Will my weight hold me back from a job?

[ochacon80]

Good evening all,

I am currently an EMT - B, and am currently looking for a job. I have applied for Mccormick, Gerber, West Coast, Patriot, AMR.. etc. I got call backs from both gerber and Patriot and eventually turned down Gerber and am waiting for a call back from P. My question though is about my weight. I know discrimination is not allowed, but could it quietly hurt me during selection processes? I used to be in good shape but had a desk job for seven years and allowed myself to balloon up. I was laid off and have since lost weight, but I still have a lot to go, and I don't want my certs to run out while I work on getting into my optimal shape. I worry though that maybe upon first glance that companies may not want to hire me, even though I have been medically cleared through physical. Do you guys think this will hinder me?

 

[8jimi8]

i think i read on the NREMT website that 79% of all EMS workers are overweight.

 

[exodus]

What is your weight / height?

 

[only1jomo]

i think i read on the NREMT website that 79% of all EMS workers are overweight.

LOL. 71.5 I read it today. Im working on decreasing the chub factor myself.

 

[ochacon80]

What is your weight / height?

6'2 345

used to be 6'2 415

http://bodyspace.bodybuilding.com/o_chacon/

This will give you a better idea of what im carrying. I have lost even more since my first progress pic, but the waist is still in the late 40's.

 

[Sapphyre]

We've got people who are big, so, I doubt that's the problem. In SoCal (I assume that's where you are, given your list of where you applied), like nearly everywhere, there's an overabundance of EMTs, and not nearly enough jobs.

 

[WuLabsWuTecH]

It's possible. While discrimination is not allowed, it doesn't mean people don't do it, and it's hard to prove.

I mean no offence by this statement, but some people will walk into an interview and see the candidate as overweight and have a bad initial impression just as if the candidate were dressed sloppily. In that respect, it could hurt you. But if you have been cleared medically, and can handle all the tasks of the job, then objectively speaking it can't hurt you.

Good work with the weight loss and keep it up! (errr.... Down?)

 

[Dearing Baymiller]

6'2 345

used to be 6'2 415

http://bodyspace.bodybuilding.com/o_chacon/

This will give you a better idea of what im carrying. I have lost even more since my first progress pic, but the waist is still in the late 40's.

damn bud, are close to my stats as well.
6.3, 355. i used to be up at 420 before i started paying attention to that and my diabetes. i still a have a large body fat ratio that's gotta be reduced.
but i'm working on it.
lotsa diet and exercise here. not just fad dieting either, i've managed to keep on a serious balanced diabetic diet for a while and recently cut out most diet soda for weak tea.
i'm kicking it into high gear this summer. EMT-B will start in October and end in April, so i have a few months to get prepared. i'm glad it's getting hot and sweaty here, i work out much better and with more entheuasism in the summer heat. B)

good luck!

dave

 

[EMTrainer]

Obesity and Job Performance

I'm overweight myself at 260 pounds 6'0". While discrimination against race, gender, religion, disability, age, etc. is rather well protected, discrimination against the obese is rather common and unfortunately more accepted. It is much like discrimination against smokers, the overweight are viewed as the result of their own unhealthy lifestyles. Reports of increased sick days, injuries, early retirement from the field because of obesity related health problems, and other loss of productivity don't help.

To put it bluntly, yes, weight can be a factor in getting your foot in the door of a new job. I can see management's point. My own weight has contributed to a knee injury and slowed recovery and at the midpoint of my career I am also starting to feel the effects on my back. I don't have the stamina and cannot move as freely as I could if I was 60 pounds lighter. Part of my lifting strength is wasted in carrying my own excess weight.

I empathize with you in that weight control for many people is not as easy as it sounds. I also know someone in EMS who has the opposite problem, he is of very slight build and short stature and has a heck of a time putting on any muscle. He also has had problems being accepted because he some people don't take him seriously even though he is an excellent EMT.

Hang in there, do what you can to improve your health and physical performance, and let your skills and work ethic speak for you. Here's wishing you good luck in your job search B)

 

[Sasha]

People say it won't but it very may well can. I think HasTy can better explain with first hand experience but just because discrimination is not allowed does not mean it doesn't happen.

Even if you get hired you will face discrimination and sizeist bigotry about your weight from coworkers and patients.

More luck to you, love.

 

[HasTy]

Dude seriously, you have it a little better than I do,

I am 6' 4" with about 380 pounds on me I applied for A company in So Cal that shal remain nameless but they shoved me in this machine that requires you to lift 130% of your bodyweight with nothing but your back...now the way i was taught and i am not sure how many others will agree with me but your not supposed to lift with your back at all. I was not hired by this company simply because of the fact that i could possibly be a back injury however other companies that i have talked to have not seemed to have a problem with my weight including AMR. So best of luck to me and if you have any questions comments etc. Hit me up with a PM I have done alot of research on this topic.

 

[ochacon80]

Thank you every one for your input! it is greatly appreciated on my end. I am just going to continue my cardio and weight routine, and continue to eat right, until I do get hired. I am sure there is an ambulance company out there who will hire me for my skills and ethic.

Hasty, PM sent your way.

 

[Dearing Baymiller]

Thank you every one for your input! it is greatly appreciated on my end. I am just going to continue my cardio and weight routine, and continue to eat right, until I do get hired. I am sure there is an ambulance company out there who will hire me for my skills and ethic.

Hasty, PM sent your way.

s.
i'm intensifying mine next week, it finally got hot and humid here in iowa, the best outside workout weather for me.

keep the faith man, and keep up the workout
motivation is the big one. don't get frustrated and break your diet.
WILLPOWER baby! yeah! h34r:


David

 

[daedalus]

No, it will not hurt your chances in SoCal. Most of my co-workers are overweight.

You should not have turned down Gerber over Patriot. Patriot is a medicare defrauding dialysis company that treats patients and EMTs like crap, is way more concerned with money than patient care, and has an average employment length of a few months as opposed to Gerber which is decently run, does community service, runs 911 calls, and is a agency you can stay with until you get picked up by a fire department. That was a big mistake.

 

[ochacon80]

I was ready to sign with Gerber but they pulled a bait and switch on me right before I got my schedule. They wanted to give no wiggle room towards my schedule and asked me to quit school for a year. Why would I quit school when I am in my last year? I really do not need to delay it any longer.

 

[Sasha]

I was ready to sign with Gerber but they pulled a bait and switch on me right before I got my schedule. They wanted to give no wiggle room towards my schedule and asked me to quit school for a year. Why would I quit school when I am in my last year? I really do not need to delay it any longer.

Fire Departments around here do that with school so they can put you through their own approved school and train you up the way they'd like.

 

[Aidey]

There are number of obese people that work were I do, and basically, as long as they can pass the annual agility/lifting test, the company doesn't have a problem with it. If they can't pass the test, they are given 6 weeks or something to retest, and if they don't pass again they are laid off. I think they can be rehired without going through the full hiring process if there is an open position and they pass the test within 3 months or something like that, but I would have to look at the union book to be 100% sure.

So while it's not exactaly discrimination, there are a certain level of physical abilities that are expected, and if you can't meet those, you probably won't get hired.