For people living with a disability, finding employment can be a daunting experience. However, with the right advice and support it can be a hugely rewarding experience and one that can certainly result in satisfying, long-term employment!
A reputable disability centre Melbourne has will always provide advice for finding work for people living with a disability, and this includes the following:
- Showcase your skills!
The first and most important thing to do is showcase your skills, and you can pinpoint them by asking yourself the following questions:
- What do I like to do?
- What am I good at?
- What is my experience level?
- What jobs are most suitable for me?
- Can I receive any added training or assistance through my carer/provider?
- Would I undertake volunteer work to gain experience?
- Prepare your CV & resume
Once you have worked through this criterion and decided on what you would like to do, it’s time to start searching and applying for jobs! You’ll have to prepare a cover letter – which tells the hiring manager about yourself, your experience and why you want to work there – as well as your CV – which lists all your credentials.
- Remain positive throughout the search
It’s important to remember that it may take a few attempts to find employment. You have to remember to stay positive throughout the search, even if your confidence takes a blow.
Tips to stay positive include:
- Look for ways to stay motivated, reminding yourself why you started looking for work in the first place (you can write down a list and put it on the wall or create a vision board to help remind you!).
- Choose a specific time of day to seek and apply for work. This will help keep you motivated and develop your time management skills in the process!
- Remember to be kind to yourself – everyone loses out on a job application at some stage of their lives, and it is just another learning experience that is pointing you in the right direction and to the perfect role for you!
- Learn from what happens
It may seem hard to look at a missed opportunity as a positive, but for every job you don’t get there is always something to be learned. For example, you may make it to the interview stage, in which you will learn more about how the interview process works and what kind of questions your interviewer will ask.
What’s more, undertaking an interview process is important practice! You will learn a lot from the experience and – if you don’t find work on the first attempt – be able to take this experience with you to the coming applications.
- Work towards your employment goal
Sometimes, we have to do extra work to reach our goals. Therefore, if there is a position you would really like to take on, you may like to look into working toward that goal as it could be something really satisfying in the long term.
So you may like to ask yourself, “what do I need to do to reach this goal?” Does the position require extra study? Do you need to do some volunteer work to further your skills in the field? Whatever it is, it may be necessary to ensure you get the role of your dreams!
By following these important tips, you will learn the ins and outs of applying for work, as well as gain valuable life experience that you can take with you to all application processes!
