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 your local Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR) office or Alaska Job Center.

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

Disability-Related Job Resources Online

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.

Alaska Career Resources Online

The Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development lists a variety of Job Seeker Resources, including how to pick a career.

The Alaska Career Information System (AKCIS) has mulitple tools to help guide your career search.

Alaska Job Centers

The Alaska Job Center system 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
• Career counseling
• Access to training and education programs
• Information about job fairs and workshops
• Help creating résumés and cover letters
• Practice job interviews
• Access to computers, photocopiers, telephones, and fax machines for your job search
  

Your local center can tell you about all the services they offer, and the local employers who are hiring. Find an Alaska Job 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 Alaska, the Alaska Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR) offers these services to people who qualify.

DVR 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 DVR 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 Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR) office if you have any questions.

Alaska Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired

The Alaska Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired is a nonprofit vision rehabilitation center serving the entire state of Alaska through the Rural Outreach Program. Its services include:

• Job preparation and vocational training
• Independent living training
• Orientation and mobility training for safe travel
• Assistive technology

Learn more about the Alaska Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired.