4 Tips on Landing Jobs for Disabled Adults
Finding and getting a job can be hard for anyone. Add to that the fact that you are a person living with a disability and it becomes outright daunting. Even after the Americans with Disabilities Act was passed, advocate organizations such as the National Organization on Disability, have been collecting data and their research shows that, unfortunately, the unemployment gap has not substantially improved since the 1980’s when they started measuring. And this is not because they cannot perform well due to their disability or because there aren’t any available jobs for disabled adults.
The good news is that the laws are in your favor, and companies cannot discriminate against a disabled person who has all the qualifications to do a job. What’s more, the most recent legislation requires companies related to the federal government to aim to have at least 7% of their staff be made up of employees with disabilities.
So we are here to give you some encouragement and a few tips on how to get jobs for disabled adults and some approaches to handling the interview.
1. Identify the right Industry and field for you
“Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.” This phrase has been attributed to different prominent people, but it is constantly repeated for a reason, and it is no less true when we talk about jobs for disabled adults. There is nothing more encouraging than working for something you are interested in. If you match your work with something that you are deeply interested in, this will give you the motivation to be perseverant, improve, and carry out your job with gusto.
2.Have clear goals
Without a specific objective, people tend to take any role that they can get and this reflects in their interview. Potential employers want to hire people who are excited and genuinely enthused about the position they are applying for.
If you are having trouble choosing a specific field, you can focus on a particular skill you would like to hone, or something you are interested in learning more about. Having clear goals shows a potential employer that you are serious about finding and sticking to a particular market need and making a contribution.
3.Market yourself
How do you decide between brands of cereal when you go to a supermarket? Easy. Marketing! Those products with the best marketing campaigns cause the best impression on buyers. The same thing applies to interviewees for a job. It might sound a bit strange, but truth be told, if you can’t sell yourself to your interviewer, chances are they will choose someone who can. There are several ways to do this. For example, you can learn all you can about the company, its culture, the type of employees they want and then highlight your skills and experience in a way that matches what you learned.
I, for one hand, am not very good at job interviews, but I love designing and as a content writer, creativity is a crucial point, so I created my CV in a way that catches the eye. How? Well, for starters, it has a purple background instead of a white, grey, or beige one. This alone makes me stand out from the rest, and it also serves as an icebreaker for the interview. This works for me, but what works for you or your potential employers might be slightly different. The key is to make yourself and your skills set you apart from the rest.
4. Offer only the necessary information.
Talking in-depth about your disability and what it entails is not necessary during the interview, and the interviewer is not legally allowed to ask. So instead, focus on what you can do for the company. Unfortunately, people tend to make assumptions, but you can shift that to your favor by revealing only the most necessary information and turning the attention to your strengths.
We hope you find these tips for getting jobs for disabled adults useful. And remember, the first thing you need to do is start. Start looking for a job that is right for you and that lets you develop professionally and personally, so you can live a fuller life.