Moving forward is good...though there's a ball and chain you want to deal with. Therapy?

Oh, there are headhunters...maybe you can connect with one. I don't think they charge a fee until you secure a position. There are also resume writers that can polish a resume. Best of luck xx

I can help you with your job search my friend. I am so good at finding jobs, but I cannot keep them because of my PTSD. If you need to message me off line, please feel free to do so.

Your friend is right, stop posting online about your mental health issues or at least stop posting under your own name. The internet is a great place, half the people out here are lying and not posting under their own name. Join the crowd about using a false name. That way you can still post, and you can also protect yourself from companies searching online, and trust me there are a lot. I have been on both sides, hiring and being interviewed. When hiring I always checked online. Surprising what people post under their own name, even smart educated people.

Now delete what you can, get rid of anything from facebook, etc that might be taken the wrong way or identify you as having a mental illness. Companies have a legal obligation to protect their workers so they tend to shy away from mental illness as it can be unpredictable. Look at everything like your were the company lawyer. If it is questionable get rid of it.

Now, to get hired. Find a company you want to work for. Learn everything you can about it. Use linked in to form contacts with the people there. Befriend them and get the inside track, this will take a bit of time. They will give you the inside track and may even get you a job. Look at their education, look at their professional contacts, look at their professional groups they are part of and join those groups. Then you can mingle. Be prepared to take an entry level job at the company but tell them you want to move up and that you think it is vital to start at the bottom so you have a complete understanding of the company. Tell them you look at it as an extension of your education.

Start using social media to your benefit. Tweet what you have been doing. Find free courses, professional groups that are in the field of your expertise and tweet about it, put it on facebook etc.

Go to your school and ask the career counsellor for help. Have them review all your resumes and cover letters before they go out. Work with them. Many of these career counsellors have pull with the companies, so bring them coffees and suck up to them. Yes, I did say suck up to them. Also your profs have pull, get each of your profs to write you a reference letter and include the best of them with your resume when you apply. Ask if you can use their names as reference too.

Lastly, the interview, know the type of questions they ask. Get in tight with employees on linkedin and get the interview guides a head of time. If you cannot get these get your career counsellor to give you a list of the most asked questions and form answers to it using STAR. Look up STaR on the internet. Video tape yourself answer these questions. Know them inside and out before the interview.

Like I said if you need help, let me know. I know I can help you get a job. That is the easy part for me....I just wish I could keep them because man I have had some great jobs.

i can relate we equate work and self esteem when i had to go on disability i lost my so called identity,,, i feel the same about not working i hate that i am not contributing ,,, it can feel really bad but keep the faith, i too can relate feeling the abusers stole my life,, i made a list once and it said if i dont give up they win if i keep going i win if i stay a good person no matter what i win,, it has been a real struggle,, i worked so hard to become a teacher,,, i had taken one year off and a trauma happened now 9 years later i am really not able to work so please there is always hope,, you are not your abuser values you have value and worth as long as you can keep in mind that you are worth it,,, never give up ,, there are many of us iin this boat of life with you that care

More of the same, I'm afraid....

1. You can go to any job resource center and get free information on interviewing, etc., most towns and cities in the US have employment resource agencies of some kind, as will your alma mater.
2. You can see if there's a temp agency for medical personnel. A lot of places have them.
3. Don't look in the mirror. Sounds weird. But for two days, say the weekend? Just don't. I do this when I start obsessing over my weight, looks, hair, skin, you name it. Taking two days off? Helps me "reset". I don't need a mirror to brush my teeth, face or hair, so I just don't bother. (You can cover it with wrapping paper, that works for me.)
4. Find counseling. See if your area has any agencies that specialize in helping people who've gone through what you have.
5. Putting trauma "behind" us is kinda like trying to lose our shadows, IMO. Maybe instead of trying to be someone to whom it never happened, go ahead and be *you*? Did that make sense? If not, I apologize. Rough day here in LeoLand, and my brain is pudding. I'm trying to say.... It takes time, and no one has a deadline set for you except *you*, okay? So it's okay if it takes years. I'm in my mid-forties and still dealing with crap from 30 flipping years ago---just is what it is. So it's not about "doing wrong", it's about the process.... it goes as it goes. Not very comorting, but sadly, true.

GEntle hugs and support,
Leo

Delete any and every post you have ever made about your mental health under your own name, ever.
Employers can google.
If you put your picture on any posts, delete that too, image search works also.
Check Craigslist for local work, surprisingly good listings.
Speak to a recruiter.
Consider going back for a master's or looking for a paid internship.
You will probably have to relocate.

Trauma tends to be a long, lingering thing. Some people, a minority( I think) really can put it behind them. Most try to seal it off, only to have it come back later. Some get slammed immediately and stay that way.

Sorry you're having a rough time. Good luck finding a job.

CC is right, that's good step by step advice for getting that job. Then the trick is hanging on to it. I got a first job after my PTSD crash in 2010 and only held on to it for 1 year. Then I went through all of your anxiety in a job search all over again. Booooo! Fortunately, I've held on to this one for 4 years now. Fingers crossed, because it means more than just a job to me, too.

Lots of support your way.