5 Reasons why you are a premium candidate

Project management skills

“Sometimes, just going into town has to be planned like a military exercise”

According to Linkedin, project management skills are in the top 10 ‘most in-demand skills for 2023’.

Demonstrate project management skills by… Using examples of how you complete daily tasks despite the barriers. This could include coordinating with others for support with mobility to completing a shopping trip on your own.

Problem-solving skills

“When we can’t do something the same way as others, we have to find a new way of doing it”

Demonstrate problem-solving skills by… talking about a time you had to work on your own to solve a problem and show how you can use your initiative. An example could be a time when you were alone and needed to get ready for work.

Determination

“We often have to find different ways around inaccessible obstacles”

Similar to problem-solving, creative thinking is all about demonstrating your ability to overcome barriers.

How many times can you think of where you have come up with an alternative solution to a barrier? Whether it’s using a coat hanger to unzip a dress from the back or using an old tie looped round a door handle to hoist yourself up to a standing position. I’m sure you have many of your own examples.

Demonstrate creative thinking skills by… sharing examples of how you used alternative means to get around a barrier. For instance, consider how you would cope in a noisy and crowded room.

Determination

“If we gave up at the first sign of a barrier, we’d never do anything”

Those daily barriers we talk about can often become tiresome. But we don’t let that stop us, do we? We keep going and we use project management, problem-solving and creative thinking skills to get on and thrive.

Demonstrate determination by… showcasing your resilience and determination with examples of when you didn’t give up. Sometimes our alternative solutions to barriers don’t work the first time so we try, try and try again. Think of a time when you tried a solution that didn’t work but you kept going and came up with another solution that did work. That’s determination!

Lived experience

“We can help organisations design, deliver and market their services and products to disabled customers”

The social model of disability says that people are disabled by barriers and attitudes in society and not by their impairment or difference.

The model was designed by disabled people with allies in the 1980s as an alternative to the medical model of disability, which suggested that people are disabled because of their impairment or difference.

Jane Hatton, CEO of Evenbreak, said: “The social model of disability is important to understand because it helps us to break down barriers in society. We educate employers using the social model of disability to make employment accessible for disabled people.

For disabled people, the social model of disability helps us see that the barriers are external to our conditions. This provides us with a platform to champion change in society to make it equitable for all.”

Demonstrate your lived experience by… sharing your story with employers. Disclosing your condition is a benefit to you and the employer. It allows you to get the reasonable adjustments to do well in the interview and on the job. And for the employer, it allows them to learn and understand and do better for other employees and customers.

Remember – disabled candidates are premium candidates.

Employers who advertise vacancies on Evenbreak know that, so start applying today and show employers why you’re the one to hire.

For more guidance and resources, check out Evenbreak’s Career Hive or you can get help identifying and developing your unique strengths you can request free Career Coaching here.