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- Nick Elvin
Up to 85% of disabled people find that their condition has an impact when job-hunting, according to new research from the Recruitment Industry Disability Initiative (RIDI).
Furthermore, 56% of respondents said that they first faced barriers as early as the application stage of the recruitment process – and only 3% of those surveyed said their disability did not impact their job hunt at all.
RIDI, in conjunction with Diversityjobs.co.uk and Evenbreak, surveyed over 300 disabled jobseekers with a variety of physical and non-visible disabilities and long-term conditions. Almost 47% of respondents considered themselves to have a mobility impairment, 10% had a visual impairment, 13% identified as having a learning disability and 23% said they had a mental health condition.
Irrespective of disability, 56% found the first hurdle – the application stage – challenging. One commented: “Many jobs I have been to seem to require a full driving licence. Due to the nature of my health condition and poor joints I am unable to drive so do not hold one. I have been refused interviews because of this despite my husband being able to drive and we have a blue disabled parking badge.”
Similarly, another said: “When an agency contacts me asking for my phone number after reading my CV, I explain to them that I cannot use the telephone and suggest corresponding via emails. Silence. No more response.”
The face-to-face interview stage is also deemed to be a challenging time, with 57% of respondents saying that meeting a potential employer in person has impacted their chances of finding a job.
“I have a hearing dog,” one respondent commented. “When they [interviewers] see her, they don’t want to know.”
Another revealed: “Interview with a major employer and the first comment was ‘you know you only got an interview because you ticked a disability box’.”
A third commented: “Once I go into interview the first thing they notice is my age and then my Bell’s palsy then the rest of the interview is pointless.”
In addition to these hurdles, the survey found that challenges are scattered throughout the recruitment process, with a proportion of respondents citing telephone interviews (23%), online assessments (32%), travel to an interview (29%), presentations (15%), psychometric testing (11%), role-play (15%), and group exercises (18%) as impacting their job hunt.
Kate Headley, director of consulting at diversity consultancy The Clear Company and spokesperson for RIDI said: “Sadly, it’s unsurprising that many disabled candidates find the recruitment processes challenging. Many recruiters and employers – most often unintentionally – are still using outdated processes, which are a disadvantage to those with both physical and non-visible impairments.
“In order to tap into disabled talent pools, employers and recruiters must get back to basics and review each stage of the recruitment process – from application stage to on-boarding – to ensure that they are accessible and equitable for all. If they fail to do so, the best person for the job may never even apply for the role – let alone make it to interview.”
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