I've heard the same thing about weight being a factor in considering employees. I don't think there's really anything we can do about that. It's just the view some people in our society have about overweight people. Not everyone is like that though and the reality is that you are where you are right now and just need to put your best foot forward. I had the same fears when I went job hunting last year, but now I work for a great employer who was able to see my value despite my excess weight. The right job and the right employer are out there for you.

The best thing you can do is work as hard as you can. Is there any training you can do to prepare you for work? Education or vocational courses? Unpaid voluntary work while you jobhunt, just a few hours a week? Make yourself look as good as possible. Make sure your CV is well laid out and not too wordy (you can get free help with this online). Join agencies and set up email job alerts.

What area is it you want to work in?

If you do get turned down, don't automatically assume it is weight related. Jobs are hard to come by and lots of people lose out at the moment. And even at the best of times it is random, based on some words on a form, and a brief interview where the candidate is nervous or the interviewer might not be great either, not representative of you at all IMHO or even how good you are at your job, just how good you are at forms and interviews.

And much of it is confidence. If you believe you are fat/ugly/unemployable, that is what comes across to potential employers. It is hard but you have to believe you are good enough for the job.

So, what do you have? Make a list of your character strengths. Ask others what they think your strengths are. Even if you don't have qualifications, you might have transferable skills - good timekeeping/punctuality, hard working, social skills. These can be demonstrated in life not just education/work.

Also, look for recruitment fairs and events. There are some which are general, others might be specialist to an industry. You can meet recruiters there (needless to say dress smartly) and they often offer free CV checks or interview practice too.
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Best of luck, let us know how you get on.

Really, attitude is everything. Even as you are presenting yourself in the best possible light, consider the interviewer, to let your mental image of him/her be as of a friend.

A very successful woman I know, a bank vice president, was also a very large woman. She may also have had the education to back up her career, but she was above all very friendly and congenial. Her personality was a beacon and she was also a very successful public speaker.

I also hope you let us know how things go in your search...best wishes!

Typically as long as you can do the job you should have a good chance. I was a sahm for a while and went back to work about 3 yr ago. I am overweight and was skinny when I worked before. My job is actually physical but I can still do it. I rather be doing it smaller tho!