Living with a Disability - Preparing and Searching for Jobs

​Return to the Disability Employment Guide​ for more information.​

Now that you know what career field you are interested in and have the skills needed to land the job, you are ready to start the job search process. It is important to know about job searching tools, creating a resume, networking, applying for a job, and interviewing. These things, along with the other steps you have taken, will help you achieve your career, training and employment goals.

At this point, it's a good time to slow down and evaluate a few things. Access the Employment Plan Worksheet to summarize what you've learned about yourself throughout the process. After that, you can start working towards getting your name out there, a great place to start is by organizing your job search and starting or revamping your resume.

Use the Resume Checklist to ensure your resume is employer ready. Look at different resume examples, action verbs, and transferable skills lists when creating your resume. Illinois workNet provides a free resume builder that you can access from your dashboard anytime. It provides you with additional examples, templates, a cover letter builder, and other helpful tools to help your job search end in success. If you feel like your resume is lacking in any area, you may want to attend a resume workshop to get assistance with preparing your resume. Our Event Calendar is perfect for finding training and workshops that are going on near you.

Once you have completed your resume it's time to get it out to employers. It's important to use a variety of job search tools when searching for leads and to customize your resume to each job opening. This will allow employers to see the specific skills and job history information that pertains to that specific job. Customizing your resume will help you stand out from other job seekers – it's recommended that you customize your resume and cover letter to each job you apply for.

There are many different outlets to find job postings. Some popular ones include:

• Online Job Boards: These are very common now in the digital age. Don't get overwhelmed by the number of sites, just pick the top ones and start there. The Illinois workNet JobFinder and Illinois JobLink will help get you familiar with the process and connect you to great job openings.
• Newspapers and Weekly Advertisers: This print (and online) method provides great leads. You can find a lot of local job openings in the classifieds of your local paper.
  
• Company websites and social media: If there is a certain company you are interested in, be sure to check out their website or social media pages to find out about job openings. Check out our social m​edia guide to get more tips on this.

If you are not finding job openings, change your approach. Try searching with different keywords, expanding your job search area, or using a new way to reach out to employers. Use these articles about employment planning to get more tips on your job search.

Finding additional ways to market your skills can also help make you stand out and shine to potential employers. Networking is a vital way to open yourself up to more job opportunities. Use those close to you to discover job openings, friends and family can be your first contact with employers that are looking for new hires. Learn more about networking and how to master it with these resources.

After you start applying to jobs it's time to start preparing for the interview process. Read up on different types of interviews and the best ways to prepare for them. There is an Informational Interview Worksheet that can be used to learn about Informational Interviews and how to best prepare yourself for that type of interview. While you learn about the interview process make sure to learn about Disclosure so you will know when and how to best tell an employer about your disability. When you begin getting deeper into the hiring process it can seem overwhelming, but be assured that if you're prepared and follow a few simple pieces of advice you will make it through this process victoriously. Use the additional interviewing resources that are provided within the resources here.

Always be prepared to get job offers, use the Negotiating with Employers Worksheet to help prepare yourself for discussing any assistance you may need in your position with a potential employer.

Using all of these tools and tips will help you successfully navigate the job search and hiring process, along with helping you land the right job! Just remember to keep a positive attitude as you go through the process and to re-evaluate your strategy if you are not getting results.

Read Zippia's Disability Resource Guide for additional helpful information and resources.