How to Find a Job

If you have a disability, the jobs you can perform may be limited but that doesn’t mean you’re destined to be permanently unemployed or underemployed. These suggestions are for people in general, they are not targeted to folks with disabilities. However, if you have a disability and have good work experience, you may proceed directly to Follow The Money.

When most people think of job hunting they think of the jobs in the classified section of the newspaper. Although this may give you a general idea of the job outlook in your area, only 8% of those jobs are filled by people who saw the ad in the paper. I’m going to show you a better way to find work. If you are new or relatively inexperienced in the job world you may want to try the first several suggestions listed here. More experienced job hunters should proceed to Targeting Jobs.

We touched on resumes and interviews previously. You can find more help in these areas on the web. There are so many good sources out there that it would serve no purpose for me to repeat them. First time job seekers should start at http://jobsearch.about.com/od/teenstudentgrad/a/firstjob.htm

More experienced job seekers should go directly to
http://jobsearch.about.com/od/findajob/a/howtofindajob.htm

When looking for work, approach that task as if IT is a job. Start at 8am, if not earlier, and go to 5pm every day. Keep organized notes so that if you quit your job (looking for work), someone else would be able to see where you left off and where follow-up was in order.

Craig’s List

If you are looking for work specifically in your city you may want to try Craig’s List. I googled Austin and found Austin's Craig's List. From there you can search by other states and cities. This web classified list is somewhat different than print classified. Some of the jobs listed there are for immediate openings and many for short-term duration. My sense is you will have a better success rate there rather than print classifieds.

Job Boards and Fairs

You can check city and state job boards for job openings. This method is time consuming but can be gratifying if you enjoy civil work. There are also cooperative efforts in most cities to create job fairs where much of private industry is represented. Recruiters will let you know what jobs are open and the minimum qualifications for those jobs. They’ll accept resumes there so be sure to bring several current ones.

Networking

Another method of job searching is networking. You’ll need good social skills to do this. Dolores Gonzales, the Austin ADA Coordinator, gave me some insight on this method. Dolores suggest making a list of everyone you know. Call each one and ask if they know of any job openings at their place of employment or know of a company that could use your services. Call those employers’ human service department and ask for fifteen minutes of their time. Let them know you are looking for work, and want to get to know them better. This way you are interviewing them. After you make a list of people to call write a script of what you want to say or ask. This way you stay organized and on track.

Just Do It

Dolores also suggest looking for work at, where else, your work. No, I’m not going crazy. Try doing temp work or even volunteering. Your temp or volunteer job may evolve into a paying job. Who will they hire? Well you of course because while you were volunteering you should show them you have excellent job skills such as punctuality, attention to detail, appropriate dress and behavior, and are serious about work. You may consider volunteering at Goodwill as they often have government contracts. You may parlor your volunteer work with Goodwill into a paying job at the government contract source.

JAN

The Job Accommodation Network (JAN) is not a job placement service, but JAN does provide links that assist people with disabilities with finding employment. They also help employers find qualified applicants with disabilities.

Targeting Jobs

If you know exactly what kind of work you want to do you may want to go directly to a company that employs people with those skills. Start by going to their web site. They may have listings and application forms online. If not, call them and speak to someone in human resources. It is possible they have job openings but may not list them online. Those who have work experience can find job ads in trade journals that reflect your academic and vocational background.

DARS

Agencies such as DARS (Department of Assistive and Rehabilitative Services), or the vocational rehabilitation equivalent in your state, may know of job openings. If you are a client of DARS you can speak directly with your case worker and ask about job openings. They only assist with full-time employment candidates. If you want part-time work, you are on your own.

Disability Specific

There are some vocational programs that address the needs of job seekers with specific disabilities. I recently had the pleasure of talking with Dr. Karen Wolfse at the American Foundation for the Blind.

I asked Dr. Wolfse what she thought the major barriers to employment are for folks with visual impairments. She said the first barrier is transportation. This makes sense as blind people don’t drive (except when my friend Mark Arnold, who is blind, and I stole a friends car). If a person can’t get to work he/she may as well forget about applying. An Austinite would have no problem as Austin is the third most accessible city in the country. However, people living in non-metropolitan areas may not have access to busses.

Dr. Wolfse told me the second most important barrier is access to printed information not already accessible, not already digitized. Yes, I know, we’ve had this discussion already – digitized does not mean accessible. You must agree with me though that a creative employee will find it far easier to access a digitized file verses a paper document.

The third biggest barrier is negative employer attitude. Whether an employer thinks a blind employee can do the job or not is probably right. In other words, if an employer thinks a person can’t do the work, he’s probably right, as he won’t even give that person a chance. If, on the other hand, he thinks someone can do the job, and appreciates that person’s talents and skills, he will find a way to initiate and nurture a mutual fulfilling vocational relationship.

When applying for a job, Dr. Wolfse suggest that people with visual impairments first win the company with their social skills. When possible, pick up the job application in person. Let the office staff observe that you have a visual impairment. This way you are breaking it to them slowly that you are a little different. When you come for your interview they won’t be focused solely on your disability. Use your charm to ‘chat them up’ as they would say in England. When you pick up your application talk about the weather, talk about anything that will demonstrate your socialization skills. When you come to pick up an application, and especially when you come for an interview, show up sharply dressed and early. Self-disclose your disability and talk about what the employer’s concern might be and how you would ameliorate it.

Your request for reasonable accommodation should come in the interview but only after your employer-to-be is comfortable with you and interested in you as a person. You want the employer to be your friend, to have a healthy rapport with you. You want him/her on your side before making a request. Get him on your side stressing your strong work habits of honesty, dependability, and ability to work well with others. When you do make the request be sure to remind the employer of your job skills and how the accommodation will enhance your skills. Tell him what is needed, what it costs, and how it benefits him. If you need an electronic note-taker you may want to bring your own to the job. After establishing yourself as a valued employee, you may suggest to your boss that a newer note-taker would further enhance your productivity and that you could leave it at the office, eliminating the risk of losing intellectual property.

Dr. Karen Wolfse can be reached at wolfse@afb.net. Go to the AFB web site at http://www.afb.org/ and click on ‘employment’ or alternatively you can go to www.careerconnect.org. The web site is worth investigating. It has sections for job seekers, employers, professionals, mentors, family and friends and much, much more.

Follow the Money

Job seekers who are intent on working in the non-profit sector and are flexible about where they live have another avenue open to them. Government agencies announce to whom they are giving grants. If you time it right you can learn which agencies are receiving grants shortly after the agencies themselves learn that. If you do your research well you can find out what jobs will become open as a result of an agency receiving the grant.
Try NCDDR Grants and Foundations and US Department of Education Grant Awards - Abstract Search and, of course, the Discretionary and Formula Grant Award Database.

DisabilityWORK.com

There is a new web site for folks with disabilities who are seeking work. Access Solutions, LLC has announced the launch of DisabilityWORK.com a service that brings employers and people with disabilities together. I decided to try it out. First, I created my profile including a password. I pulled up all the job openings from all states. There weren’t a lot of openings but that’s because the service is new. They promise to offer job seekers the personal services of creating professional-looking resumes, which minimizing screening-out of job seekers with disabilities. They can develop personalized gainful employment strategies for job seekers with disabilities and place the job seeker with disabilities in a gainful employment position. DisabilityWORK.com also provides one-on-one support for successful job performance and retention. Employers can search a database of resumes to find prospective candidates to fill needed positions. They can also post their job openings on the website headhunting services. People with disabilities can not only post their resumes on the website, but they can also use an array of services ranging from resume-writing and career coaching to job placement and job coaching. As I say, they are new and so many of their services are not in place as of this writing. Be sure to check back with them monthly though.

Referrals

Perhaps the best way to find a job is to be the very best you can possibly be. Strive to be that “go to” guy. When the boss needs something now and it needs to be done well, try to be that person he/she turns to save the day. Your employer and co-workers will talk highly of you. I have had three jobs where the employer found me. They were seeking good candidates and were able to find me as a result of my reputation and work ethic. Being the best you can possibly be means never having to look for work again.

Fellowships

What if you can’t find the work you want? This happened to me. I wanted to research community-based rehabilitation. There were no jobs that I found for this specialty so I researched fellowship opportunities. I applied for, and received, a Switzer Fellowship through NIDRR (The National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research). NIDRR provides leadership and support for a comprehensive program of research related to the rehabilitation of individuals with disabilities. All of there programmatic efforts are aimed at improving the lives of individuals with disabilities. See NIDRR Grants and Funding

Do you have a question about employment and disability? Send your question to grodgers@austin.rr.com and put “DLRP JOBS” in the subject line.

About the author

Gene Rodgers Photo Gene Rodgers has been a quadriplegic since age 17. Since then he has earned several college degrees, worked in several states, earned a Switzer Fellowship, and now works as a private contractor.