Strategies for Seeking Employment

Self-Advocacy and Job-Seeking Skills

Work is a significant part of your life and it is important that you make your own decisions about what type of work you want to do. Being a self-advocate means speaking up and being in control of decisions about your life.

If your career is interesting and satisfying, it gives you a sense of purpose, enjoyment, and self-confidence. The best way to find satisfying work is to focus on your interests and the type of work you enjoy doing.

Self-advocacy also means improving your job-seeking skills so that you are more in charge of your job search. Focus on core issues first, such as improving your resume, writing a clear cover letter, and taking advantage of chances to meet people who might help you with your job search. Other important skills are how to prepare for and do well in an interview.

CareerOneStop.org has articles on job-seeking skills. The Job Accommodation Network (JAN) also has a page that discusses how to prepare for a job interview.

If you need another person to help you with your job search, you can apply to work with a counselor at Employment and Independence for People with Disabilities, which provides vocational rehabilitation services. Find a local Employment and Independence for People with Disabilities (EIPD) office.

On 2-1-1 North Carolina, you can find more organizations that offer career counseling and employment support.

Disability-Related Job Resources on the Web

Employment and Independence for People with Disabilities (EIPD) offers jobseeker services, support for independent living, community rehabilitation services, and more.

CareerCircle.com connects people with disabilities to career opportunities.

DisABLED Person allows you to connect with future employers by posting your resume and finding detailed information about potential jobs.

The Workforce Recruitment Program helps connect college students and recent graduates with disabilities with federal and private-sector jobs.

North Carolina Career Resources on the Web

NCCareers.org offers a variety of tools and resources to help you reach your career and education goals, including:

• Finding your interests
• Exploring occupations
• Planning your career
• Getting education and training
• Searching for jobs

CFNC.org by the College Foundation of North Carolina helps you plan, apply for, and pay for college, including picking your choice of careers, and offers tips for students with disabilitites.

NCWorks Career Centers

Each NCWorks Career Center provides a variety of free services that can help you with your job search or career planning, including:

• Help finding a job
• Tests to see what skills you have
• Job training
• Career counseling
• Access to training and education programs
• Information about job fairs and workshops
• Help creating résumés and cover letters
• Practice job interviews
• Free computer and Internet access
• Help registering with and using NCWorks Online

The centers offer special programs for veterans, young adults, migrant farm workers, and former offenders. Your local center can tell you about all the services they offer, and the local employers who are hiring.

Find a NCWorks Career Center near you.

Vocational Rehabilitation

Vocational Rehabilitation services offer counseling, training, job skills, and job placement services. Vocational Rehabilitation is a term for programs that help people with disabilities become employed. In North Carolina, Employment and Independence for People with Disabilities (EIPD) offers these services to people who qualify.

EIPD can help you get training or other services you need to return to work, enter a new line of work, or get a job for the first time. Their services are carefully chosen to match your personal needs. You and your counselor work together closely to set goals and then develop a plan to help you reach them.

Being able to use EIPD services is based mostly on whether you have a physical or mental disability that makes it difficult to prepare for, get, or keep work. If you get Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits, you should qualify. Other people with disabilities who do not get SSI or SSDI may also qualify.

Check with your local Employment and Independence for People with Disabilities (EIPD) office if you have any questions.

Services for the Blind

If you are blind, visually impaired, or deaf-blind, EIPD's Division of Services for the Blind can help you prepare for, find, and keep a job, and live as independently as possible. Their services may include:

• Job development and placement
• On-the-job training
• Supported employment
• Help living as independently as possible
• Transition services
• College or university training
• Assistive technology
• Diagnostic eye and medical exams

Learn more about Vocational Rehabilitation for the Blind. To apply, set up a meeting with a vocational counselor at the nearest Services for the Blind District Office.

Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services

The Division of Services for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (DSDHH) helps people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or deaf-blind get the skills needed to communicate their needs and to get information easily and effectively in all aspects of their lives. Specialized counselors can help you prepare for and find a job, return to work, keep your job, succeed in your career, live more independently, and manage your disability. Learn more about DSDHH and how to apply for services by calling 1-919-855-3579 (TTY) or contact the nearest DSDHH Regional Center.