[nabs-l] Could the NABS host a "get a job" webinare series?
Corbb O'Connor
corbbo at gmail.com
Tue Apr 21 05:15:13 UTC 2009
Hi Sarah,
I have no problem mentioning that I am the Treasurer of the Potomac
Chapter in Virginia; I mention that I "advocate for full inclusion of
people with disabilities to Congress and community members"; and I
talk about my strengths in organizing/fundraising that I've learned in
the NFB. Some people may look at that and say "oh don't say that,
they'll discriminate." I look at it and say, "Why ignore a part of
your skill set?" If you've done something in the NFB or broader
disability community of which you are proud or have learned,
mentioning it is a strength not a weakness.
I was interviewing for an internship a few weeks ago, and--as always--
toward the middle of the interview when it was my turn to ask
questions, I ask a question that I always ask in an interview: "Now I
know there are laws about what you can and can't ask about my
blindness. Let's put all of those away. What questions about my
blindness can I answer for you?" Many employers will be put at ease,
and they'll ask everything from how I use a computer to how I led
tours of the Capitol last summer. This time, though, I got an
interesting response: "I don't have any. I figure once you're this far
along in your life, you're doing something right even though something
medically might not be working right." Just goes to show you -- some
people can put the disability aside and evaluate you like any other
job candidate. After all, that's what we've wanted along.
Corbb
On Apr 20, 2009, at 10:41 PM, Sarah Jevnikar wrote:
hi all,
I've been reading this discussion with interest. I have a question about
disclosure though: my resume hints at my being blind, but it's almost
unintentionally. I've worked for the Canadian National Institute for the
Blind, and have some scholarships from organizations/groups with the
words
"blind" or "disability" in the name of the company or scholarship. This
means that a potential employer may notice I have a disability before
I show
up at the interview. I know that explicit disclosure on a resume/cover
letter is discourage, but is this unintentional disclosure an issue too?
Thank you,
Sarah
-----Original Message-----
From: nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf
Of Joe Orozco
Sent: Monday, April 20, 2009 8:14 PM
To: 'National Association of Blind Students mailing list'
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Could the NABS host a "get a job" webinare series?
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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