When looking for jobs as a person with a disability, you want to be smart and strategic about the process.  You are interviewing a business just as much as they are interviewing you! Do your research and find out what company will be a good fit for you.

You want to ask the following questions when you read job postings:

1.  What is the mission of this business and what services do they provide?

This gives you a way to relate to the business.  Are they doing something that you’re familiar with?  If not, be sure to check out their website to familiarize yourself with all of the programs and services they provide.

2.  What are the roles and duties described in the job description?

Oftentimes two different businesses will post a similar job description, but there may be subtle differences. When you prepare for an interview, mentioning those differences can show the prospective employers that you were paying attention to the job description!

3.  Does the company employ other people with disabilities?

You want a point of reference where you can see the company’s disability awareness before you even send in your resume.  You can do a google search to find news stories about the business’ disability awareness and accessibility efforts to find out more.

Comparing #job postings as a prospective employee with a #disability. #whatyoudomatters #PWD #business #accessibility

A photo posted by JJ’s List (@jjslist) on Mar 2, 2016 at 11:55am PST

What are some of your stories in reading and responding to job postings?  Leave comments and share your perspectives!