I am not going to lie to you job hunting is tough-for everyone. They say it is one of the most un-pleasant
things one goes through in their lifetime. When you have speech impairment this already stressful process is made all the
more difficult. I should know, I h am not going to lie to you job hunting is tough-for everyone. They say it is one of the
most un-pleasant things one goes through in their lifetime. When you have speech impairment this already stressful process
is made all the more difficult. I should know, I have been doing it for awhile. In college I thought I was doing it right,
anticipating that it will be harder for me to find employment then my non-disabled classmates I selected a major that was
known for being a ticket to lucrative employment after gradation. I took part in a couple clubs for my resume and got dressed
up for the campus career fairs. I thought I’d be fine after graduation, it may take a few months but I’ll find
something. Sadly, from where I sit now, I underestimated how tough it is out there when you have a disability and are trying
to get that preverbal foot in the door!! Ok, this is starting to sound like a woe is me piece. Just another twenty something
whiner dribbling on about how the life of their dreams has not been handed to them on a silver platter. I assure you that
it is not! My point is that I wish I had started earlier in planning for this challenge. Here are some pointers that you can
start doing now no matter what stage of school you are in!
1) It is never to early to make employment your goal
Even if you are a freshman in High School and you are planning to attend a four year college you
should read this. You are probably thinking I have years before I need to start thinking about finding a job. While you may
be right about the number of years in school you may have ahead of you-the sooner you make employment your goal-the better
off you’ll be!
All of the steps I list below take time. You may not have enough time to do even half of them because
your life and just trying to keep up with all present demands of it takes up all of your time. That’s OK-if you can
read this list and pick out whatever makes sense for you to do during whatever phase of life you are in, that’s my goal
of this piece. I just want to draw attention to this issue and start you thinking about it. Whether or not job hunting is
your full time job, it is my hope that by thinking about it early you will find it easier when you are ready to get out there
2) Take Full advantage of whatever your school has to offer
I regret not doing this to my fullest. My university had a career services department and I went
in a few times in my last year of school like most students. If I had it to do over again I would have been in there freshman
year, what can you do for me? Also as I mentioned earlier I joined a couple clubs, I wish I had taken part in more on campus
activities.
3) Be a Joiner
I talked about this some earlier but it bears emphasizing. Whether you are in high school, college
or a member of a community the more different clubs/organizations you join the more contacts you'll make! You never know when
one of these relationships will end up helping you. Also try to join organizations that target people with disabilities such
as a commission on employment for people with disabilities or an advisory committee on access. Here you will encounter people
who face the same issues and are likely to be vested in you reaching your goals success. In addition to looking great on your
transcript/resume joining will give you an opportunity to make friends and have some fun.
One more point on this: do not be afraid to try and be an officer in whatever group you are in. Whether
it is a club on campus or an organization in your community-whether it targets disabled or not-don’t be timid about
stepping into a leadership role. What do you have to lose from running for an officer’s position? If you win it looks
great on your resume, companies like both leadership experience and potential.
4) Get any Experience you can while you are in school
It has been my experience that college campuses are some of the most open minded places out there.
What better place to start gaining experience? Defiantly try to get a job on campus to establish a work history. Do not worry
if it doesn’t pay that well, the goal should be getting experience at this point. The high paying jobs will come later
if you stick with it. Also ask your career services department if they can help place you in a summer job or a co-op. If you
have an opportunity to volunteer do it, any experience will help you and look good on a resume.
If you are still in High School you may want to talk to your school counselors about this issue perhaps
at your IEP meeting. If you are not comfortable with your child study team talk to your favorite teacher, guidance consular
or administrator. I know in my case, the neighbor next store wasn’t going to hire me to babysit their kids. Talk to
someone at your school and say look I just do not have the same opportunities to do the same kinds of jobs that many other
teens get due to my disability. You may also want to tell them that disabled adults face way higher un-employment rates. Tell
them that you are trying to take proactive steps not to get caught in this statistic. Ask them is their anything at your school
you can do. Maybe you can work a couple hours a week in the library or the office. You may be able to have this written into
your IEP or it could be something completely separate that you are doing. If you do not ask, you’ll never know and you’ll
never receive.
5) Network, Network, Network
That old saying is true, it’s not what you know, and it’s who you know. Everyone that
you know could lead you to the contact that lands you that all important first job that lunches your career. And I mean everyone,
try and involve your whole family-friends or co-workers of your parents/siblings, neighbors, your friend’s families,
your doctors, etc. If you are a part of any kind of religious organization that could be another place for you to network.
If you are a college grad your schools alumni bank is another great source to make contacts. Please do not be shy about trying
to explain your situation and ask for advice!! It’s a numbers game-for every ten people you talk to, nine of them may
go nowhere but the tenth person could give you that golden contact!
If you are in college or plan to attend college don’t under estimate the importance of forming
relationships with some of your professors. Assuming that you spend four years earning a degree you will come into contact
with at least 40 professors. Some of them you wouldn’t want to ask for a life preserver if you were drowning. Others
may seem nice but you really don’t have an opportunity for that much contact with them. But if you can form a relationship
with just a couple it could really help you with your job search. Start college knowing you are going to deal with 40 and
make it your goal to get to know at least five. Again, try and talk to those five about the unique obstacles that you face
in reaching your employment goals and ask them what advice they have, what proactive steps they would recommend you take in
your effort to secure employment after school.
6) Informational interviews are another great way to network
This is where you make a list of companies that you are interested in working for and then do research
to come up with a contact within the company. Again your family, friends and professors may be helpful in coming up with the
initial contact. Ask that individual if they would have time for you to interview them about their field, job and company.
During this interview always bring up the fact that you will be looking for a position in the near future and ask them for
their advice. Like any interview be sure to follow up with a thank you note to everyone you talked to and save their contact
information.
7) Resumes and cover letters have to be Perfect
A good way to start writing your resume is to look at samples, either borrow peoples or get a book.
When you find a style you like, copy the format and change the formate No matter who you are or how well you did in English,
have someone else proof read your resume and cover letter! If you are still in school take advantage of the resume critique
services offered by their career services. If you are out of school, ask a couple different people to take a look and tell
you how they would improve it. The number one way to make sure that you do not get a job that you want and you may even be
qualified for is to have a spelling or grammar error on your resume!
Here are some links to help get you started:
8) Look the Part
Whenever you get an interview make sure that you show up looking professional. I’d suggest
that you have at least complete interview outfit pressed and hanging in your closet complete with pristine looking shoes and
accessories. This will take the stress off of you if an interview comes up at the last moment. A good rule of thumb
is to dress one level above the normal dress of where you are Interveiwing. If you have questions about what
to wear to an interview follow this link. Dress for Success
9) Get your Portfolio ready even if you are not trying to get an Art Job
When going in for an interview it’s always helpful to bring in props. If you do a major project
for school or free lance make sure that you get and keep a copy of that in your brief case that you bring to your interviews.
Make sure that you only bring material that’s relevant to the position that you are going for. Your interviewers probably
won’t want to read ten page paper that you wrote on The Great Gaspy for Freshman English, even if you got an A. However,
if you have a report on a software user interface that you designed and you are going for a job that has to do with designing
software-bring it! Also, whenever anyone writes you a letter of recommendation save it-you’ll never know when it may
come in handy.
10) If your school has a career planning class-try to take it
I know that your primary priority as a student is trying to get through the classes that you need
to graduate. It may be tough for you to find a spot in your schedule for an extra class. But taking a class like this will
grant you the opportunity to plan for your job search and keep you focused on getting stuff such as resumes, mock and informational
interviews done. It is human nature to put stuff like doing your resume off, I don’t need to have it done today so I‘ll
get to it. Before you know it graduation is here and you need to get all that stuff done right away. Taking this type of class
will give you professor that will require you to get it done and giving you guidance while doing so. This will cause you to
be less overwhelmed immediately preceding graduation. Plus a lot of these classes will place you in jobs while you are in
school which goes back to the above principal of getting as much experience as you can while in school.
12) Get your own Website
It is always more empowering to ask for what you want then to wait to be asked. I put together my
own personal homepage on the internet. This gives me another opportunity to sell myself. It also gives me the chance to explain
my disability to potential employers. I feel it’s important to put people at ease and I try to accomplish this by giving
them some information about my disability. There is nowhere for me to do that on my resume so my webpage serves this purpose.
Now if you have an “invisible” disability you get to decide when is best to disclose. You may not want people
knowing while you are in the interview process. I do not have that choice, as soon as someone sees me or hears my voice they
know. Given this, I try to get them used to the fact gently by emailing them my website which includes my resume and a letter
of recommendation.
13) The Internet is your Best Friend
In today’s world all major companies have career sites, where you can post your resume with
that company and search current openings. There are also national and local job sites that serve the same purpose as classifieds
used to. Email is also a huge part of today’s job hunt. This is especially helpful for us since it may be harder for
us to be understood over the phone. When emailing a potential employer make sure you use care to make sure the style and grammar
are correct. There are books dedicated to the right way to use email in a business capacity that offer hints as to style and
words that work the best.
14) Make Government Agencies work for You
No matter where you live the government will have two agencies that are designed to help people find
employment. The first is the Office of Employment which is for the general population. These places usually have computers
that you can use to work on your resume and surf the web for job related manners. They also have counselors that can point
you in the right direction and help you get leads.
The second agency is for individuals who are disabled. The name varies from state to state but it
usually contains the words Vocational Rehab. There you will be assigned a consoler that will work with you to create a plan
taking into account your individual needs. They also will pay for any equipment that you’ll need to be successful on
the job. (sometimes) It varies what each state will pay for. I got my books paid for in college through this agency.
15) DO NOT GIVE UP!!!
I am sorry to be the bearer of bad news but it’s been my experience that
instant gratification Is not part of the job hunting process. Everyone faces rejection during this process, we are no exception.
You may not get the first couple jobs that you want; it may or may not be because of your disability. You may run into some
people’s negative attitudes, it may be the first time that you experience prejudice due to your disability. That’s
not going to feel good. Know that the people who are rejecting you it’s there problem not your. Keep trying to emphasis
your abilities. You just have to keep going and keep the faith that you will find the right opportunity for you to shine.
(That's what I'm doing)
