people discriminate all day long and twice on Sunday. Get in the door, any way that you can.

Edited to add- if it is the phone call itself that is difficult, tell people you are currently working/volunteering during the day and you need to be contacted through email...and make sure you have a professionoal email address. For instance, I would stay away from yahoo, hotmail, gmail, and the like. IMO- those addresses aren't as professional sounding as your local cable company, or phone company address. This is MY opinion, and my opinion only.

[smokey the elder]

Another thing to do is get a TDD on your phone; that way your being deaf shouldn't enter into the equation. If you wish to disclose that, maybe doing an interview by Skype or other video VoIP might be an option, so you can lip read.

[catnapper]

Looks good to me, just a few minor editing comment. One being that it was one big paragraoph and I stopped reading halfway through. An overworked HR person with hundreds of resumes would stop too. Breaking it up gives her relief from all the words and she can easily scan the page to get all the info.

I also thinnk you should leave out the hearing issue. It might intimidate someone. My dad has Cerebral Palsy and can not use a computer for long (because the montior causes seisures) and once he removed it from his cover letter, he got some interviews.

To Mr. Xxxxxxx,

As a graduate from The Ohio State University with a Bachelors of Art degree from the College of Arts, I am looking for an opportunity to utilize my creativity, art education, and photography training. With this background and practical experience, I feel I would be an ideal candidate for the Bbbbbb position. I greatly appreciate your consideration and look forward to meeting you. I am eager to illustrate my creativity and capabilities in the art/multimedia/entertainment field **

I am sure you'll find that my resume covers all of the qualifications you are looking for. I genuinely look forward to hearing from you, and I would appreciate your initial contact be made via email.

Sincerely,

**(narrow this down to be specific about the job you're applying for... remove entertainment if its not involved in that particular job, etc).

[Louie and me]

Lot of good thoughts and suggestions here. I would mention the hearing situation as often screening interviews are the first contact and are usually by phone. However, you don't need to make this sound like a problem. Here is another draft you may want to consider.

"I am a graduate from the The Ohio State University with a Bachelors of Art degree from the College of Arts. I am looking for an opportunity to utilize my creativity, art education and photography training and feel I would be an ideal candidate for this position. I would welcome an opportunity to meet with you to illustrate my creativity, capabilities and practical experience in the art/multimedia/entertainment field.

I should mention I have a hearing impediment that does not impact my abilities in anyway due to a cochlear implant however an in-person interview would be more effective than a telephone interview. I will be happy to provide additional details by email.
Enclosed is my resume and I look forward to speaking with you".

Hope you can use some or all of this. Good luck.

[jennielynn1970]

I would go with what Cataholic (Johanna) said, or what Kim wrote. Anything that tips them off that they would be dealing with a potential candidate to sue them for discrimination would be a big X across your resume.

If you want to say you are deaf, go for it. Nothing to be ashamed about, but let them know that meeting you in person is the main objective so to better communicate with you.

Good luck, I know it's rough out there right now!

[CountryWolf07]

Thanks everyone for the help! I do want to say I'm deaf. I'm not ashamed of it, and if anybody has a issue over it, then too bad. I move on and leave that person behind, because it's not worth dealing with. :) I'd rather have more positivity in my life than the negativity clouding it. Appreciate it, everyone!

[Twisterdog]

So back to your original comment. "Hard of hearing" means different things to different people. It "could" mean you are age 60 or an older person and that is a whole different issue being thrown in there.

Why not just say "I am deaf, and although I do have a cochlear implant, telephone calls are very difficult and frustrating for me and the other person. An in-person interview is best for all concerned."

Just one idea.

Agreed.

[Cataholic]

I was not implying you are or should be ashamed of being hearing impaired. I was thinking about the horribley competitive job market and that any thing that makes an employer hesitate means an opportunity missed.

[kitten645]

I completely agree with Cataholic.
As someone who has job openings to fill on a regular basis, I get hit with 300+ resumes at a time. I HAVE to make snap decisions and quickly too. I imediately eliminate poor grammar, typos, unprofessional looking replies (including email addresses. Though I don't have any problem with what server anyone uses...its just "cutsiepoopsie@aol doesn't make for many points.) I also eliminate "blanket resumes" when it's clear they are just sending resumes to everyone!
Do the extra leg work of using the person's name and not just HR Dept. Courtesy also goes a long way. I think "Please email me with a good time we can meet." would get your point across. I'm not crazy about the "if you are interested" phrase. Sounds like you are looking for them to come to you. I think a more proactive phrasing would be stronger.
Good luck:) I know it sucks to be looking for work and must be even more so with your challenges. Keep the faith! Somewhere there's a perfect match for you.