Getting a Job : What to do and How

The first job, the first interview, or for that matter any interview can be daunting. The interview is the prospective employers first hand first impression of you, the candidate! Given below are some tips on preparing and handling the interview session. Also included are some guidelines on preparing a Functional disability statement, designed to provide the employer about your functional status, as well as some tips about writing a resume.

Preparing for an Interview

How to write a Functional Disability Statement

Resume Writing Strategies

Preparing for an Interview

The more homework you do, the more comfortable you will feel facing an interview.

Make sure you really understand what the job you are seeking is all about and know a bit about the company itself too.

You can research a company through the Internet, libraries, or to ask them to send you company brochures and background information.

If the job represents a change of direction for you, ask around and read the papers so that you know if there are any major issues affecting your target job or employer you ought to know about.

It may seem an obvious point, but leave yourself sufficient time to cover unexpected difficulties in transport and to find the interview location itself. All this reduces stress and lets you concentrate on delivering your best shot.

During the Interview

• Research the company in advance. Call and ask for public information, go to the library, read newspaper, ask people you know who work there about the company, etc.
  
• Establish a friendly rapport with the interviewersmile, shake hands, visit...
  
• Be prepared to respond to: "Tell me a little bit about yourself ..."
  
• Give at least three (3) good reasons why you should get the job.
  
• Have at least one (1) job-related question. For example, "Will you be my immediate supervisor?" "Do you know on what platform your company's computers run?" "Does your company use proprietary software or software that is commercially available?"
  
• Have a prepared functional disability statement . Focus on your ability to do the job.
  
• Be prepared to respond to an interviewer's disability-related questions. Provide honest information and be prepared to demonstrate tools you use to perform job tasks or provide information about the availability of assistive devices that would enable you to perform competitively.
  
• Thank your interviewer (by name) for his/her time. Find out the next step in the hiring process. Ask if you can check back and if so, when?
  
• Follow up (thank you note, telephone inquiries, visits) but don't be a pest! If you don't get the job, ask for referrals to other, similar positions.
  
• Document for your files: where you interviewed, with whom you interviewed, when you interviewed, how and when to check back on your status in the hiring processwrite it all down!
  

Good luck!

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How to write a Functional Disability Statement

Often, the most difficult hurdle an interviewee with a visual impairment faces is addressing the misconceptions an interviewer has regarding disability. Functional disability statements allow individuals with disabilities to address concerns or issues that prospective employers have related to hiring them.

The most important components of a functional disability statement are:

• Focus on your positive attributes,
• Use no medical jargon,
• Emphasize how you can do the job using compensatory skills,
• Address common misconceptions, and
• Answer any questions you think the employer may hesitate to ask you.

Many employers express concerns about hiring people who are blind or have low vision. Their most common concerns are related to safety issues, travel or mobility considerations, access to print materials, and meeting production quotas (both from a quality and quantity perspective).

Although many of the questions employers would like to ask they may be hesitant to ask due to legal constraints, interviewees can allay employers' concerns in a disability statement.

The functional disability statement focuses first and foremost on an applicant's abilities: what skills or alternative techniques an individual with a disability uses to do a job in ways that a typical, nondisabled person might not use. For example, the typical worker might access notes from an employer visually, whereas a blind worker might access the same kind of information by listening to voicemail or reading electronic messages.

Employers may not know how a prospective employee with a disability uses assistive technology or specialized tools and equipment. Therefore, an interviewee may want to describe tools used for notetaking such as electronic notetaking devices, slate and stylus, optical devices with paper and pen, tape recorders, or other tools.

In addition to describing such tools, an applicant may want to bring portable devices to the interview or pictures of non-portable tools to engage the prospective employer in a "show and tell" session.

Although it is important in a disability statement to give the employer a sense of what the disability is, it is best to eliminate any medical jargon. Medical jargon tends to confuse or frighten individuals without a background in medicine, education, or rehabilitation.

In a functional disability statement, an applicant with a disability defines his or her disability for a prospective employerthis approach helps the interviewer understand the interviewee's abilities and limitations objectively. For example, a person with low vision needs to help an employer understand what he or she can see. Ideally, an interviewee can describe what he or she sees in the environment where the interview is taking placeusing furnishings and objects as examples of what can be seen. For instance, "I can see the clock on the wall behind you, but I can't see the hands or read the individual numbers."

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Resume Writing Strategies

Beginning the Resume Writing Process: A General Resume Outline

• Name
• Local/Permanent Address
• Professional Objective
• Education
• Related Experience
• Additional Experience
• Activities
• Skills
• Personal (optional)
• References

Types of Resumes (Select a Format)

• Chronological Resume : The most commonly-used resume form that lists in reverse chronological order the person's work history.
  
• Achievement Resume : This resume emphasizes achievements with less emphasis on experience.
  
• Functional Resume : This format covers experience over a long period of time that can be grouped into skill areas, which highlights expertise rather than time frames.
  
• Recent Graduate Resume : This resume is for recent graduates with little or no work experience, emphasizing training and education.
  

When Writing a Resume

• Stick to the basics
• Keep it short
• Reveal only what the employer needs to know
• Have a specific objective
• Preferably one page, never more than two pages
• Tailored to a specific job or a specific employer
• Do not focus on your medical history
• Advertise your skills and not your disability

Resume Writing Tips

Things to Do

• Lead with your most qualifying experience
• Consider a consolidated experience category
• Emphasize accomplishments
• Be generous with white space
• Use bullets, bold type, capital letters, and underlining
• Check continuity of history
• Have at least two other people review it
• Send your references a copy of your resume
• Use good paper
• Avoid anything negative, this may include disclosure of disability

Things Not to Do

• Do not exaggerate or mislead
• Do not state a salary
• Do not include names of references
• Do not include a photograph
• Do not include religion, race, national origin, or political affiliation
• Do not overstate your qualifications
• Do not include a reason for leaving your last job
• Do not use unusual abbreviations or acronyms

Resume Writing Considerations

Should I Disclose or Not

• On the Resume : Often, your disability is reflected in your work history, education, and life experience. Stress your adaptability.
  
• Cover Letter : Do not start the letter with details about a disability. Follow a format mentioning strengths and limitations.

Including a Cover Letter

A General Cover Letter Outline

A cover letter accompanies any resume mailed to a prospective employer.

• The Heading : Your return address and date
  
• The Inside Address : The employer's name; company name; and company address
  
• Salutation or Greeting : Address the letter to a particular person by name. Avoid "Dear Sir/ Madam" or "To Whom It May Concern."
  
• The Body of the Letter : The body of the letter should include three paragraphs.
  
• Opening Paragraph : State what motivates you to write to this employer, the position for which you are applying, and how you heard about the position or the company.
  
• Middle Paragraph : Include a description of your education and work experience. Indicate how these relate to the position.
  
• Closing Paragraph : Inform the employer that you are available for a personal interview or to answer questions about your resume. Thank the employer for the company's consideration.
  

Cover Letter Writing Tips

Things to Do

• Make each letter an original
• Follow instructions in recruitment ads
• Keep the letter to one page
• Include your telephone number in the closing paragraph

Things Not to Do

• Do not put your name in the heading
• Do not tell all in the letter
• Do not forget to follow up

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