[nabs-l] Tips for soon-to-be grads who are looking for work

[Greg Aikens]

Hi Angelina,
It sounds like you are on the right track.  Your career center on campus/professors in your field of study will know the best places to look for job postings in your field.  

Most of my advice to you would be the same as what you will get from a career center, i.e. polish your resume and apply often and early if possible.  

The blindness specific stuff I would mention is mostly related to relocating.  Most job applicants will weigh the pros and cons of the locations of various positions, but as a blind person you will need to do your research to know the specifics that will be important to you.  How far is the potential workplace from housing you can afford?  Is there public transit?  Is there paratransit?  Is the route walkable?  How far is affordable housing from other places you need to go, like grocery stores and shopping centers, etc.  You may not be able to discover all of these details before moving to a city, but the basics will be important when deciding if you are willing to relocate for a job.  

The interview is also crucial.  Your resume will get you in the door, but the interview will seal the deal.  Practice so that you are confident.  Look professional.  Your career center on campus should be able to give more specifics on this stuff.  I would also practice answering questions about how you will be able to perform certain tasks because of your blindness.  There are questions employers aren't really allowed to ask because of ADA, but they get creative and you really do need to demonstrate your competence.  Ask us for help with this if you need it.  

The most important thing at this stage is to be thinking ahead.  Being proactive and prepared ahead of time will go a long way toward landing you a job after graduation.  

I hope this helps.  Let me know if you have more specific questions.

-Greg

On Jul 18, 2013, at 7:21 PM, Anjelina Cruz <anjelinac26 at gmail.com> wrote:

> Good evening all,
> As a soon-to-be grad from college in December, I'm starting to put
> serious thoughts into what I need to do in hopes I'll be able to find
> work. I'm planning on using my career center, job fairs on campus or
> networking to find possible employment opportunities.
> 
> For those who are working: what tips could you offer blind students
> who are looking for work? Are there parts of the process you wish you
> did differently? Was blindness a big barrier to finding employment?
> Thanks for any thoughts or advice.
> -- 
> Anjelina
> 
> _______________________________________________
> nabs-l mailing list
> nabs-l at nfbnet.org
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nabs-l_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for nabs-l:
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nabs-l_nfbnet.org/gpaikens%40gmail.com