Last month was Disability Employment Awareness Month, and for those of you who are still in "employment mode," this article recaps some of the blogs related to employment preparation from the newly launched CareerConnect Blog and the AFB Blog. If you haven't read my pieces before, my blog posts tend to provide useful information with a dash of humor. Humor tends to be my go-to delivery style, and I hope you enjoy this travel through my favorite employment-related blog posts.
From the CareerConnect Blog
The CareerConnect Blog, launched on July 1, 2013, has eighteen or so posts from me and my CareerConnect colleague, Detra Bannister.
Thoughts from the Road: Interactions with the General Public and Always Being "On"
I wrote Thoughts from the Road while I was traveling for work. The post was inspired by a few specific unpleasant incidents. My wife, Jennifer, had remarked to me that the negative experiences we encounter while traveling and interacting with airline, transportation, and hotel staff due to my vision loss, get to her. Since I am married and we travel for vacation and family events, we regularly encounter situations where we are treated differently. Every person with a disability encounters situations when you realize you are being treated differently. I do my best to keep a level head, attempt to educate, and hope to move past the situation. I don't often outwardly express the frustration that comes during some of these situations, but every once in a while, you encounter one that really sticks in your side. I think at times, it bothers my wife more than me, because I have been dealing with it for a lot longer, and my work has trained me to be able to talk about and handle such situations. This blog post addresses some of those situations that I have come across.
Dealing with the Public is Typically a Great Experience
Dealing with the Public is Typically a Great Experience was a fun post to write. After writing Thoughts from the Road, I thought it was my duty as a professional to make sure that all of the readers understood that positive situations are more common than negative. I also wrote this blog while traveling, providing some of the cool and really positive stories from my work travels over the years. During these travels, I have met so many interesting and impressive people, and I have stayed in contact with many. You never know where your next adventure will come from if you live your life with a positive attitude.
Self-Awareness: Knowledge of Your Own Strengths and Weaknesses Gives You an Employment Edge
The Self-Awareness post is based on content I speak about around the United States. Many people go through life with limited self-awareness, and job seekers who are self-aware have an advantage. It is even more important for job seekers who are blind or visually impaired to be more aware of their strengths and weaknesses. Many job interviews include questions about a job seeker's strengths and weaknesses. The importance also relates to maintaining employment and succeeding on the job. If a person is unaware of a weakness and not attempting to improve, this weakness could lead to poor work performance. This blog post also provides links to appropriate resources.
Dress and Impress: Not Just a CareerConnect Video, it is a Must for Interviews
I wrote the post Dress and Impress because of a discussion I had with a group of teenagers regarding interviewing. I make presentations, and I always speak about the importance of personal appearance and dressing to impress, and there are always a few who don't grasp it. I have met adults as well who don't believe it is necessary to dress professionally for an interview or work. The post also references a story from my twin brother, Dan, about students from notable colleges interviewing for internships with him. Dan said, "It is a bit disturbing that people don't grasp the idea that you want to set the best impression possible during an interview."
I think back to my time interviewing for internships towards the end of my undergraduate studies at East Carolina University. For my interviews, I dressed extremely well, and I even cut and donated my long hair prior to the interviews. I was glad I had put in the effort because my appearance was brought up during one of my interviews. I was wearing a small beaded necklace under my suit, which sat low on my neck. When I bent over to reach for something at the end of the interview, the interviewer saw the necklace and he remarked, "I just saw your necklace, if I had seen that in the beginning of the interview, I would have thrown your resume in the garbage." He went on to explain that the organization was conservative and had a military culture. He said, "It isn't like this is the sixties and you could show up with long hair; that wouldn't fly here." He offered me the position, and I left and cut off the necklace right outside and never mentioned that I cut my hair two days prior.
Do Your Research on Possible Employers: Putting in the Work Pays Off!
The blog post Do Your Research on Possible Employers is pretty self-explanatory; the piece expresses the benefits of doing prior research on employers. A job search is a full-time job of its own, and part of that job is researching possible employers. A job seeker should research a potential employer's history and current viability, trends specific to the field or business, and the range and type of work that the employer does. Often an applicant can break away from the pack by demonstrating their knowledge of the business. Employers like to see that applicants have done their homework prior to an interview, and research can also be come in handy when composing a cover letter.
The Road to Employment can be a Rough Trail, but it is the Best Path
The Road to Employment can be a Rough Trail was based on a message I sent to a job seeker who contacted me about his struggles with employment. This job seeker with vision loss had reached out to me in frustration with his lack of success. I tried my best to address the issues he raised and to provide ideas for new strategies. There are many reasons why people struggle with employment and it's important to try new and innovative strategies when things aren't working out. If we continue to try the same thing, and it doesn't bring success over a period of time, it's time to reevaluate the situation. Detra Bannister and I try to provide job seekers with solid advice. We are not local rehabilitation counselors, nor do we know every job seeker's full story, but we try our best to help.
From the AFB Blog
I have been writing blog posts for the AFB Blog for about four years now. Originally, I think Elizabeth Neal, AFB Web Strategy Guru, got me interested in it. Maybe Liz's title isn't Guru, but it should be something quite similar. I started writing more posts when my AFB colleague, John Mackin, joined our organization. John is the AFB Social Media Manager. He has encouraged my blog post writing, and allowed me to voice my opinion on many subjects. Okay, many of the subjects I have addressed on the AFB Blog are not exactly employment-related, but there are a few. What can I say; I am quite opinionated! Anyway, below you will find some of my favorite employment-related blog posts from the AFB Blog.
Get Your Children Thinking about Employment
Get Your Children Thinking about Employment is a post that I wrote about the importance of Bring Your Son or Daughter to Work Day. I recount my memories regarding my mother, who is blind, and my brothers, and my experiences regarding her work. I mention her going back to school and her career. I observed her navigating employment as a person with vision loss, and this definitely had an impact on my life.
In a related post on the FamilyConnect blog, I wrote Bring Your Son or Daughter to Work Day: Suit Up, Head Out, and Get Your Work On! The post recaps some of my earliest memories involving my father bringing my brothers and me to his office in New York City. All these early memories regarding employment definitely impacted my view of the importance of work. My parents were very dedicated to us and to their work. They also demonstrated a lot of passion and fortitude to provide the best for our family. In these blogs, I mention some of the lessons I learned in their work places. Read about my experiences, and help your children or future children gain some experiences that will last a lifetime.
Wall Street Journal Story Sheds Light on Common Issue for Job Seekers with Vision Loss
In Wall Street Journal Story Sheds Light on Common Issue for Job Seekers with Vision Loss, I addressed the Wall Street Journal's take on a study by the National Industries for the Blind (NIB) regarding the gate keepers to employment and their feelings on workers who are blind or visually impaired. NIB's Kevin Lynch provided feedback on the results of the study. There is still a lot of education that needs to be done with employers and the general public. We have made strides, but there is still a ways to go.
An Examination of the Portrayal of Persons with Disabilities in the Popular Media
Last October, I wrote the blog post, An Examination of the Portrayal of Persons with Disabilities in the Popular Media, in reference to my own article in AccessWorld. The article addresses a number of the portrayals of persons with disabilities in television from the 1980s through last year. I would love to take another shot at this to address current portrayals, since a lot more have popped up since.
Be Kind, Rewind: How Your First Job Affects Your Entire Career
I wrote the blog post, Be Kind, Rewind, because our first job is so important when shaping our work ethic and attitude about work. Teens often believe their first job will be their dream job, and that isn't the case. My first job was at a video store in New Jersey, and in this post, I present some of the lessons I learned from that first job in Parsippany, NJ at Korner Video Photo.
I Want to be My Own Boss: Is Self-Employment Right for Me?
In I Want to be My Own Boss: Is Self-Employment Right for Me? I wrote about self-employment after I attended a conference on the subject. I felt like I had not addressed the subject much in writing and I wanted to share some information. The post provides advice, input, and resources specific to getting prepared for self-employment.
Working from Home: Everybody Likes the Idea of It
Working From Home: Everybody Likes the Idea of It influenced the post above. In the past, I received a few calls a week asking, "Can you find me a job where I can work from home and make good money?" Finding people work is not a part of my job. I provide connection to resources, curriculum, tools, training, advice, mentoring, and strategies related to employment and navigating the employment process. On occasion, employers come to me with job opportunities, and I do help connect them to agencies and organizations. The post addresses the many misconceptions surrounding working from home.
Read More, and Thank You!
If you want to read more of my posts, there are many more on a variety of topics on the AFB Blog.). You can find a lot of my blog posts through the link to "read more posts by Joe Strechay." I suggest that you start tracking the AFB Blog.) and the CareerConnect Blog. I hope to connect with you in the future through our comments on our blogs.
