Beyond High School: Looking for a Job

Related: Education, School, More TagsChildren with Learning Disabilities, Adults with learning disabilities, Fewer Tags

by Eileen Bailey
Friday, July 03, 2009

Entering into the work force is scary, especially when you have learning disabilities. You may have worked part time through high school or this may the first time you are searching for a job. There are a few things you can do to help improve your chances of getting an offer of employment.

Think About What You Want to Do

Entry-level jobs seldom resemble our dream jobs. Even so, it is important to know how the skills learned will help you to work toward what you would like to do. You may be able to find a job within your industry. For example, if you are interested in owning your own retail store someday, it is helpful to know all of the jobs involved in the industry, including stocking shelves.

Every job you will have will help you to increase skills and bring you additional knowledge you can use to build your career. So, even if you are not sure what you may want to be doing in five or ten years, finding a job that will help you to develop skills such as working with other people, organization, or dealing with customers can provide you with skills for your future.

Volunteer

Working experience is important when you apply for a job, but if you haven't worked before, how are you supposed to show your abilities? Potential employees often look at volunteering positions as experience. These positions may have taught you about taking direction, following instructions, working with others, being on time, and dealing with customers (or the public). It is always a good idea to spend some time each month volunteering for an organization to help you build upon your skills and to show your ability to share your abilities with others.

Write Down the Skills You Have

Even if you have not worked (for pay), you may have developed many skills you can list on a resume. For example, did you baby-sit for family members or neighbors? Even if you weren't paid, you can still consider these as jobs and use skills learned or developed as part of your experience. In addition, you may have helped family or neighbors doing yard work or doing chores around the house. All of these may have given you either skills or knowledge that can help you in your future jobs.  A resume or job application can include information on these types of experiences. Make sure, however, if you are listing neighbors or family members, you let them know ahead of time. Potential employers can sometimes check on previous employment or references.

Develop a List of References

Most employers will request between two and four references. If you have done volunteer work or are using friends and relatives to show experience in different areas, these are places you can draw references from. Talk to those people you would like to use as a reference and ask if you may use their name, address and phone number to supply to potential employees. You can also ask if they would write a letter of recommendation for you. Providing potential employees with copies of these letters (keep the originals for your own records) may make the difference between you and someone else getting the job.