Career Book 4: 16 Career-Readiness Strategies for Parents of College Students with Special Needs

By: Jim Hasse

Narrated by: Chris Chappell

College Student with a Disability? Here's How to Prep for Today's Job Market

Jumping from school to work is different than it was just a few years ago. Diversity training is waning. Affirmative action is all but dead.

That's why Career Book 4 of this career-readiness series is a timely resource for you as a special needs professional, parent or college student.

Look inside. You'll discover:

• Twenty lessons for making the transition from school to work a little bit smoother
• Ten criteria for selecting the right career counselor 8 strategies for discovering disability's competitive edge in today's job market
• Four essential skills for finding the right job
• Three authors who show why developing a personal success story is essential

Author: Jim Hasse, who has life-long athetoid cerebral palsy, shares the wisdom he gained as a practicing, certified Global Career Development Facilitator for six years (his second career). During his first career, he served as a 33-year corporate executive, 10 years of which were at the vice president level for a Fortune 500 organization. Jim and his wife, Pam, live in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He's the author of 14 books about disability awareness and disability employment.

Narrator: Chris Chappell, a C6-7 Quadriplegic, is a dedicated disability advocate. From peer mentoring, career counseling, life-coaching and legislative crusading, Chris has been on the front lines of SCI (Spinal Cord Injury/Paralysis) advocacy for more than 35 years. In addition to his corporate career as Vice President of Investments at Morgan Stanley Smith Barney and Graduate Relations Coordinator at Craig Hospital, Chris has a successful commercial Voiceover and Audiobook narration business (Dublot, LLC). Chris and his family reside in Littleton, Colorado.

©2014 Hasse Communication Counseling, LLC (P)2015 Hasse Communication Counseling, LLC

Appreciate the perspective

As an employer who is looking to continue to diversify my workforce and recruit diverse perspectives, I appreciate the point of view of this book from the perspective of the job seeker and their support team. Great ideas that will help me better prepare to support candidates as well. The audiobook format is clear and simple to consume.

Avoiding Career Traps

At 76, Jim is a fox who is using his experience with a lifelong disability to identify (and avoid) traps that can hobble us all, disabled or not, in pursuing a meaningful, rewarding career. Chris, the narrator, drew me into each chapter.

Dwelling in Possibility

I plead guilty. I dwell in possibility for those with a disability. Am I naïve, sheltered from reality? Maybe. Or, do parents and mentors heed my call to be proactive in preparing youngsters for a new work world where disability as a negative is no longer relevant -- and that, in fact, disability is becoming a positive? My takeaway is that college students with a disability need to use their savvy to show employers they have a competitive edge as prospective employees precisely because they have learned to live well with vulnerability through creativity and persistence.