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Wednesday, November 04, 2009
Interview Hints for Workers with Disabilities
I was doing breathing exercises to relax prior to a job interview when I heard a strange sound. I looked up to see a middle-age man in a dark suit, white shirt and tie pacing the floor.
He was hitting his fists together and muttering out loud to himself, “Oh, so stressful.” This man was interviewing for the same management level job that I was.
Interview anxiety is a common affliction among job seekers. It doesn’t matter if you are a teenager interviewing for your first job or a middle-aged professional.
People with disabilities have the same worries as others plus a few more: Should I inform a prospective employer about my disability? Will the interviewer be uncomfortable with me? What if I am asked an illegal question? Do I really stand a chance?
Job seeking persons with disabilities need to keep several concepts in mind.
A disability is defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 as a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits a major life activity.
The ADA requires employers to be exact in listing the requirements of a job. The description can describe what the fundamental job duties are, but not how they are to be done
With reference to a person with a disability, “essential functions” is a better term than requirements. During an interview this applicant will be asked if they can perform the essential functions of the job with or without accommodation.
An accommodation is any change in the work environment or in the procedures for getting the work done. (As a person with hearing limitations I was given the accommodation of a receiver with an amplifier.) Employers are required to provide reasonable accommodation in the application process, to perform the essential functions of a position and to allow people with disabilities to enjoy all the benefits and privileges of employment, such as use of the cafeteria. The determination of what is reasonable is made on an individual basis.
The focus of the ADA is to level the playing field in the employment area. Among other matters, it covers employment and public accessibility
A person with a disability is never required to discuss their disability with an employer, but you may be required to tell the employer of your need for accommodation. The difference is important.
For example, Fred may need to tell an employer prior to an interview of his need for wheel chair accommodations, but not to discuss his football injury. The employer cannot make pre- employment inquiries about a disability, but can ask about the person’s ability to perform the essential functions of the job.
Some applicants with disabilities, especially those with hidden disabilities, need to tell an employer if they need a work accommodation. If the condition does not impede your job performance it is not necessary to disclose the condition.
If, however, the applicant does not reveal the need for an accommodation during the interview and later on a performance issue develops related to the hidden disability, the employer is not held accountable. The employee could rightfully be terminated.
I totally recommend against using “gotcha” when an interviewer asks an illegal question. Rarely do those with hiring authority deliberately skirt the ADA rules. The interviewer is probably as nervous as you are. I recommend answering the question in an indirect manner aimed at the intent of the question.
A blind applicant could be asked, “Well, how are you going to get here?” The applicant could reply, “I never missed a class last year. I lived off campus and used public transportation.”
In my experience as an employment counselor I have observed that interviewers do not recognize the advantages in an applicant who has learned to live with a disability. Surviving a major disability is an experience in itself. Those who have learned to live with this disability and make lifestyle adjustments have developed work ethics not commonly found in non-disabled applicants. Disabled job seekers need to stress these assets.
Job seekers with disabilities tend to overlook transferable skills they’ve learned in the process of adapting to a disability. Those who are blind of necessity must develop attention to detail. A person who has undergone rehabilitation has learned management and supervisory skills in dealing with attendants.
Bob Lankard, a business columnist for the Indiana Gazette and former program manager at the state Job Center in Indiana, Pa., offers common-sense advice and innovative tactics to help all levels of job seekers satisfy their employment ambitions.
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