| CAREERS NOW 08-31-08 |
| Handling Disability in the Job Search |
DEAR JOYCE: After graduating in June, my niece, who was an excellent student,
is still looking for a job. I should mention that she has (a visible disability). I thought there was a law for
fairness. Yes? No? - A.M.M.
Despite the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, fewer than half of disabled Americans have
a job, according to some sources. Moreover, a disabled person's chances of finding employment are even more challenging
now as health insurance costs escalate in an employer-driven job market.
Not all disabilities are visible, but that doesn't always make a disabled job seeker's task easier. In an e-mail
to me, management consultants Gerry Crispin and Mark Mehler (careerxroads.com)
recalled an experience with a computer science major who is deaf and who'd graduated near the top of his class
but, frustratingly, for six months, couldn't find a job.
The candidate's inquiries generated lots of initial response that quickly tailed off as recruiters learned that
he required a TTY (a special device for people with hearing difficulties to type text by telephone)," according
to Mehler.
Still, the candidate persisted. His tenaciousness was rewarded with a tentative offer. But the deal wasn't done
yet. Here's what happened, as the consultants reported:
"A week earlier the young man had been online at a company's staffing pages, reviewing an entry-level programming
job, when he was offered an opportunity to enter a chat room to talk with a recruiter, which he did. After getting
a positive response from the recruiter, he was given a code to an online test that he passed with flying colors.
Then he received the offer - conditional, of course, on a background check."
But the new graduate had a question for Crispin and Mehler: "When should I tell them I'm deaf?"
"Now would be a good time," the consultants replied.
Disclosure of a disability is a tricky issue. Whether a disability is visible or invisible, the when-to-disclose
question remains. For either situation, unless job-related, rule number one is: Don't disclose a disability (or
any other problem) on a resume or cover letter, or you may not hear from the recruiter again.
When a disability is visible, it will be obvious when you show up for an interview.
When a disability is invisible, you can disclose it to a hiring manager after you've sold the manager on your skills
and abilities. Some people don't disclose it until they've been on the job for a while and established a good record,
and sometimes not even then if there seems to be no need to disclose.
Most experts I've spoken with recommend not holding back from management the reality of your disability; for one
thing, your ADA-related legal rights don't kick in until you disclose a condition.
Knowledge is power, and here's how you can help your niece by working with her to study specialty Web sites, such
as the National Organization on Disability (nod.org); National Business
and Disability Council (business-disability.com) and
Abilities Inc. (abilitiesonline.org). Look for lists of
disability-friendly companies and support networks of other disabled people and employees who can share their experiences,
knowledge and wisdom with your niece.
Crispin and Mehler have a productive thought about how to better utilize an underused work pool:
"Our belief is that recruiters are a critical piece of the solution when it comes to hiring quality candidates
who may also be disabled. Learning how to examine the candidate's ability and not be distracted by a disability
is part of it. Ensuring a recruiter is trained to easily accommodate a range of disabilities in the recruiting
process is an obvious competency.
"Perhaps the most interesting statement a firm can make is if a recruiter or recruiting leader happens to
have a visible disability. Wal-Mart and the Royal Bank of Canada are two companies we admire who walk the talk.
We would enjoy meeting others."
Email Joyce
Sorry, the volume of mail makes personal replies impossible.