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November 07, 2006

The Value of a Good Answer

Two weeks ago, at a workshop for updating skills in career development facilitation, I heard two individuals who help technical college students with disabilities develop career management skills concur on this observation:

"We don't know where this comes from, but we find students with disabilities generally have some catching up to do (compared to the general student population) when it comes to knowing how to sell themselves to employers as viable job candidates."

I was not surprised to hear that lament, but I was surprised to hear two in-the-trenches people actually question why students with disabilities have difficulty "selling themselves" in this age of self-promotion.

After all, turning a disability into a positive in the eyes of an employer is not easy. It requires insight. It takes extra work.

Here are a couple of extra questions non-disabled job candidates usually don't have to ask themselves as they develop their job marketing programs:

That kind of preparation for a job hunt is well worth the extra effort. The keys to getting it done are introspection, perception and projection. Again, it's not easy, but it's doable.

Debra L. Angel and Elizabeth E. Harney are authors of "No One is Unemployable: Creative Solutions for Overcoming Barriers to Employment."

Their response (in capsule form) to the above questions: Develop a "good answer" for a reply to questions about your disability and your ability to do a job and plant it in the back of your mind in case you need to use it -- something short and sweet that comes off the tip of your tongue naturally during a job interview.

Ideally, your "good answer" can act as a transition from talking about your disability to describing your work skills during that job interview so the interviewer can focus instead on what you can offer the company or organization.

To develop your "good answer" to a real and/or perceived disability barrier to employment, the authors first ask you to consider these two questions:

To find the key to your "good answer," the authors suggest that you search for reasons why the barrier should no longer concern the employer.

Can your barrier be used to further qualify you for a particular job? Or, can you show how overcoming the barrier has helped you develop skills or knowledge that a prospective employer needs (such as resourcefulness, planning or persistence)?

By developing a "good answer" for yourself, you'll minimize your fear of job interviews and exhibit more self-confidence because you'll begin to see yourself and your situation in a positive light.

Here are three examples of "good answers" I've collected during the last year or so:

First from Mary:

"I have some sight, but I'm legally blind. However, my visual impairment has become more of help than a hindrance to me as an online content editor because I use computer screen magnification and screen reading software to enhance my ability to thoroughly proof text before it goes online. In some instances, I pinpoint typos -- little things in the text that my current supervisor, who is sighted, misses."

Second from Tom:

"I don't drive because of my limited sight, but, under a range of work situations, I've learned how to team up with other workers to carpool. I usually volunteer to keep track of weather and traffic reports each day so we can avoid delays. I often keep track of ride-sharing expenses for the group, too. It's quite easy because I have screen reading software on my laptop, which I often carry with me. These ride-sharing experiences, by the way, have also taught me a lot about team work and group problem solving -- things I can apply when I'm at work."

Third from Bev:

"I'm sure you've noticed that I talk with some difficulty. This has not had an impact on my ability to manage a communication department, however, because I know how to effectively delegate the functions I cannot do well myself to others on my staff who can. In fact, I've found that, by developing my delegating skills and recognizing excellent performance among my staff members, I've been able to develop strong teams and future leaders for employers."

In her Assessment 2006 comments, Sharon F. wrote that she would find helpful a discussion about "strategies for successfully discussing disability in the job interview."

Below is a case study about Sam which touches on both the need for a "good question" and Sharon's request for a discussion about job interview strategies.

Sam has been job hunting for three months -- even before he was laid off last month from a software development company of 2,000 employees due to a merger in July 2006.

Employed by the company for 12 years, Sam had worked his way up through several promotions to group manager of customer relations within the division serving corporate clients when, in 2000, he started losing his sight.

During the last six years, Sam had worked as the company's only legally blind employee. He became innovative in adapting software and hardware solutions for his lack of vision so he could track projects with customers and communicate with his team.

But, now at 42, Sam fears that prospective employers believe he cannot keep up with the rapid changes taking place in software development and that adapting operations to his visual impairment would just be too much of a hassle for them.

During his upcoming job interviews, how can Sam use a "good answer" to help an employer make the transition from his disability to what he can offer the company?


Add your comments to this posting

Posted by Jim Hasse at November 7, 2006 05:19 PM

Comments

The good news is that the candidate in question has a rich array of successes that he can draw upon during the interview detailing his ability to manage projects,manage people, work with a variety of software packages, and work around (or take advantage of) his disability.

Posted by: Peter Altschul at November 8, 2006 09:57 PM


Finding a job is a full time job. One must develop a plan and then work the plan. One must learn to sell themselves in an interview. I have taught employability classes and now facilitate a job club. What I have found in my own search for employment and teach students is that one must be sure of the skills they have. It is surprising how many people do not know what skills and abilities they possess. This has nothing to do with a disability. Many people are unaware of what they can do and that the skills of one job can transfer over to many other types of jobs. In addition, employers need to be educated able people with disabilities. I continue to find that employers are uncertain of what someone can do if they are blind or visual impaired. In our society, the images of blind people or visually impaired people are that of helplessness or non-existent. We must educate people consistently through talking, joining community organization, and presenting our selves has confident, independent, and intelligent individuals. Through these contacts, an employment opportunity might arise. Net working is the name of the game and where most people find their jobs. We must let people know that blindness is not contagious.
What I have developed for people to think about when they decide to pursue finding employment is:
• A person must evaluate their living situation and decide is employment what they really want. I have found that some people say they want to work but then are unwilling to follow through with the process.
• One must be able to determine is the job they are looking for in the community where they live. Are they willing to move to an area where the job market has better possibilities? One also must ask them selves if they are willing to take a job, perhaps not in their chosen field, but where there is a potential to work up to the position they want with in a company.
• Be able to discuss your disability and the adaptive equipment that you use to do the job. A person is not employable if they do not have away to store, retrieve, and generate information. An employer needs to know how someone is going to communicate written material and how they will receive this material. I call this a Disability Statement. One needs to know this information and have the ability to discuss the appropriate terminology.
• I tell people to watch info commercial and listen to how they are selling the product. Then think of your self as a product and how will you sell your self.
• Join a job club or start one in your community. A job club allows people to share ideas, support each other, and exchange job leads that they may know of.
• Now the interview! I have found that when I go for an interview I give the prospective employer permission to ask me any question about my visual impairment. This might be the first time he or she has had contact with someone with a disability. I know that the interviewer is sitting there thinking about; how will she get around the building with out walking into things or other people; How will she read notes from a meeting, or take notes in a meeting; how will she get to work on time or work late when needed; how will she tell time; and there are many other scenario. By giving permission to the prospective employer to ask me questions I then can explain that now let the interview continue based on my skills and abilities giving me an equal playing field as others competing for this position. I do explain to my students that this is an individual decision, you do not have to say anything about your disability, and the prospective employer cannot ask you questions concerning your disability. In the end though, he or she still has those questions in their head. Even if you do not get the job, you have educated this individual and perhaps opened the door for someone else or yourself in the future.
• Through the process of looking for employment, it is important to take time for your self. Do some fun things and from time to time take a day off from the search. Remember that the process can be long and frustrating but in the end, you will have succeeded in finding that one perfect job.

Posted by: Suzy at November 9, 2006 10:28 AM

Employers often perceive disability to be a liability.
Living with a disability forces each of us to become problem solvers extraordinaire. These same problem solving skills are transferable to the workplace.
What questions do you have about my ability to perform the essential functions of this position?
Let me show you how I would do them.

A demonstration of proactive problem solving eliminates perceptions with a reality of how professional and capable each of us are.

Posted by: barney at November 10, 2006 12:41 PM

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Posted by: Alpa at April 12, 2007 01:50 AM

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