You are lucky that all you had to provide was a cover letter and a resume. This has been the norm for many years in the private sector. Federal Government is a bit different...but you still have to have resumes, examples of your work, etc., at least where I worked at.
No matter what you say to your h about his past jobs, it will make no difference. He is living in the here and now and wants you to find a job so that it will lighten his load and pressure a bit. Whenever he brings up about he job, just let it roll off your back. He knows you'll tell him when you get one. Besides, if you do find one, they will withhold at least one pay period before you actually receive a check...so I wouldn't tell him too much until you have your first check in hand.
You are dealing w/an entirely different situation here called crazy making and what may have been done or said in the past, doesn't matter now because it's all "live" now and no Memorex to be replayed over and over again. He wants more money to do things and the only way to do that is to have you get a job. We see this all over the forum where MLCers are driving the LBS crazy about being stay at home moms and they need to get a job, etc.
Let it go for now. Why? Because no matter what you say, he'll think you are deliberately dragging your feet about it. The best thing to do is sit quietly and just let Mother Nature take her course.
Sit quietly, the answers will reveal themselves when you least expect them to. The past is gone, the present is a gift and you need to focus on today, allow the future to reveal itself when it is ready.
