Category: Jobs and Employment
I have an interview this friday at a large retail store. I'm curious if I should let the human resources department know ahead of time about my visual impairment. The one job interview I went for a few years ago, my employer actually did his homework and found out I was blind. I just don't want to shock my possible employer by walking in with a cane. Any thoughts on the matter?
Liam
hi liam. My thoughts on this are mixed. if you tell them in advance, they can be prepared, but if you tell them in advance, they might make preconceived judgements about your employability because you are visually impaired. many people say don't put your disability in your CV, but if you don't tick the box on the ap form saying you have a disaability when it asks you, you can get done for non desclosure. difficult this one. I am always up for explaining a situation, to anyone who I work with, but it can go both ways. sorry this hasn't been much help. good luck.
Well, I generally indicate this on my resume in a round about way, put Assistive Technology in my "software/skills" field and specify that Jaws is a screen reader for the blind. This way you'e already hinted strongly at your blindness and opened the way for further questions.
Occasionally I've indecated it directly but I feel it doesn't help beforehand. However, if you make it to the interview your blindness can also distinguish you from the other applicants and make you stand out. If you also do well on the interview itself and show them that some stuff you can do really well, they may be more impressed than if you were sighted and that'd give you a good shot at getting the job. So it's not all negative even if it's tricky.
It depends liam, if you've already put in the application and you got the interview I'd say let them know now since you were selected based on skill, but if you haven't put in one yet don't. People were talking about this recently on a mailing list and someone brought up a good point in a list of applications if they get several and they see disability it is likely it will be one of the first to go. Let them judge you based on your skills and general application and then let them get to know you at the interview. Good luck
Candi
I agree with wildebrew, if your resume shows your blind and they throw it away oh well. Chances are if you didn't have blindness on the resume they'd decide to not hire you as soon as you showed up if they already have the notion that blind individuals can't do the job. At least with blindness mentioned on the resume it provides a starting point for discussion of how things like accomidations will get done.
I agree with the two posts that suggest indicating blindness in a round-about way. Depending on the job for which you are aplying, you might have to complete a written response to a question or two. If so, you have a couple of options. You can bring a laptop or notetaker with you, or it might be an opening to say something to the effect of "As you can see from my resume, I'm familiar with assistive technology. I use it because I can't see. If you'd like me to complete the written part of the interview on one of your computers, could you have someone from the IT department available with administrative wrights to your computers so I can install screenreading software so I can complete the work?" Granted, that was way too verbose, but you get the idea. You're doing two things here. First, you're establishing the fact that you have a disability, and second you're indicating concern for company protocol. Actually, there's a third element. You're demonstrating at least a rudimentary knowledge of security issues. Best of luck.
Lou
When I got my Wachovia job in 2002 the recruiting manager said he found my resume' interesting, because of the blindness issue and it stood out for him, giving me a chance to proof myself in 2 days of intensive interviews. Like has been said, perhaps it turns some employers off, but I think that's ok over-all. But many employers want to keep the appearance of an equal opportunity employer (especially places like Wal Mart and the big companies) but they also don't want to become some kind of charity, so I think if you have a disability and you can still do your job really well that it could work to your advantage more than anything.