Resume and Employment Guide for People With Disabilities
Resume and Employment Guide for People With Disabilities
This article was submitted to us by Laura Jacobs, a Research Analyst with ResumeBuilder.com. The author is Jeff Arseneaux.
According to the Social Security Administration, there are over 8 million disabled workers in the United States. These workers often face challenges such as stereotyping, discrimination, and lack of accommodations. Thankfully, there are a variety of legal protections and employment resources available that help people with disabilities overcome these challenges and advance their careers.
Below, we’ll go over best practices for resume writing, laws that protect you from discrimination, and several other topics that you should know about as a disabled worker.
Resume Tips for Job Seekers With Disabilities
For the most part, writing a resume as a disabled worker involves the same best practices as writing any other type of resume. Some of the most important things to keep in mind include:
-
Keep your resume clear and concise
- Hiring managers usually have dozens, if not hundreds, of resumes that they need to review to fill a single open position. There’s simply not enough time to carefully review every applicant’s resume in depth — if you don’t catch their attention quickly, they’ll usually move on to their next option. Generally, you should limit yourself to one page, use short and direct words over longer synonyms, and use paragraph breaks and bullet points to avoid a “wall of text” look.
- That said, there are some instances where a more than one-page resume is okay, including for certain roles or experience levels. Review our resume examples to find out best practices for your role.
-
Highlight your specific qualifications
- While training is always an option, employers prefer candidates who have experience with the specific tools their team uses on the job. Connect the dots for the hiring manager by highlighting any software platforms, regulatory programs, types of equipment, or other relevant skills that make you the perfect fit for the job you’re applying to.
-
Use numbers to quantify your work accomplishments
- Even if you give potential employers a good idea of what your responsibilities were at your previous jobs, how will they know that you handled these responsibilities well? Showcasing your achievements with concrete numbers to demonstrate your job performance helps convince hiring managers that you know what you’re doing. For example, the amount of revenue or savings generated, the percentage of projects completed under budget, the size of the team you managed, etc.
-
Tip!
- Make sure to write a matching cover letter to pair with your resume. While not all jobs require one, it’s another touch point with the hiring manager to express your interest in the role. Download one of our free cover letter templates to get started.
- In addition to these general rules, two aspects of resume writing specifically concern disabled workers: deciding whether to disclose their disability and explaining gaps in your employment history.
-
Disclosing disabilities
- It’s important to note that you have no legal obligation to disclose your disability on your resume. If your disability is not visible — the term “disabled” covers everything from physical injuries to chronic diseases to mental disorders — there’s no need for an employer to be aware of it at all. This is especially true at the beginning of your job search. Your first focus should be securing an interview, and choosing whether or not to disclose your disability may help you avoid any instances of bias. That said, it may be helpful to disclose after you’ve scheduled an interview. For example, if there are accommodations that you need informing the employer about it as soon as possible helps ensure that everything is set up before you arrive.
-
Explaining gaps in employment history
- People with disabilities sometimes have long or frequent gaps in their employment history. Prospective employers will likely notice these gaps on your resume and may ask you to explain them.
- Even in these cases, there is no need to disclose your disability if you do not wish to. To avoid this situation, you can record the dates of obvious work history gaps on your resume and write “Illness and Recovery” next. This explains to employers why you were not working during these periods, implying that you are now “recovered” and fully ready to work.
To continue with this article and for Disabled Worker Resume Example, Job-Related Resources for People With Disabilities, and Resources for Finding a Job, click on the link below:
ResumeBuilder.com/comprehensive-resume-and-career-guide-for-people-with-disabilities
Need a great, professional-looking, and free resume template?
Here are 2 Choices for a Free Resume Template:
See also: