Using Social Media
It’s common these days for employers to check out applicants online before they shortlist for interview. Expect them to look at your social media – Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, whatever. Is there anything you wouldn’t want them to see, or that might count against you? You can also make it work for you, by using your contacts to network and source opportunities.
Alex Man, RSBC’s Senior Technology and Accessibility Adviser, shares 5 timely tips…
As the senior accessibility adviser at RSBC, I’ve worked closely with our Employment team for many years. During this time, we’ve successfully completed several projects aimed at helping visually impaired young people secure employment. I’d like to share my top 5 tips for job seekers:
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Do not Disclose your Visual Impairment too Early
Timing of disability disclosure is important, avoid revealing your visual impairment too early in the application process. Research the company and choose your time to disclose. While it’s unfortunate, we exist in a predominantly visual world where many lack awareness of visual impairments. Unfortunately, this can lead to discrimination. While it’s legally prohibited under the Equality Act 2010, the reality is that disclosing early might lead to exclusion if the hiring person views employing a blind individual as too challenging. Consider disclosing later, possibly at the pre-interview stage.
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What Can I Do?
You might be at the beginning of your employment journey where you don’t even know what you want to do, or which area would you like to work in. Gone are the days where blind people are limited to piano tuner or masseuse professions; no shame if you do work in these areas or wish to work in these areas. I personally work in Assistive Tech which is just as standard for a blind person. I have worked with young people who became lawyers, even fashion designers. As long as it’s something you enjoy doing, go for it. I digress – do not limit yourself to a few. If it’s something you enjoy doing, see if you have the correct skills and qualifications to choose a career path that aligns with your abilities.
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Social Media
Sometimes a CV isn’t enough. As we are online more and more, it is important to have some kind of online presence. This is true for those who work in the media industry or those who may be interested in entrepreneurship. Have a space where you can show off your work to employers and customers. I have run website creation workshops in the past where I help people make their own website to showcase their work which looked very professional. If you don’t feel like you are ready for a website yet, even social media could be extremely powerful. One of my students wished to start a bakery at home, and she leverages Instagram and TikTok to promote her cakes and pastries. If you are planning to work in an industry that doesn’t require you to have an online portfolio, you still need to consider social media. Remove any unfavourable posts you may have. Yes, even those that you made when you were an edgy teen. Employers will look you up not only on LinkedIn but your personal social media as well. Set it to private if you are not prepared to remove that.
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Know your Stuff
Self-Advocacy and Preparation is important, no one will know more about you and your needs than… YOU!
Know exactly what you need to perform your job at the company. Go in there reassuring the employers that you know your stuff.
“I use a screen reader, and I am pretty sure it will work with your systems. Even if it isn’t accessible, there is a government scheme called Access to Work that will pay for a developer to create scripts to allow me to interact with inaccessible interfaces. If all fails, they will pay for human support in a personal assistant.”
Showing confidence is always a plus when interviewing, but demonstrate how you know exactly what you need and how to get it. You are not only impressing the hiring person, but you are also reassuring them that you got this, and they wouldn’t need to do anything different or extra in their hiring process.
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Tech up
Finally, tech proficiency is crucially important! Are you up to date with your tech, more importantly your assistive tech? Are you confident that you can do work-related tasks such as word processing, sending emails, and researching the internet?
I personally think post-Covid, where the UK workforce was forced to work remotely and now a more hybrid approach, it is even more important for you to learn tech. For me and many more VI workers, it was easy to migrate to a remote workflow, whereas our sighted colleagues struggled. This is true for our friends over the pond. Kevin Lynch, president and CEO of the National Industries for the Blind, an employment resource for people who are blind, gave an interview where he said:
“Working from home was an adjustment for many, but technology has significantly levelled the playing field for people who are blind. Our employees who are blind were able to successfully transition to remote work with little disruption.”
Most companies will use two main platforms, Microsoft Office 365 – so your Word, Outlook, and OneDrives; or Google Workspace, Google Sheets, Docs, and Gmail. On top of any other additional software such as Customer relationship management programs.
Then there is your assistive tech. Is it NVDA, JAWS, VoiceOver, or magnification that you need? It is quite the minefield! This is where I come in, as someone who has helped hundreds of young people over the years get ready for work with tech, I’m happy to help. Feel free to reach out for some tech sessions, whether you are a seasoned user that needs a little brush up or someone who is completely new.
For more info, email: Alex.man@rsbc.org.uk
More thoughts on when to disclose your visual impairment
Choosing when to disclose your visual impairment can be a very stressful to some people.
Below, some Meta volunteers give their advice on the subject. The take away thought is to research the company to find out if they are likely to be accommodating to you during the process…