Returning to work after a long period of absence or starting your first job can seem daunting. Fortunately, the Disability Discrimination Act obliges the employer to make reason adjustments to ensure disabled jobseekers and workers are not disadvantaged just because of their disability. It’s important to think about what you can offer and how you are going to present yourself as the best candidate to the employer. You may find the following steps helpful:
Consider your situation
Ask yourself the following questions:
The Disability Employment Network can help you to consider your situation and work out your route forward. You can search the directory for a local member or email us via the contact form.
Are you returning to your old line of work?
The workplace may have changed during your absence from work in terms of new technology and working practices which means you may need to update your skills. A good way to research into this is by talking to past colleagues, analysing the job descriptions and personal specifications, reading trade journals and contacting the professional bodies. Sometimes, it may be enough just to be aware of the changes but in other cases you may need to consider updating your skills before considering applying for jobs.
Workplace adjustments
The nature of your disability and your role at work will determine whether you are likely to require any adjustments to the working environment. You (and the employer) may be concerned about the cost and disruption. Research consistently shows that in the majority of cases, the adjustments don’t cost anything at all and the average cost is a lot less than £100. It as also worth bearing in mind that grants are available by the Access to Work scheme. The best contact for Access to Work is your local Jobcentre Plus. The Disability Employment Adviser there will have details about this scheme and should be able to advise you and the employer about reasonable adjustments.
Identify new career opportunities if you can't return to your old job
If you had an active or physical job, your disability might mean you can't return to your previous line of work. However, you may be able to use your skills and experience in many other ways. Think about your experience – for example, if you've worked in the building trade think about hardware retail, costing building projects or working in support functions such as human resources. Other options include general management and driving jobs. With these jobs you can use your experience without doing much physical work. The Disability Employment Network can help you to identify new career opportunities. You can search the directory for a local member or email us via the contact form.
Update your skills and knowledge
It’s always a good idea to keep abreast of what’s happening in your industry. This shows the employer you are engaged and taking an interest. Reading the website of the professional body and/or the trade press is a good way to go about this. When it comes to updating skills, you may need to attend a short course at your local college or you might want to see what is available through Learndirect. Above all, it is always a plus to be IT literate as most jobs now require the use of computers.
Give your confidence a boost
Whilst you're out of the workplace your confidence can take a knock. One of the ways you can build confidence is from doing things and achieving things, and work can play a big part in this. You'll start to gain confidence again if you take a positive step and do something new and challenging, such as starting a course or doing some voluntary work.
Be positive about your time off
Employers will understand why you've been off if you're honest about the nature of your disability. But it will help them to build up a positive image of you if you mention any personal development activities you've undertaken whilst you've been off. Activities like these will impress employers:
Use local support
The Disability Employment Network has members that are experienced in supporting disabled people and they can offer you free information, advice and practical help. Use the directory to find a local service provider or email the Disability Employment Network with your enquiry.