This September marks the seventh annual Disability Employment Month in British Columbia and provides an opportunity to celebrate the contributions of people with disabilities in the workforce, and the employers and communities who support their success. Think of the strengths, such as resilience and courage it takes to apply for and sustain employment, and participate in one’s community when faced with a life-changing disability.  By focusing on what you have to offer because of the barriers you overcome, and with the compassion and understanding and accommodation of employers, we can work together to have an inclusive community.

What is a disability?

Disability: A disability is a condition or illness—visible or invisible, episodic or continuous— that affects a person’s senses or activities. Examples of disabilities include physical and sensory disabilities (quadriplegia, vision or hearing loss, etc.), mental health disabilities (including addiction), developmental disabilities, learning disabilities, brain injuries and chronic health conditions such as arthritis, hepatitis C, diabetes, morbid obesity and others. The disability does not need to be permanent; however, a short-term health issue such as the flu would not qualify for accommodation in the workplace.

If you have a disability and are seeking employment you may be torn on whether to disclose your disability to the prospective employer. You are not legally required to disclose your disability if you do not need accommodations, but consider your strengths and barriers and apply for a position in which you will be successful. Employers legally cannot ask if you have a disability in an interview. An employer can ask if you are able to meet the requirements the job.

The publication, Disclosing Your Disability – A Legal Guide for People with Disabilities in BC produced by the Disability Alliance of BC, has great information on disclosing your disability and accommodations, including a table on the advantages and disadvantages of disclosure at various stages of your job search.

• Check out our workshops at WorkBC Parksville Career Centre such as “Branding You”  https://www.careercentre.org/workshops-events/
• Want to develop your personal resilience? Check-out this helpful guide and workbook: https://www.workplacestrategiesformentalhealth.com/pdf/From_Surviving_to_Thriving_EN.pdf
• Other helpful resources to help you succeed: https://www.workbc.ca/Resources-for/People-with-Disabilities.aspx

Kimberly’s Top 10 Reasons for Finding Summer Employment

1. Learning Opportunities:
Gain knowledge, experience, and professionalism needed to succeed in a career.

2. Short term goals:
Working for the summer can help you save money before going back to school or saving for that new car.

3. Networking:
While working this summer, make new contacts who can help you find long term employment in the fall.

4. Variety:
Short term or summer employment allows you to be excited about trying something new – you won’t get bored doing the same old thing!

5. Enjoy working in better weather conditions:
Think sun and fun while making a living!

6. May lead into full time employment:
Summer is a good time to discover if your employment is a good fit for you and your employer. If it is, often employers will try to keep you on all year.

7. Signing bonuses:
Many employers will give employees a bonus if they stay on for the entire season.

8. More employment opportunities to choose from:
Summer is the busiest time of the year for health care, hospitality, tourism, construction and landscaping.

9. Earn more money in a shorter time frame:
The fishing industry is a good example of good pay in a few months of work.

10. Make new friends:
Summer employment allows you to meet other people that are not necessarily around all year. For example, tourists or students who are here on a working visa. They too are only wanting short term employment, but may want to stay in touch and become good friends.

Looking to spruce up your cover letter?  Here are some top tips that can help:

• Research the organization to learn more about them and why you would like to work for them specifically, and include in your letter
• Follow instructions…include any answers to questions not addressed in your resume (i.e. amount of hours you can work, available shifts, salary, etc.)
• Only include qualifications, education, etc. that are relevant to the position you are applying for
• Match your skills to the organization’s needs, coming up with specific examples of occasions when you have used these skills successfully (i.e. accomplishment statements)
• Your cover letter should be neat, brief/concise, well written and error free, on no more than one page
• It should be branded to match your resume and reference sheet (matching letterhead, font style and sizes)
• Use a business letter format: left-blocked/aligned style (no indents at beginning of paragraphs), typical margin size is 1” around in order to have enough “white space”, and the font should be consistent with your resume and other marketing documents
• Personalize each letter, addressing each to a specific individual (which may require that you contact the organization to get the name and title of the appropriate person). Do not use “To Whom It May Concern”.  If getting a specific name is not possible, here are some examples you might consider:
  • Hiring Manager, Personnel Manager, Human Resources, Hiring Team
• Capitalize the first letter of each word in a job title (e.g. Long Term Care Aide)
• Use a professional tone
• Avoid overusing the word “I” (aim for approximately 5 or less per letter, or 2 or less per paragraph…this is harder than it sounds!)
• Use keywords, as well as action words and adjectives
• If using a Broadcast/Inquiry letter, let them know you will follow-up
• Do not rely on spellcheck…proofread it a few times, read it aloud, and have someone else proofread it
• Save your document with a file name that the employer (and you!) will easily be able to identify with and file/locate (e.g. John Smith – Cover Letter – 123 Company)
• Keep a copy of every letter you send as part of your job search file (examples: hard copy, email saved in a Job Search folder in your mail program, or electronic copy in your document files)

You got the job!  Now what?

Congratulations, you got a job!!  Now what happens? Well, a little something called on-boarding.

The on-boarding process is a series of events that equip and assist a new employee to be successful in their job and inform them of how their position impacts the overall business. On-boarding processes at places of employment will typically follow a similar outline:

• Orientation with a supervisor/manager to the workplace structure and culture
• Signing forms related to employment, human resources and taxes
• Submitting copies of your credentials, tickets and training certificates
• Tour of workplace and introductions to staff and what jobs they do
• Getting set up with the necessary tools, equipment and technology for your job; including passwords, alarm codes, uniforms, etc.
• Review and commencement of the training plan – this may include reading about your job duties and expectations, shadowing co-workers to see the process of the job first hand, as well as hands on training. The review of policies and procedures, watching instructional videos, and perhaps taking online training courses/modules are also an important parts of onboarding.

Currently, with COVID -19 having major impacts on our health, economic and social climates, the onboarding process of many workplaces will undoubtedly look different. Maybe you are working in the essential service sector that has been overwhelmed by increased business. This could mean you have been hurried though the process just to get you on the floor completing much needed tasks and serving customers/clients as quickly as possible. Or maybe the sector you find yourself in has slowed down, and your colleagues are working from home or reduced hours. This might mean that you have not met everyone in your workplace, your client-facing work has gone virtual and you are not able to receive the hands-on training you would have had prior to the impacts of COVID-19.

In both cases, you have started a job at time when the work days are no longer “typical”. So here are some tips to help you along the way as we all navigate these changing times together:

• Ask questions – when I started my first job as a teenager, my manager told me that “There are no stupid questions”. I still believe this, as it is important to ensure you obtain the understanding you need about processes and instructions. You are in the driver’s seat of your learning.
• Speak up – when you need something. There can be so much going on for employers and workers right now that no one may realize that you are missing a piece of information about process, policy or instruction on how to do a part of your job. We’re all a team and by speaking up, you just might be helping someone else too.
• Be flexible – go with the flow to meet the changing needs and trends of our current times. This might mean you are doing more aspects of your job virtually (including the onboarding process). Or maybe you will be focused on doing just one aspect of your job that is crucial to service delivery during this time, and you’ll learn the other parts of your job in a few months. Who knows? Just expect and be open to change!
• Be patient – with yourself and others (co-workers, employers and your customers/clients). This is an overwhelming time for many and everyone is learning and figuring out what comes next – even those that have been in their positions for many years. Everyone needs, and deserves, a bit of kindness and grace right now.

Good luck to you as you embark on this next step of your career path!

 

Talea

Employment Consultant