Making a few changes to the way you think about yourself can influence your success in the jobs market.

Lots of disabled people experience difficulty in finding the jobs they want to do. Making small changes to the way you think can have a dramatic affect on the way you’re perceived as a candidate.

You’re a problem-solver – not a problem candidate
Disabled people are often required to find new and different ways of doing things. What others find easy, you might have had to think carefully about. By showing your ability to find alternative ways of operating you’ll start to demonstrate one of the attributes that employers are most enthusiastic about: problem-solving. 

Employees that come up with ideas and innovations regarding how to do things better, quicker, easier or cheaper, are always going to be in demand.  

Adaptations
Help the employer to understand that with reasonable adjustments and other adaptations, you’re able to become a valuable employer with lots of potential. 

Keep in mind that people don’t get sacked for having a broken leg – they just find a new way of doing things.

Keep it positive
People that have a positive attitude are likely to find it easier to connect with others and to find solutions that people with a more sceptical approach won’t always be able to see. That said, true ambition is not about ‘castles in the air’ but more about having a plan firmly rooted in the ground and ready to grow.

Confident 
If you don’t believe in yourself, others will struggle to. Employment is a sales game. Your product is yourself. Nobody buys something that even the salesperson doesn’t value. 

Confidence is sometimes fragile and it can diminish over time, especially if you feel you’re getting nowhere. Be sure to refresh yourself regularly by looking at all of the things you’ve achieved and what you know you can achieve in the future. If you can’t remember, ask a friend. It might just surprise you as to how much they admire and respect you. 

Disability Confident
Disability Confident is a government scheme designed to encourage employers to recruit and retain disabled people. Because it is voluntary, it means that those companies and organisations that have joined (and display the logo) are serious about helping disabled people. 

It’s worth looking out for the logo since scheme members often have a guaranteed interview scheme (GIS) for disabled applicants that meet the minimum criteria for roles they apply for. 

For more details, search for ‘Disability Confident’ via: www.gov.uk

Know what you want to do
You may not have the luxury of being able to cherry pick your dream job at your first attempt. Knowing what you want to do means considering what kind of broad skills and values you want to apply in your next role and why, irrespective of whether that’s in a supermarket or law firm. 

If you do have a very specific job title or organisation you want to work for, start to move towards it by understanding in detail what it is they’re looking for and angling your experience and skills in such a way that will appeal to them. 

Learning
Have a learning mindset. Education does not have to stop when you leave school. Taking on further learning or training opportunities is always impressive – and will add to your list of skills. 

Volunteer
Similar to training, volunteering always looks good since it displays a great attitude and will earn you relevant skills and experience that you can apply elsewhere.

Feedback
A setback is not a dead end. Asking where you can improve can be a great way of further understanding what you need to do to get where you want to go. 

Be a closer
Be bold. Ask if there is any reason why you shouldn’t get the job. If the answer is yes, you have an opportunity to suggest a solution. If the answer is no, you should suggest a start date – sooner, rather than later. 

Get searching
The following organisations can help you with your job search.

Business Disability Forum 
A non-profit membership organisation that works with business to create a disability smart world. Their 450 members employ around 20% of the UK workforce and an estimated eight million people worldwide.
www.businessdisabilityforum.org.uk

Evenbreak 
Employers who have chosen to place their vacancies on this site are serious about looking beyond disability to identify what skills people have to offer.
www.evenbreak.co.uk

Disabled Workers 
A registered charity that supports disabled people looking for work. It lists the latest job opportunities and provides a space where you can showcase your skills online.
www.disabledworkers.org.uk

Support for Work
A free online and telephone support programme for disabled people in England and Wales, who are looking for paid work. Tel: 0300 222 5742
Search ‘Support to Work’ via: www.scope.org.uk

Access to Work 

Access to Work grants can help pay for adjustments at work and for specialist assessments. These are government grants but it’s your responsibility to apply for them, not your employer’s.

An Access to Work assessment can help you understand what adjustments might benefit you to do your job.

For more details, search for ‘Access for Work’ via: www.gov.uk