Useful Strategies to use during the Job Hunting Process
- Use your personal and social networks to tell everyone you know you are looking for a job.
- Do research to learn as much as you can about the companies you are interested in before interviewing.
- Customize your cover letter and resume to suit each job you apply for.
- Ask questions during an interview. This should be a two-way street so this is your chance to interview the company while they are interviewing you.
- Send a follow up thank you note to everyone you meet during the interview process. Not only is this polite and shows appreciation for the interviewer’s time, it is a nice, subtle way of reminding them of what a good choice you would be for the company.
Personal Data Sheet (PDS)
A PDS is a document used by someone with a visual impairment or other impairment that inhibits his or her ability to read or write using a standard print format. The PDS contains all of the information that you would typically be asked to supply to complete an application:
- Name
- Address
- Telephone number
- Details about your academic and work history
- Supervisors’ names
- Reference names and contact information
On the PDS, you can include everything and anticipate any question that might pop up on an application. You then have all the information handy for a scribe—someone who writes for you to complete an application form manually. The advantage to having the information in a hardcopy format is that the scribe can simply copy from one sheet to another and he/she is less likely to commit errors of omission, transpose numbers, or misspell words.
When is the “right” time to inform others about my disability?
Scenario A: If I tell someone about my disability in advance—whether on the telephone or in a cover letter—will they still consider me for the job or simply make a polite excuse for not interviewing me?
Possible positive consequences:
- The employer will think you are comfortable with who you are and well-adjusted to your disability.
- The employer will consider you assertive.
- The employer believes that a blind or visually impaired person can do the job and is not off-put by your revelation.
- The employer knows competent blind or visually impaired adults and looks forward to meeting you.
Possible negative consequences:
- The employer will be intimidated and find an excuse to not interview you—any excuse will do.
- The employer will be afraid that you might sue under ADA and will interview you, but plan not to hire you—any excuse will do.
- The employer has an elderly relative with poor vision and hearing and will think that you are deaf, blind, and dumb—no interview.
- The employer has had a bad experience with another blind or visually impaired person and assumes that you are the same—no interview.
Scenario B: If I go to the job site and pick up an application, thereby revealing my blindness, will the employer still interview me?
Possible positive consequences:
- The employer will think you are competent enough to get in to pick up the application and, therefore, may well be competent to do the job—interview forthcoming.
- The employer will discuss how you came across to others in the office (personnel clerk, for example) and find out whether or not you seemed competent, pleasant, assertive, etc. and will decide to interview you based on their observations, rather than speculation.
- The employer will assume that you are comfortable with your disability (as above) and interview you.
- Employer will base his or her judgment on you and not some distant relative or association with another blind person from the past—definitely to your advantage!
- Someone, possibly the prospective employer, will have an opportunity to ask you what kinds of accommodations you will need to perform on the job or for the interview or for pre-interview tests—it will not be a guessing game.
- You have an opportunity to demonstrate your competence, to “strut your stuff.”
Possible negative consequences:
- There is someone in the personnel office or “front office” who has a prejudicial attitude towards blind people and circumvents you from getting an interview—maybe better not to work there.
- The employer refuses to believe that you a) got there by yourself, b) could ever find the place again, c) had extensive supports to “look” so independent, d) arrives at his/her own conclusions that are not expressed
- Employer refuses to believe you are visually impaired—think you are not authentically visually impaired
Scenario C: If I wait until I get to the interview to reveal my visual impairment, will I still get the job?
Possible positive consequences:
- Some employers do not mind the surprise and you can allay their concerns, if they have any, in person.
- The evidence on your paperwork (application and resume, if you have one) has proven you are qualified and should be interviewed. Now you can demonstrate your competence in person.
- There are no preconceived notions of who you are—old, deaf-dumb-blind, other.
- Possible negative consequences:
- Some employers definitely do mind being surprised and will wonder what else you’ve failed to mention or share with them.
- Some employers may feel as if you have “sprung” this on them as a warm-up for a lawsuit, if you are not hired.
- Some employers may be so distracted by your disability that they do not pay attention to who you are and what you have to offer.
- You could end up making another person feel very uncomfortable and “out-of-sorts” with you
Scenario D: I have pretty good vision. If no one can tell I have a disability, can’t I get away with not revealing it and have a better chance of getting the job?
Possible positive consequences:
- Maybe the boss will not notice and will hire you, assuming you have no disability.
- Maybe your co-workers will not notice once you are on the job and you will not get caught in an omission of the truth. Can you live with that? Can you maintain the “appearance” of normal vision? What will happen if you are found out?
Possible negative consequences:
- The employer will notice and think you are lying or trying to “pull one over” and then assume that you a) cannot see well enough to do the job and, hence, the lie; b) you are not well-adjusted to your disability and may be difficult to work with; c) think the employer is too stupid to notice
- Your protection under the Equal Opportunities Act (EOA) may be jeopardized—the employer is not required to make any accommodations for a disability he or she is unaware an employee has.
- The boss and/or your co-workers will notice that you have trouble with printed materials and assume that you are learning disabled, mentally retarded, or have some other problem
Scenario C: If I wait until I get to the interview to reveal my visual impairment, will I still get the job?
Possible positive consequences:
- Some employers do not mind the surprise and you can allay their concerns, if they have any, in person.
- The evidence on your paperwork (application and resume, if you have one) has proven you are qualified and should be interviewed. Now you can demonstrate your competence in person.
- There are no preconceived notions of who you are—old, deaf-dumb-blind, other.
- Possible negative consequences:
- Some employers definitely do mind being surprised and will wonder what else you’ve failed to mention or share with them.
- Some employers may feel as if you have “sprung” this on them as a warm-up for a lawsuit, if you are not hired.
- Some employers may be so distracted by your disability that they do not pay attention to who you are and what you have to offer.
- You could end up making another person feel very uncomfortable and “out-of-sorts” with you.
Scenario D: I have pretty good vision. If no one can tell I have a disability, can’t I get away with not revealing it and have a better chance of getting the job?
Possible positive consequences:
- Maybe the boss will not notice and will hire you, assuming you have no disability.
- Maybe your co-workers will not notice once you are on the job and you will not get caught in an omission of the truth. Can you live with that? Can you maintain the “appearance” of normal vision? What will happen if you are found out?
Possible negative consequences:
- The employer will notice and think you are lying or trying to “pull one over” and then assume that you a) cannot see well enough to do the job and, hence, the lie; b) you are not well-adjusted to your disability and may be difficult to work with; c) think the employer is too stupid to notice
- Your protection under the Equal Opportunities Act (EOA) may be jeopardized—the employer is not required to make any accommodations for a disability he or she is unaware an employee has.
- The boss and/or your co-workers will notice that you have trouble with printed materials and assume that you are learning disabled, mentally retarded, or have some other problem
- The boss and/or your co-workers will discover that you have a visual impairment and assume a) it must be a progressive problem and that is why you did not discuss it, b) it must be contagious, c) it must be part of deeper-seated problems and they should be concerned about their safety around you, d) it must bother you so much that you will not talk about it.
- So, what to do? Think long and hard before you decide. Consider the listing above and add to it other consequences you can think of, because you know how people react to you and how you want to handle their reactions so that things work out best for you.
- You choose. Take care of yourself and do what feels right in your heart as well as your head!