Careers for Disabled People

A CAREERS SERVICE DESIGNED BY AND FOR DISABLED PEOPLE

Evenbreak is creating the hive within which you can develop your career.

EVENBREAK is an accessible job board where disabled people can find roles with companies who are proactively looking to employ more disabled candidates. We also support employers to become more inclusive and accessible, and remove disabling barriers. And over the years we realised there were some real gaps in the provision of careers support for disabled people who were looking for new or better work.

Our candidates were telling us that often they couldn’t find careers support which was suitable and accessible for them. Sometimes it wasn’t relevant to disabled candidates, and was perhaps delivered by careers coaches with little understanding of disabling barriers in the workplace. Or the provision had restrictive eligibility criteria – dependent on their post code, or their age.

So, last year we developed the Career Hive (hive. evenbreak.co.uk) which offers a wide range of relevant and accessible careers support specifically for disabled people looking for new or better work. We know that everyone needs different support at different times, and wanted to offer a diverse range of services for people to choose from. We sought the views of our candidates about what support they needed, and built the service around their responses. All of our services are free of charge to disabled candidates who are looking for real job opportunities, as the Career Hive is funded by the surplus income from the services we sell to employers. The hive can help you to:

Find support organisations near you

We couldn’t find a comprehensive list of organisations who offer career support to disabled people, and we didn’t want to duplicate existing services, so we created our own directory. There are many large and small organisations around – large national disability charities, and some local social enterprises. There may be one near you that you don’t know about. Local organisations are likely to have relationships with local employees, so may be better placed to help you than we are. You can search by postcode and by what kind of support you are looking for.

Access online resources

There are many online resources on employability, but most don’t address the barriers that disabled candidates face. The dilemma about whether or not to mention disability, or ask for adjustments, for example. We offer a searchable range of resources – videos, templates, articles, etc., looking at employability skills through a disability lens.

“It was great to receive support from someone who understands the challenges of having an ‘invisible’ impairment, and I finally received the support I needed from Evenbreak’s Career Hive.” Natasha

Search for jobs on our specialist job board

Employers who are looking for more disabled applicants advertise their roles on our accessible job board. You can search by location, employer, job type and others, and even set up job alerts so you can be informed if any jobs come up meeting your criteria.

“After trying for such a long time to get a role where I could really use my skills, the support I received from Evenbreak’s Career Hive gave me the confidence to apply for my dream job – and I’m now thriving in that role” Sarah

Attend online workshops and webinars

We offer on live webinars and workshops on a range of subjects, including writing CVs and attending interviews, and also on some of the softer skills, such as networking, or developing resilience and grit. There is also a library of recordings of previous webinars, so you can find exactly what you need.

Come to ‘Meet the Employer’ events

There are regular online events with our employers, who talk about the kind of jobs they offer, what the recruitment process looks like, and how to ask for adjustments. You have the opportunity to ask them questions as well, so you can get to know the organisation better before applying. “It’s great to find careers support that is relevant and accessible, and tailored to my needs. I feel so much more positive about my future career path now.” Molly

Receive one-to-one coaching sessions from our Career Coaches

Some candidates might need one-to-one support, and our team of careers professionals (who all have lived experience of disability) can offer this. It may be you just want your CV reviewed, or some preparation for interview. Or you may need some support with confidence building, or identifying transferable skills. The support is tailored to what you need, and delivered in a way that suits you – video call, email, telephone, WhatsApp, with a BSL interpreter, or whatever is easiest for you. Our coaches won’t get you a job, (we aren’t an agency), but they’ll support you with the skills you need to do this yourself.

“There are so many amazing things that I can say about Evenbreak but their biggest attribute by far is the way that they treat all of their clients with such dignity, respect and compassion. Working with Rosa has given me the clarity and confidence to identify exactly what I want to do and take steps towards finding my dream role.” Nicky

Complete an e-learning course

A range of e-learning programmes are being developed so you can learn the skills you need at a pace to suit you.

There is no charge, and no complicated eligibility criteria – if you are disabled, currently looking for new or better work and would like support in your job search, we are here for you. If we can’t help you (for example if you’re looking for supported employment), we’ll try to signpost you to somewhere that can. Pop in to explore what’s on offer, and access as many or as few services you need. We’re at hive.evenbreak.co.uk

Author: Jane Hatton - CEO of Evenbreak Website: evenbreak.co.uk/en Twitter: @Evenbreak Facebook: @Evenbreak