Community Employment Resource Centre

What’s inside?

 

ö         Upcoming Information Sessions

ö                 Job Hunting & Disabilities

ö                 What’s The Creative Job Hunt?

ö         Dealing With Fears

ö         How To Overcome

ö         Winners

ö         Websites of Interest

 

Upcoming Information Sessions

 

¨                  Computer Basics: 

January 7th 

 

¨                  Know Your Resources:

January 14th 

 

¨                  Automated Resumes:

January 21st

 

¨                   Choices: 

January 28th 

 

Time:  2:00–3:30 pm at

               Port Hope CERC.

 

To register call 905-885-2372

* Limited space available*

 

Job Hunting &

Disabilities

 

Source: Job-Hunting for the So-Called Handicapped or People Who Have Disabilities

 

“We aren’t much different then anyone else when it comes to job search.  We all have strengths and talents.  The difficult part is being able to communicate them, especially to the person who may hire you.” 

 

 

Job Hunting Strategies

 

 

v                 “Randomly mailing out resumes to employers.

{7% success rate}

 

v                 Answering newspaper advertisements.

{5 – 24% success rate}

 

v                 Asking for job leads from family, friends or with in your community.

{33% success rate}

 

v                 Creative Job–Hunting method

{86% success rate}”

 

      “The latter is the #1 strategy for people with a disability.  The Creative Job Hunt requires the ability to communicate one-on-one, imagination, boldness, awareness and discussion of your skills to others.  It can uncover the perfect fit openings but not all of us are comfortable with this form of job search.”

 

What’s The Creative

Job Hunt?

 

The What, Where And How!

 

      Step1:  What do you want to do?

 

·                    “Know your skills.

·                    Know what kind of work you want to do.

 

·                    What are your talents?

 

·                    Evaluate your strengths and weaknesses.”

 

Step 2:  Where do you want to work?

 

·                    “Where do you want to live?

 

·                    What are your preferred working conditions?

 

·                    What organizations have these jobs?

 

·                    Talk to people who are already doing the job.”

 

Step 3:  How are you going to obtain such a job?

 

·                    “Do some research on organizations that interest you.

 

·                    Find out what the company does and what sort of problems they may be having.

 

·                    Seek out the person who has the power to hire you.

 

·                    Show them how you can help with their problems.

 

·                    ***And most importantly make sure you show them how you would stand out as an employee.”

 

 

Note:  “For every step there will be a number of challenges for you to consider and overcome, especially if you are on some form of assistance.” 

 

The book talks about these in detail so I strongly recommend reading the book.

Examples:

-           Low self-esteem

-                     Problems identifying    your skills

-           Fear!

 

Dealing With Fears

 

The Employer’s Fears

 

“Believe it or not, employer’s have fears and your job is to put these fears to rest.  As a person with a disability you will find you’ll be educating the employer’s as you go.”

 

Some of these fears are addressed in the book with solutions.  Here are just a few examples:

 

·                    “I don’t understand what this person’s disability is and I’m afraid to ask.

 

·                    I want to hire this person but what if there is a problem with them adapting and we don’t know how to solve it.

 

·                    How would this person get to work?

 

·                    What if they don’t work out and I let them go, I’ll be accused of firing them because of their disability.”

 

“You need to talk to them about these fears right at the start.  Offer some solutions or ideas that could help lessen them.”

 

Your Own Fears

 

¨                  “You use your disability to get what you want at home.  The fear is that you are afraid that the people at work will treat you just like anyone else.

 

¨                  If you volunteer any information to employers it will be used against you.  Therefore they get the impression that you are trying to hide something and you miss out on the opportunity to convince them of your qualifications.

 

¨                  You know very little about the world of work.  Since you don’t know how to act you are afraid to start.

¨                  Fear of getting a job and not being able to fulfill the requirements.

 

¨                  And most of all fear of having to face your limitations.”

 

“When it comes to job searching people give up too soon.  There are three main reasons for this:”

 

1)                 “They underestimate the difficulty and time it takes to job hunt.

 

2)                 Rejection shock, we all hate being rejected.

 

3)                 The way we see ourselves as a person with a disability.”

{Our Own Fears}

 

“Remember what you do has an affect on what you think!”

 

How

To Overcome

 

²                  “Ask a possible employee if you can job shadow.

 

²                 Ask for an informational interview.

 

²                 Practice interview skills with a friend.

 

²                 Do a lot of research on the organization and field that you wish to be in.

 

²                 Volunteer.

 

²                 Tell yourself positive affirmations daily.

 

²                 Read inspirational books and motivational tapes.

 

²                 Join a support group for people with disabilities who are job searching.

 

²                 Find friends who will encourage you.  Avoid critical, demeaning and negative people.

 

And The Winners Are…

 

The winners for our wellness packages are:

 

â                 Margaret Robertson

â                 Vicki Pierce

â                 Paul Teabeau

(Port Hope Office)

â                 Claire Hanna

â                 Luz Opelia Maya

â                 Debbie Pusey

(Cobourg Office)

 

Congratulations!

 

Websites Of Interest

Ø            Canadian Disability Organizations & Resources:

www.ilrc.nf.ca/links/cdn_dis_org.htm

 

Ø            Ability: Employment Resources For Individuals Labelled Disabled:

www.kenevacorp.mb.ca/disable.htm

 

 “A teacher asked her students to write what they thought were the Seven Wonders of the World.  Most votes were for Panama Canal, Grand Canyon etc.  One little girl didn’t write a thing.  When asked about it her reply was, ‘I think the Seven Wonders of the World is: to see, to hear, to touch, to taste, to feel, to laugh and to love.’  The simplest things in life are so often taken for granted.”