Looking for a new job is stressful and almost seems like a full time job in itself. But what happens when someone goes through the standard job hunt downsides and has Dyslexia? The flood of rejections, the baffling ordeal of talking to phony recruitment agents and the awkward interviews seem to be worse for someone with a “learning disability.” But why do so many Dyslexic people get stressed when it comes to looking for jobs? I believe it is a confidence issue.
My problem, and many other dyslexic people’s problem, is that the rejections that come with job hunting can often bring back feelings of inferiority from school. Even in our adult lives, it can sometimes seem hard to shake off the misery that comes with people that say you CAN’T do something. So here are a few tips to consider while applying for jobs.
- It only takes one yes
It only takes one person to hire you to get you out of the misery of unemployment or out of a job you dislike. The more interviews you get, the more chance you will have of getting the job you want. The jobs that said no to you will disappear when you’re in a job you love!
- Sometimes it’s just bad luck
I’m sure you’ve experienced the annoyance of getting ready for an interview, only to go there and have someone interview you, who does not seem interested in anything you have to offer. This really isn’t your fault and should not get you down. There is such a thing as a bad interviewer.
- You’ve come this far
If you’re dyslexic then chances are you have had a flood of people in your life that have told you that you can’t do something. For me, that was a teacher I had in primary school who liked to send me outside the headmaster’s office at playtime for “not listening.”
But I’ve done some nice things and met some wonderful people in this life, which proves that I wasn’t actually listening to him after all. If I was, I would be a bitter person with a very low self esteem. If you get a rejection from an interview, remember that people have told you you couldn’t do something many times before and you went and did it anyway. Dyslexics have trouble understanding words like “Can’t” and “No.”
- Maybe it wasn’t the job for you
Sometimes you could think a job is perfect from the outside but people who actually work in that organisation may know different. Don’t worry too much if you get rejected. As my political hero, Abraham Lincoln once said, “You can please some of the people all of the time, you can please all of the people some of the time, but you can’t please all of the people all of the time”.
- Remember that you’re also interviewing them.
Dyslexic people often think that someone is doing a favour by interviewing them. It’s wonderful when someone does give you the chance to meet them for an interview but don’t be too humble and don’t think they are doing you a favour. They have seen your CV and have called you in because they think you can do something for them. If they thought your CV was rubbish, they would’ve thrown it away. See an interview as a meeting of two people who are discussing a business partnership rather than someone quizzing you. When you treat an interview as a meeting between two equals, you will be more confident and you will say all the right things.
Good luck!
Josef Konderla is a blogger and a comedian. You can find more of Josef’s writing at http:/josefkonderla.wordpress.com/
If you like this post subscribe to this blog, join our newsletter or follow us on Facebook or Twitter to keep up to date with new content. You might also like our podcasts.
The Codpast is a multimedia production from www.extraordinaire.tv
How do you write a cv any tips
We don’t have any at the moment, but we will hopefully be producing some posts on this subject in the future.
If you are looking for jobs, you may want to contact Exceptional Individuals, they helps many dyslexics to find suitable employment. Check out this blog post to know more: http://www.thecodpast.org/2015/06/dyslexia-in-the-workplace/exceptional-individuals/