Networking Forum

I think that the questions that the interviewers are asking seem to be out of place and possibly illegal because of the ADA Law from 1990.

If she has done public speaking and has other skills I would try another route such as speaking at colleges or conferences that deal with issues of being disabled.

I would suggest that she should attend some job workshops that community colleges offer and also go to her local unemployment office because they also have job boards for people with disabilities they would probably have to do a phone screening and see where her skills could be used.

Here in IL there is something called a Skills Match and Business & Career Services formally known as Workforce development has it own job board with employers who are hiring people with special skills even with having disabilities.

I would have her and this becoming over used but look outside the box for employment.

Mandy,

First question: why you have not worked full time? I believe that motherhood and raising children is a full time job/commitment that many corporate types do not do very well. I know that is a bit snide but you have been working full time at home and supporting your husband full time through your endeavors. Although there is a break in the resume, the ability is there and now readily available for the company that is interviewing you. Let them know you are ready and waiting.

Second question: Do you think you can handle full time work now? I am uncertain what kind of foolish question this is. You have been working full time and you are more than capable of handling what they have if given the opportunity. Full time work requires a commitment which your life has demonstrated. You are wanting to channel that energy to work in business and you are capable.

Ask them what they think might be a problem. Ask them to pose any issues that they can think of and give you the opportunity to address them. Mandy, I am looking forward to hearing great things about what you are about to unleash upon the world of work.

Mandy, I have noticed what I would consider a common thread that is woven throughout a lot of the blindness "community," and to a somewhat lesser extent in the disability community in general. That is, people who are blind but who also have additional challenges or circumstances which might be considered out of the ordinary, are for whatever reason looked down upon. This can be seen in every aspect--or almost every aspect--of a visually impaired person's employment search. For instance, the fact that you use a guide dog as your mobility aid of choice, is just that--your choice. What I'm trying to say in all this, is that the blindness "community" needs to be much less divided. A house divided cannot stand, as one very prominent historical figure once said. Those of us with a visual impairment plus other challenges should not be thought of as inferior, nor should we be looked down upon in any way. I strongly feel that this is possibly the single-most factor in our underemployment/unemployment rate. Just be yourself in the interview, and if the person conducting the interview has a problem with your guide dog that's something the person will have to just get over. Regarding talking about your disability, I've heard that it is considered discriminatory for any employer to ask about a potential employee's disability. You might talk about any accommodations you'd need on the job, and if you wish to talk about your disability that's fine.

Mandy, Mace has begun my thought related to the questions posed by interviewers, i.e. "Homemaker equals" Full Time Employment" and is a "Full Time" position. Additionally, the Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSA's) gained should be pointed out to reinforce the fact you are highly qualified, i.e. multi-task oriented; effective time/project manager; detail focused; solutions oriented/problem solver; highly motivated and a focus on completing task in the most efficient/cost effective manner possible. I believe it would be beneficial for you to develop a list of these qualities from your experience as a Homemaker by listing all key/critical responsibilities then next to each boil the activity into phrases as noted to describe the depth of your experience.

Second, as a Public Speaker/Volunteer create a "Networking List" composed of contacts within entities where you've Volunteered and presentations you have made. Using this list, let it be known your in the Employment Market and, would appreciate having a few moments with each contact to discuss Career Opportunities" that may take advantage of your KSA's. Ask for other Networking contacts and, ask the contact if you can use their name as a reference. Remember, Networking is critical to develop a Personal Marketing Strategy as word of mouth promotes your qualifications by professionals who you have impressed and, is a selling point in this current downturn in the economy.

Third, look to On-Line publications with a focus on "Diversity", i.e. Diversity, Inc and related. These niche sites all have List noting top companies that have pro-active EEO/AA Programs focusing on women, hispanics, individuals of color and disability. If, these companies are in your area, seek an appointment with their kkey contact in the aforementioned areas to see what options are available in their organization or similar industries. (Incidentally, most of these sites also have Job Boards and Resume Posting Services).

Fourth, make sure your resume represents the KSA set you bring to the perspective employer. It's not about your Guide Dog, Your Disability or, Your status as a Homemaker--entities want t kow what you bring to their organization that will make the Hiring Manager's job easier, the organization more profitable or more effective/efficient in their particular industry.

Finally, take advantage of those avenues previously noted by others. These are all good options and, ones that you can build upon. Don't become frustrated with State agencies as they are customarily "slow" in handling their client base. Just consider them one more source in your Career Search. While in contact with your State's Employment Service, be sure to check if they have a "Posting Service". Increasingly, State Employment Services are developing an On-Line Data Base of qualified candidates for use by State agencies. Often, State agencies use this Candidate Base to identify qualified individuals who they invite in for interviews to fill positions essential to organization operation , i.e. Accountants, Bookeepers, Auditors, Contract Administrators, etc. . I'm going long so, if you'd like to speak further "Off Line" please feel free to E-Mail me to set-up a time we can discuss options further.

Mandy,

You have the opportunity to talk about all your kills as a homemaker and mother and explain that this was the reason you have a gap in your work experience. There is no shame in being a stay at home mom, that in itself is a full-time job, and you say you have quite a few office skills; sounds like you paid the bills, balanced the checkbook and budgeted for all your family's needs, just as a CFO or accountant would for a business. You should be very proud of those accomplishments and share that information with confidence to any one who interviews you. You can equate it with Ginger Rogers and Fred Astair. She danced every bit as good as he did, all the while doing it backwards and with heels on. That's how you can relate your blindness. That you have been very productive at X,Y, and Z all the while with little or no sight. You have had to be a creative thinker, an independent individual and a confident individual to take all that on. And, remember, do NOT leave off your resume or forget to mention in an interview any volunteer work you have done. That right there shows a very strong work ethic, and that you take initiative rather than resting on your laurels. That bodes well for being considered for a job. I doubt it has anything to do with your dog, unless the interviewersis are not animal lovers and personally, I dont trust those people, and I'm not sure I would want to work for them.

If you know anyone at the company, you might tell them that the best way they could help you in landing a job is by playing the devil's advocate and ask them what you might be doing to sabotage your chance at getting hired, and suggestions for what you might do differently. Whether your clothes don't match the dress culture of the company, you are going out not putting your best foot forward, you are not adequately prepared to tell the employer why the best decision they could make would be to hire you, that you feel you can do the job as well or better than any other candidate, and relate situations in your life that support those statements. Proper interview etiquette means making eye contact even if you can't see, sitting up straight and not fidgeting with anything, a good, confident handshake, not going on and on ad naseum talking about yourself beyond answering the question to their satisfaction. If you can't pick up on facial cues, try to pay attention to where the voice of the interviewer is...is he/she focusing on looking out the window, tapping his/her pencil on the desk, rocking back and forth in their chair, etc. If you pick up on any signs that you have lost their attention, you most likely are either talking to much about subjects that are not germain to the question asked and need to get back on track. I could write a tome on other suggestions, but I will just add one more. When the interviewer asks you if you have any further questions for him/her about the job/company, never, never say, "No, I think you covered it pretty well." Always have a couple questions that you can be pretty sure will not be addressed in the interview, such as,"What would you like to see the person you hire for this position bring to the job that the last person didn't or wasn't as important then as it is now?" OK, gotta get back to work. Good luck to you! Pam Maxon

raise some money. I will help. I have a couple of ideas.

A couple of ideas. It is easy to do.

THE WHITE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM, THEY SEE IT EVEN IF YOU DO NOT! Hi Mandy, I am an employment counselor for Abilitylinks.org who happens to be visually impaired. My educated advice to you is this: • ADDRESS YOUR DISABILITY UP FRONT. You are being unrealistic if you do not understand they see you even if you do not see them. Deal with your disability very maturely addressing the issues by saying hers how I do my job despite my blindness. List any assistive technology you may use such as JAWS, etc. • DO NOT CAMP THERE, Address the disability quickly and move on to your job skills and what you can bring to this position. • The guide dog is a mobility tool (so to speak). I would want the interviewer to focus on you and not on your dog. In the interview when you list your assistive tech software or equipment, this would be the time to mention your dog as the tool you use in dealing with your mobility issues Present your dog as a positive proactive way you deal with mobility. AS FAR AS DISCRIMINATION GOES: RULES OF THE ROAD: Do not be a victim TAKE CHARGE AND PUT THE WHITE ELEPHANT TO BED! before it has you for lunch. Then very quickly get back on track YOU SELL YOUR SELF BY TALKING ABOUT YOUR DEMENSTATED SKILLS. Provide examples of your job skills by talking about projects and assignments you have completed or contributed to.

Remain upbeat and positive and you will bo great!

Much of the time it is how we react to questions like these that gets us in trouble. If you are afraid you won't be able to answer, it will show.

Think about the question. It sounds to me llike you did work full time.. just because half of it was at an office and the other half was taking care of your family, none of it was spent lying about. If it were me, I would say cheerfully, even humorously that yes, I always have worked full time and can and will do it still.

Try to assess yourself not what othersmight think or say.. and answer HONESTLY.

As for bringing your dog, you will never go wrong showing how you adapt and solve problems. The dogis a sign of your good sense and independence. What would leaving it behind accompllish?

Finally, I've said it before and I will say it again, the two essential job requirements for a person with a disability are: cheerfulness and confidence. Do whatever you can do to make sure that's how you present yourself.

Dear Mandy -- I would suggest developing a functional resume that highlights your abilities rather than a chronological one that specifies the dates when you worked. Perhaps a potential employer will tap into your skills, and hopefully realize how irrelevant it was when you learned them. I would also return to the organizations where you volunteered and ask if they have any current and/or anticipated openings. According to Richard N. Bolles, author of "What Color Is Your Parachute?" suggests networking is one of the best effective ways to find a job. Mr. Bolles also advises contacting the person who is in the position to hire you instead of human relations departments, and look for jobs in small companies instead of with Fortune 500 companies. Good luck! I wish you the best!

Mandy, You have a challenge. It's very hard for others with your same skills and degrees to also land a job with livable wages and with your visual disablity and the huge job pool of workers it's going to be harder. I feel it's a strong suggestions to network with the people and areas that you have already been successful. Networking with your friends, past jobs, and relationships is your best bet for success. If I were hiring you, I would be concerned about the "Postion" your disablity would have on others in the office, and how others would treat you and what others would have to do. This is truely a disadvanatage to an employer, and you should be able to talk freely about how your disablity would or would not affect others in the work force. As an employer, your damned if you do, and damned if you don't. You need to use the network you already have, or try a friend that can work around and for your disablity. There are many companies that have at home workers now, research these companies. They offer them in many of the big companies now. I BA degree doesn't get you anyway except maybe a job interview, the rest is creative and making your disablity a strenght to the organization that would be hiring you.

Also Mandy, The questions interviewers are asking you are very normal for someone that has not worked full time in a while and still have small children at home. A more positive spin would be..they want to know if your committed and able with the demands at home, that they can count on you to not call in, or take off too much. Many companies are not flexible to a single family home. You need to ask the interview back, "I curious, but if you don't mind before I answer that, why would you ask me that?" It might not be because you can't see, but because of the demands that your family has one you. Have a plan that insures the employer that you have daycare, children are older, your dedication to being dependable depite the fact your a single parent.

Why have you not worked full time. It's because in this day and time, you put the education and upbring of your small children first, and now that you have that out of the way, you can focus now on your career and give that the same dedication as you did to raising your family.

Mandy, Anyone, accompanied by a guide dog or not, may be asked why they had not worked full-time in the past. Your answer would be similar to that of many women (or men) who concentrated on family management rather than a career. State to the prospective employer that you chose to work part-time in order to balance the needs of family with work. Now that the children have reached a more independent age, you are taking the opportunity to further develop a full-time career rather than a part-time job. If you are asked whether you can handle a full-time job, I would suggest the Columbo approach. Put on that puzzled look and then state that you find that particular question puzzling because you have obtained a college degree along with balancing the needs of family, employment and volunteer activities. Then stat you wouldn't have applied for the position if you were not fully capable.

Mandy, it is not just blind women who are stay at home mums who are asked these questions, my best friend Connie, who has no disabilities, was asked the same things. Her interviewer even had the nerve to ask why she spent time at home eating bon bons and watching Oprah instead of working full time .

Connie's response was that as a stay at home mum , she was the CEO of her home and shared the responsibilities of CFO with her husband. She said she was able to delegate authority and explain job descriptions in language that her subordinates could understand as well as execute manager's skills so that the tasks were achieved with some level of excellence. ie bed making , laundry, kitchen and cooking prep, cleaning, personal maintenance.

She then described her abilities as a chef, social worker, sometime psychologist, religious advocate and leader, not to mention cook , chauffeur and other duties.

She described her numerous volunteer positions for the board of education for which she was applying.

In other words she used a " functional" resume as opposed to the chronological one favoured by younger people or people who have a sustainable permanent work history.

As to your guide dog the dog is like adaptive technology, it is also a source of protection for you. Most people have no idea what a service dog does, they think it's a pet.

Generally interviewers who ask these types of question do so out of fear and ignorance. They can't imagine being blind or having any kind of disability and being able to competently work as a job or a career.

People with disabilities, no matter what the disabilities are , are still smashing down barriers and myths about disabilities, whether we like it or not.

Be confident in what your skills are, what you can offer the company that no one else can. Be willing to grow and learn continuously. Know your strengths and your weaknesses and be ready to work on your weaknesses. Show them that no matter what they throw at you or ask you, your answer should be "Yes I can" and then get about proving it.