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January 29, 2008
Making an Apparent Barrier Irrelevant
In December, 2007, James J. Elekes, M.Ed, MPA, CPM, completed a five-year term as a Presidential Appointee/Public Member of the U.S. Access Board in Washington D.C. and was looking for a job.
Look at one of his job-interviewing experiences on this forum.
James now has a new position, which he says he “really enjoys.” Here is his account of one of his first duties on his new job:
“... One of my first assignments was to look over the crop of undergraduates applying for a spring internship and select four out of the 15 applicants.
“This would be a 24-hours-a-week commitment with significant field work visiting client sites to conduct 'barrier-free facility assessments.' In every case, I advised those to be interviewed to dress 'business casual,' provided them a copy of what constitutes 'business casual' for the organization and waited.
“(All the organization’s ‘field personnel’ are directed to dress 'business casual' because of the duties of their respective positions. While at the office, I'm a ‘suiter,’ but, for field appointments, I'm business casual as well.)
“Of the 15 candidates, 10 came in business suits, upscale dresses or inappropriate office wear (sneakers, flip flops, low-slung jeans etc). Immediately, it was a strike against them. If they can't follow simple instructions for the interview, how will they follow more complex instructions when doing a site assessment?
“The remaining group of five was my cadre from which to select the four interns. They paid attention to detail, asked clear and concise questions when appropriate, and they displayed confidence in themselves and their knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs).
“In preparing for a job interview, they had taken the time to research our organization’s culture in terms of dress. They knew how to match the ‘uniform’ of our organization.
“Incidentally, I'm totally blind. You may wonder how I knew the dress of each candidate. Simple. I asked my secretary to make note of each candidate as each arrived. One of the observations to record: dress (whether it conformed to our organization’s ’business casual’ guidelines as well as hair style, jewelry and all the other factors that would make a first impression on a client).
“This may sound extreme, but, even as interns, they are our points of contact with specific clients. Their KSAs as well as how they present themselves need the culture of our organization.”
As a person with hiring authority, James gives us some insight about how dress and appearance can influence a job candidate’s chances in being chosen for a particular job.
But, what struck me as equally astute was his use of a “work around” in gaining a picture of each interviewee’s personal appearance, even though he’s totally blind.
You probably have used that same type of ingenuity that James has shown in finding your way around a new office, handling a mountain of reading material, filling out forms at work, managing people etc.
So, take a minute to share your special “how to” with your fellow eSight members.
How have you made an apparent barrier (due to your disability) irrelevant in your world of work?
Posted by Jim Hasse at 01:23 PM | Comments (10)
January 15, 2008
Protecting Your Online Privacy
Michele Glaser recently sent us an article about using your LinkedIn profile as a resume.
The article's author, Alison Doyle, who is a job search expert with more than 20 years experience in human resources, career development, and job searching, writes that hiring managers and recruiters are using LinkedIn as a tool to find job candidates.
If that's the case, those of us who have profiles on LinkedIn or other venues need to decide what information to include -- and not include -- in them to protect our privacy.
Three questions come to my mind.
What rules do I follow to protect my privacy so I don't become vulnerable to stalkers, marketing scams etc.?
What information do I want a prospective employer to know about me?
What type of articles do I self-publish to enhance my career?
An eSight member recently e-mailed us about her concerns in these matters. She writes:
"...My concern (is) about allowing lots of info about oneself out on the Internet in a random fashion.
"(Consider this) example. I am a person living in a small town. By 'small town,'I mean a town which has few blind people in it. I write info about myself into some kind of service such as Facebook, MySpace or LinkedIn.
"I write in my profile that I am proud of the fact that I live alone and can do so well as a blind person. I give my name and my town, 'Anywhereville.'
"Now let's say there is a kid who is good at using the Internet. He knows how to use Google.
"He has a history of petty crime -- break-ins to houses where he steals stereos. He is not violent. He is good at technology and thinks of the whole thing as a challenge.
"He lives in Anywhereville.
"One day he is wandering through Facebook or MySpace. He sees my profile.
"Guess whose stereo goes missing? If I am lucky, I am not home. If I am unlucky, I get tied up or worse while he steals my stereo.
"Like it or not, blind and disabled people stand out in a community. Giving out contact info over the Net means all kinds of people can see it.
"The concern may be amplified if the person who is disabled is young, immature, mentally less careful than I am, female, or desperate for work and careless of risks being taken.
"I suggest you may want to make people aware of when it is appropriate to post material and what material is appropriate to post to what audience.
"Material I personally avoid includes my name (since it is unusual), my address, and my phone number. I post an e-mail address..."
The eSight Networking Forum is a safe place to discuss issues like this, so we can all learn from each other. I found the above observations helpful. I would like to hear how you approach this
issue of protecting your privacy as a job seeker, too.
What rules to protect you privacy do you follow in using online profiles as part of your job search?
Posted by Jim Hasse at 01:30 PM | Comments (2)