[nabs-l] Could the NABS host a "get a job" webinare series?

Joe Orozco jsorozco at gmail.com
Tue Apr 21 00:14:21 UTC 2009


Jim,

I have some thoughts on how, and perhaps more importantly why, NABS should
incorporate job readiness into its operation.  That's part of a longer
dialogue I'll get around to later after the semester is over.  For now I'll
offer some thoughts that may help you in your current situation.

Let me preface my comments by pointing out that job searching is never easy,
blind or sighted.  People, including myself, will give you a list of do's
and don'ts, but ultimately it comes down to you, your innovative ideas, your
strengths and your own familiarity with the field you've chosen for
yourself.  No two resumes are the same, and no two employers will share the
same views about what disability means for their expectations of the vacancy
in question.

It is my personal opinion that too much attention is given to the ADA, the
EEOC and all things special accommodations.  Some people I've met become so
infatuated with the legalities of finding a job and have become so obsessed
with the subject of potential discrimination and pay less attention to
meeting the realistic expectations of the job itself.  I think it's
important to know your rights, but it's quite a different matter when you
allow yourself to become a textbook operator.  I think people run the risk
of becoming paranoid of discrimination when sometimes there is education to
be had on both sides of the equation, both from the side of the potential
employer and from the perspective of the applicant.

>From a pragmatic perspective, if the employer is going to belittle you for
having a disability, no law will change that person's view of your
abilities.  If you feel you have been discriminated against, you could
pursue legal action, but legal action takes time and in the meantime you're
still without a job.  My personal take on the subject is that you had better
be prepared to take your complaint all the way if you're going to complain
at all.  Laws have been written to protect individuals from unfair hiring
standards, but know that this protection comes at a price as much to you as
the applicant as well as the offending company.  While the legal proceedings
are moving forward, you must learn from the experience and understand how to
engage a better marketing strategy to emphasize your skills over your
disability.

So, my advice is to familiarize yourself with the myths of the ADA.
Sometimes it is a far better tactic to understand what a law does not do
rather than what it could do.  Understand the relationship between yourself
and the potential employer.  When you're applying for a job, you're asking
to be allowed to be a member of their team.  Unnecessary emphasis on laws
and regulations does not make you a team player.  It makes you a potential
liability.  Keep pushing for the type of training you are advocating, but
never mind the legalities of equal rights and special accommodations.
There's nothing in that area that Google can't help you decipher in a
well-spent half hour.  What is harder to teach is resume building,
interviewing skills and the social etiquette that goes along with the basic
human interaction involved in these interviews.

My opinion on self-disclosure has never changed on any of the jobs I have
previously held and am currently pursuing.  If it's a blindness-related job,
it only makes sense to point out the fact that you are blind and could be a
direct benefit to the organization's mission.   Otherwise, there is no
reason to bring it up in your cover letter or resume.  Some people balk at
this idea.  The thought process is that stating the fact that you are blind
only helps to emphasize how much you have been able to accomplish despite
your being blind.

My response to that logic is that there is arrogance, and then there is
confidence.  An arrogant man needs to write it down to prove a point.  A
confident man allows those around him to arrive at this conclusion all by
themselves.  If what our NFB philosophy says is true, that blindness is only
a characteristic, I am not going to be a hypocrite and make blindness a
noteworthy point of interest in my credentials.  The hiring manager need not
know I am blind, no more than it is their business that I am a male or
Hispanic or six feet tall.  Does this make things awkward when you first
meet the interviewer?  Things are going to be awkward with or without
advance notice.  The outcome of that interview comes down to how big of a
deal you make of your blindness.  Writing in your cover letter or resume
that you are blind only throws the ball in their court and lets them decide
how big of a deal it is to them.  When you hunt for a job, you cannot afford
to be idealistic and give people the benefit of the doubt that they will
overlook their own personal misconceptions and biases.  Keep control of the
deck of cards as long as you can.

Now, to your specific situation.  You do not have to respond to these
points, but how many volunteer positions have you taken on in your field of
interest?  What, outside of academic studies, can you put on your resume
that makes you stand out from the other candidates?  Are there internships
offered by way of the agency you have applied to?  What did you learn from
your interview last Thursday, and more importantly, what can you change
about it as you move forward into your next potential interview?

When I wrote the career section of the NABS web site I made sure the notion
of volunteer service was emphasized.  Many people get so overwhelmed by
their failure to find a job and completely overlook the benefits of national
service as a means to jump start their career.  Yes, it may postpone that
first "real" job, but it is an opportunity for you to build up your network,
your skills and familiarity with the field in question.  You may very well
figure out that the job you you wanted was not at all what you expected.

But, gauging from your writing, it would appear you are very much stubborn
about going into public land management.  If this is true, this is me
smacking you on the shoulder and telling you to go get it.  Do not be
discouraged.  What I would ask you to do is fix your attitude about your
visual abilities.  I'm reading your post about those things you can do with
the vision you have and those things you cannot do as much anymore.  Which
is it?  Either you can do something or you cannot.  At some point you're
going to have to get off the fence and develop your applicant profile
according to those things you are completely confident about.  If you're
waiting until the end of the interview to drop the shoe about something you
cannot do, you're making that the last impression, and if you sound half as
cautious in your post as you did in the interview, would you hire yourself?
So you can't drive.  Put that up front and spend the rest of the hour or so
developing arguments for why the interviewer would be stupid not to hire you
despite this fact.

In my public administration degree back in undergrad there was a land use
course I was obligated to take from our geography department.  I hated it,
because we had to go out and survey neighborhoods.  I honestly had no idea
there was so much importance given to the width and crown of a typical
street and the distance between the street and somebody's porch.  I can see
how you're frustrated because I had to catch rides from my teammates to get
from neighborhood to neighborhood, but once we got there I did what I could
to support the other guys in terms of note taking to write our final report.

Keep a portfolio.  Show off samples of any reports and graphs you may have
had a hand at producing.  Draw their attention away from the logistics and
put it squarely on what you can do once you're at the site itself.  You're a
bad ass if they figure out how to get you there.  You convince me from the
way you express yourself about it.  Now go out and convince them.

I'm sorry I cannot offer you field-specific advice on how to go about doing
what you want to do.  I did not have to get far in my class that long ago
spring semester to understand there was no way in hell I would be a land
manager, but consider finding yourself a mentor in the field.  Are there any
associations you could join?

Best of luck to you, and I hope my post was of at least minor benefit to
you, and I love those 6 p's.  If they weren't so bold I'd ask Terri to let
me include that on our web site.

Joe Orozco

"A man who wants to lead the orchestra must turn his back on the
crowd."--Max Lucado 

-----Original Message-----
From: nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org 
[mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Jim Reed
Sent: Saturday, April 18, 2009 2:46 PM
To: nabs-l at nfbnet.org
Subject: [nabs-l] Could the NABS host a "get a job" webinare series?

Hello,
I don't know about the rest of you, but I am in school to get a 
job. If others feel the same way, then I think it would be 
helpful for the NABS to use some of its resources putting 
together a series of Webinairs designed to teach us the most 
effective ways of getting and holding jobs as blind people. I 
don't know about you guys, but I really don't know anything 
about how the EOE, ADA, or other disability laws apply to me, 
or how I can use them to my advantage. 

I would suggest the NABS hire academics, proffessionals, and 
advocates to host webinars geared toward  disabuility 
employment issues. Some initial topic suggestions could be:
1. Reasonable accomidations
2. Disability law
3. disclosure stratagies
4. Public vs. private sector employment issues/stratagies 5. 
Other employment resources 

These are just a few ideas I came up with off the top of my 
head. I think such a project would be a perfect fit for the 
NABS, as it furthers the education of its student members, and 
it promotes vocational oppertunities for students to use their 
education. 

Jim

"Ignorance killed the cat; curiosity was framed." 


      
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