The aim of this resource is to learn about the journey of securing employment; the application process, building your CV and mastering interview techniques.
It also focuses on how to be resilient, the mindset you will need to secure your first job and deciding when to disclose your visual impairment.
Our expert panel all agreed that landing that all-important first job can be tricky, especially if you have a visual impairment.
There are, however, many things that can help you secure your first role, such as learning from past mistakes, asking interviewers for feedback, preparing well in advance and above all – keep on applying for as many jobs as you can!
On this page you will find:
- A recorded discussion with expert speakers discussing the recruitment process and their personal experiences of applying for jobs.
- A list of top tips from our speakers on this topic.
To access the panel discussion click on the video below:
Top Tips
- Never write about yourself in the third person.
- Look online for tools to help you write and format your CV.
- When recruiters look at a CV they spend on average about six seconds on each one so make sure you’re able to get their attention quickly.
- Tailor your personal profile to the skill set that the job is looking for and show off your key strengths and future goals.
- If you don’t get the job you wanted, always go back to the employer and ask for feedback.
- Find out as much as you can about the role and the organisation before your interview.
- Interviews are stressful but you can prepare for them using the STAR+L technique: Situation, Task, Action, Result, Learning. Jurgen talks more about this in the recording.
- During an interview, don’t rush your answers. Take a few seconds to compose your response and if it’s a long question, ask at the end if you have covered it fully.
- Always have questions at the end that you would like to ask, it demonstrates you have an interest in the role and that you have done your research.
The aim of our ambitious online conference See My Skills: How to land your dream Job! for 16-24-year-olds was to supply practical solutions to the barriers and challenges that exist for young people seeking employment.
Once you’ve played the recording, please click here to listen to successful blind and visually impaired employees talk about the importance of self-advocacy and how they’ve made employment work for them.
We’d like to thank all of our speakers who gave up their time to share their positive stories.
To access the full library of resources from this event please click HERE
