That's great news for the 22 million working-age Americans with disabilities, for whom the hiring rate is just 40 percent, according to the Dept. of Labor.
The newest job board in this space is GettingHired.com, a site that focuses purely on job postings for people with disabilities. GettingHired offers sophisticated tools, including one-touch resume builders and videos that prepare job seekers for potential interviews. Each video is fully accessible and can be viewed with full voiceover and captioning. The company claims to have more than 3,000 job listings culled from half-dozen corporations, including CIGNA, Pep Boys and Blue Cross Blue Shield.
“GettingHired gives us access to an underutilized talented pool,” says Jim Aller, director of human resources for Pep Boys Auto, in an November 2008 email interview. “When it comes to talent management, we simply can not afford to leave any stone unturned.”
"Virtual" Disability Career Fairs
Another valuable job board for people with disabilities is Disaboom. Launched in late 2007, Disaboom’s job board has gotten more robust and claims to have more than 500,000 job listings. A quick search revealed more than 100 jobs in the New York City area, including many jobs with temporary-staffing agencies, which can be a good way to get your foot in the door.
Big-name job board Monster.com has also gotten into the disability-hiring game. It recently hosted a virtual career fair for job hunters with disabilities. Its corporate subscribers include Spherion, MetLife, H-P, and Schering. A recent national job search in its diversity section pulled up more than 1,000 job listings. Monster.com also offers advice to disabled workers seeking assistive technologies and other ways to assimilate into the workplace.
Some disabled job seekers say a website isn’t enough, and what really matters is that a company can accommodate their unique needs. “I have no problem finding a job,” Sherry Gabby, 43, who has fibromyalgia, says in an November 2008 email interview. “The help I need is finding an employer who could put up with my symptoms,” she says. For Gabby, these symptoms include not being able to sit or stand for too long, or stay awake throughout the day, as well as headaches and nausea, she adds.
"10 Times Longer"
One site that’s geared towards more entry-level job seekers, as well as those who may need one or more accommodations, is HirePotential, a staffing and consulting company that has a small job board to help Fortune 1000 companies that have diversity initiatives fill open positions.
Sheridan Walker, founder of HirePotential, says in a November 2008 email interview that it takes someone with a disability 10 times longer to land a job than the average person. “Employers want to hire people with disabilities but they’re often not trained on how to find, interview or manage this group,” Walker says.
Recent college grads may want to try the disabled alumni social networking site at LimeConnect, an organization that recruits disabled college graduates on campus and through private events. Most job listings are pulled from the web but an icon next to the job post alerts the member that someone in the LimeConnect network has a connection to the company.
For people with disabilities who are just starting out, or already have professional experience, job boards are a great way to learn which companies are actively hiring people with disabilities, get interview tips and perhaps glean lucrative contacts. All of these tactics will give you an edge in a competitive hiring environment.
Suzanne Robitaille - Suzanne Robitaille is a writer and disability advocate. She writes about disability topics on her blog, Profoundly Yours and for several ...
