Disability, inclusion and job hunting

Researching inclusive employers

Working for an inclusive employer has many benefits. It empowers you to be your most authentic self at work, enables you to feel a sense of belonging, and allows the company to provide creative solutions, products and services by tapping into diverse perspectives.

Choosing an employer is an essential step in your job search process. There are several resources you can use to help, including specialist job sites and recruitment agencies.

Specialist diversity charter marks and organisations

Companies and organisations can gain a charter mark which for the work that they do to create an inclusive culture, recruit and support current and future employees from underrepresented groups.

Checking if an organisation has this charter mark can enable you to see if it has made that commitment.

Area of inclusion (if specified)	Chartermark/membership organisation/index	Specialist job sites
LGBTQ+	Stonewall	LGBTJobs
All areas covered	Inclusive Employers Inclusive Companies National Diversity Awards	Diversifying Bridge of Hope VERCIDA
Disability	Disability Confident Mindful Employer	Evenbreak Change 100 MyPlus Employ Ability 10000 Able Interns
Ethnicity	Investing in Ethnicity	10000 Black Interns Black Young Professionals
Social Mobility	Social Mobility Foundation	SEO London
Female Gender	30% club (female diversity on boards)
Age positivity	Renegade Generation

Company and industry websites and schemes

In some industries there is also underrepresentation and a desire to hire talent to address this imbalance. For example, in the tech sector, there is a need to hire more female candidates and those from black and minority ethnic heritage.

Organisations may join specific groups to try and address these talent imbalances as a sector, so you can search to see who the members are and this will indicate their commitment to inclusion. Examples include:

• Diversity in Tech
• Creative Access for the creative industries.

Companies may also want to demonstrate their commitment to hiring diverse talent, and you can search for information on this on their recruitment pages.

Some companies go further and create specific programmes for diverse talent, for example, the Civil Service's Early Diversity Internship Programme.

Professional bodies (for example The Law Society) can also give information on how to enter the industry as a graduate from underrepresented background.

Conveying your strengths and talents

Focusing on your experience, strengths, talents and passions will enable you to present yourself positively as a candidate to any employer.

There are different ways to do this, for example, talking about clubs and societies you are active in, campaigning you have done, and community groups you participate in can showcase how you champion inclusion in areas that matter to you.

Prospects.ac.uk has help with this.

Book a careers appointment to speak to a consultant about effectively doing this.

Your rights and what to do if you experience discrimination

Whilst diversity and inclusion are something that society and organisations are striving for, there is, in many sectors and companies, some way to go.

That is why seeking organisations committed to inclusion is important, but knowing that your rights are also protected through the Equality Act 2010, makes it illegal to discriminate on the grounds of certain protected characteristics.

You can find out more about your rights and how to deal with discrimination from the resources below:

• Discrimination - Citizens Advice
• Discrimination and the Equality Act - ACAS

Disclosure

There isn’t a standard time to disclose a disability when job hunting and the choice you make will depend on your particular circumstances and feelings. You may feel that your disability will have no impact on your ability to carry out the job.

You are not legally obliged to disclose your disability to an employer.

Tips for disclosure

• Use positive language
• Avoid medical jargon
• Research solutions for any support or adjustments you might need
• Don’t let your disability become the main focus of the selection process
• Get some advice and feedback on written applications and interview content

When to disclose

Application form

• Disclosing at this point can be a chance to explain issues such as gaps in your experience and also offers the opportunity to present your disability in a positive way - see the examples listed on My Plus Students
• ‘Disability Confident’ employers guarantee an interview to any disabled person who meets the essential job criteria. Disclosing at the application stage allows you to take advantage of this
• Often application forms have equal opportunities monitoring sections but these do not form part of the short-listing
• On the downside some people are concerned that they will be discriminated against and not get through to interview

Before the interview

• Allows the employer to make adjustments to the selection process if needed
• If your disability is visible it is addressed before you meet the employer avoiding any unnecessary questions or focus during the interview

During the interview

• This gives you the opportunity to discuss your disability and advise on any adjustments that you need. Don’t allow the interview to dwell on your disability.
• A practice interview with a careers consultant can help your refine your approach and build your confidence

At the job offer stage

• Waiting until this stage can take some pressure off the recruitment process. If you do need reasonable adjustments the employer will have time to put them in place.
• Be as informed as possible about what support is available to you including the Access to Work

Once in post

• You can wait until you are in post but avoid waiting until a problem arises
• Sometimes if you delay disclosure, it can be hard to challenge subsequent discrimination as the employer could claim that they did not know about your disability
• The employer will also not be required to make reasonable adjustments unless are aware of your disability