Thanks to the thousands of job seekers, businesses and service providers that have visited AbilityLinks.org, posted resumes and jobs, contacted us for help with job search and attended online and in person events, AbilityLinks celebrated its 15th Anniversary last month! Special congratulations to the more than 700 job seekers that let us know they successfully found employment.
Thanks also to all the committee members, volunteers and supporters that have shared their time, expertise and resources with AbilityLinks since 2001. AbilityLinks looks forward to even more job seekers, organizations and businesses getting involved as we continue to promote disability employment and grow.
AbilityLinks Celebrates 15th Anniversary with Breakfast Featuring Successful Job Seekers
Last month AbilityLinks hosted an anniversary breakfast celebration featuring four successful job candidates. Thanks to Ann Williams and Karolina Pieniazek from the Social Security Administration and Andrew Besbekos from Equip for Equality for taking time off from work to share your stories! Thanks also to all the past and present AbilityLinks committee members, new consortium members, businesses that hired candidates, sponsors and volunteers that attended.
Read more about these candidates and the anniversary breakfast celebration.
Upcoming 2016 Events
October 12th Virtual Job Fair
AbilityLinks is hosting its final online job fair of the year on October 12th. Registration is required and open now. Job seekers that register will be able to chat with employers on October 12th and increase the number of times their resume is viewed. All job seekers with disabilities are invited! A limited number of employer registrations are also available. Register Now/Learn More!
October 13th Impression Management and Career Development Presentation-Save The Date
Attend the October ITKAN meeting to learn from researchers about how voluntary disclosure of disability during the job interview impacts the impression employers have of candidates and effective strategies for voluntary disclosure. This meeting and will be held at Marianjoy Rehabilitation Hospital October 13th from 5:00 7:00 P.M. Registration is required and will be open soon. Save The Date!
Upcoming 2017 Events
2017 will feature three more AbilityLinks Virtual Job Fairs in the months of March, June and October as well as quarterly webinars, an inperson job search workshops featuring human resources staff from leading companies, the launch of an updated version of the AbilityLinks website and more!
What You Can Do When Disability Parking Placards are Abused
By Bill O'Connor
One of the most important factors in quality of life for people with disabilities is the use of parking placards to assist with accessibility. Whether it is doing life's tasks or enjoying recreational activities, the abuse of parking placards becomes a lesser quality of life for disabled people. Read more.
How Blogging Built My Confidence
By Lauren Bryant
I started working with AbilityLinks in 2013. I didn’t know what they would possibly have me do! When I met my supervisor, he told me I’d be doing research on disability and disability employment topics, and then blogging about them. This was something entirely new to me; blogging based on research. As it turned out, I was good at it, and people seemed to really enjoy my writing! Read more.
Ann Williams’ AbilityLinks Success Story
Read Ann’s story in her own words to learn more about her life, education, disability and the discrimination she experienced. Learn about how she faces challenges, how technology has helped lessen the impact of her disability and the advice she has for employers. Read more.
Getting the Most Out of the AbilityLinks Virtual Job Fair
Here are five important tips to help you reach out to employers and get the best experience out of the upcoming AbilityLinks Virtual Job Fair.
Step One: Do Your Homework
It's been said that finding a job is nothing more than a numbers game–apply for enough of them and sooner or later you'll get one. And while this strategy may pay dividends eventually, it can also prove to be an incredibly frustrating experience full of rejection and wasted time.
A much more rewarding job search strategy is to target your applications toward jobs you are most likely to get. The same principle applies to virtual job fairs.
Step Two: Have Your Resume Ready
Before you log on, make sure you have your resume ready in case the recruiter asks you to email it. Consider trying to tailor your resume to each company or type of job you qualify for. Proof read your resume and make sure it is accurate. Read more.
AbilityLinks Wants Your Resume!
If you are disabled and seeking employment, career change or a new job, post your resume on AbilityLinks today. You can also contact one of our Information and Referral Counselors for a free job search consultation. Learn more.
