Should I be open and honest about my disablilty and learning didficulty in interveiw.

One-in-a-million

When going for an interveiw should I tell them about my disabilities when asked about my weaknesses? 

I have epilepsy and dyslexia my epilepsy does not effect my ability to work although it does mean I have to have a few hours off now and then when going for a routine appointment which I try my best to make out of work hours.
 My dyslexia means I might be a bit slower at paperwork than others to which I have said I get around that by using coming to work a bit earlier or staying a little longer if I need to.

but what if it’s the reason I don’t get the job? I’m applying for nurseries so paperwork is a large part of the job this obviously will go against me in some places who want/need people to be quick at paperwork.

Employers can refuse me wothout mentioning my disability even if thats the case.
 I feel mentioning this at an interview is just being honest and giving them an insight as to how I get around it.

on the other hand if I don’t mention it until after the interview and/or job offer then I feel that is being dishonest and might go against me.
I know there are laws against discrimination but as I’ve said they can make feedback up even if the reason I didn’t get the job is due to my disability.

thanks Emma  
(put this in health and well-being as it is about my health even though it is about jobs but I apologise if it’s in the wrong place.)

One-in-a-million

Never mind realised I put it in Work anyway 😂

Former Member

Heya, 

Probably a good idea to mention Epilepsy as it could effect your wellbeing, I have dyslexia too and often I decide if it will affect the work I am doing or not. Applying for a clothing store I know I won't need to write much down or read long paragraphs so I leave it off. But if I know the job involves a lot of reading a writing then I mention it so they can give me more time or let me work on an area with less writing involved. If I'm working on a computer its less of a problem, but helpful for them to know so someone can proof-read my work for errors.  

They might ask about it at an interview, in which case tell them all the ways you get through it. As this is useful for them to know and proves you are just as capable as anyone else.  

Good Luck!

One-in-a-million

Hey thank you for replying my epilepsy does come up in conversation when asking if I drive. I explain that I am unable to drive due to having epilepsy but that my epilepsy doesn’t effect me working with children as it only lasts a few seconds and I am aware of what is going on at the time.
this is actually quite hard I’ve had a few interviews 1 was unsuccessful due to not being able to drive (they needed someone to run an afterschool pick up as well as be a key Worker)
 I mentioned it at another but nothing was really said however I wasn’t successful but awaiting feedback as to why. (Remember this job as “B” as I’ll refer back to it in a moment.

 I’ve been another interview today and when asked if I drove and there tone of voice changed straight away to “oh ok well how would you get here.” I told them that I use to be a student at a nursery Just up the road and would catch the bus. But my gut tells me I won’t be successful there.

my dyslexia is a big one due to there being a lot of writing for working in childcare. At nursery B when asked about my weaknesses I told her I was dyslexic. I said to her that I’ll be honest that I may take a little longer to get the paperwork done. When asked how I would deal with that?
I said I find ways to help such as I might come in early or stay behind to allow myself extra time to catch up.  She said that there would be loads of support available if I needed it and that she was impressed with me with the answers that I gave.

It didn’t come up in the other nurseries (asking about my weaknesses) but then I’m like if and when I get the job I then have to tell them about being dyslexic and this might make me look dishonest.

to be honest I feel absolutely gutted I didn’t get job B as I was so sure it went well
Like I say I’m awaiting feedback from them so hopefully it won’t be long before I know where I went wrong.

 I went another interview last week it’s in 3 parts 1 was an informal chat which was ok. The second was a practical interview and it went terrible and I know it did it just didn’t go to plan so....

 I have another interview tomorrow and not sure how I feel about it, I used to be really confident in interviews but at the moment I don’t feel as confident as I used to.

sorry this has turned into a rant but thank you once again Xx

Former Member

You've put yourself out there and got interviews, you should be very proud of yourself for that. 

Its natural that your disappointment form loosing job B is making you loose confidence. But try to stay positive, this is a new chance, a new place and different people. You might even enjoy this new place more than job B. 

When I was young my dyslexia always made me feel like I different fit in, if there had been a dyslexic teacher in my school I think it would have given me hope and confidence. Perhaps you could mention that to an interviewer, as its hard for those without a learning disability to see the benefits as they only ever see it as a weakness. 

Make sure you can defend yourself with the upsides of dyslexia, these vary from person to person but you can find out by looking at any dyslexia test you have done in the past. Even though reading and writing scores might be lower, dyslexics usually have higher than avarge scores in visual memory, pattern recognition and puzzle solving. These traits could be very useful when working with children so try to help your interviewer that it's not always a negative to be dyslexic.  

You could research the place where your next interview is so that you know what sort of person they are looking for. Give yourself some time to relax today so that you feel prepared and calm for your interview tomorrow, good luck

One-in-a-million

Hey thanks I didn’t work at job B but it was one I really wanted to work at. I actually lost confidence a while ago while doing a summer job. I hated it there, I struggled to keep up which got me into trouble and then when I was speeding up I was making mistakes and getting in trouble. This was in retail which is something I didn’t want to do anyway. I would say I was quite confident at job interviews until thwn mainly because I’m scared of being bullied and having no one to turn to because I don’t know anyone.

the job I have just left (nursery) I loved, I had worked for her as a student for a couple of years. I had to got to other placements due to college but once I got my level 3 she rang me and offered me a job. unfortunately I’ve had to leave due to the job being no longer required. We were all upset but it’s no ones fault.

 I got the day wrong for my interview it’s tomorrow 😂 I’m feeling nervous but trying be hopeful I was joking with my mum saying “someone has to take me.”

feeling more positive than I was last night

thank you once again Xx 

Former Member

Good luck with the interview! Let us know how it goes

I think it would help if you mentioned how much you loved your previous nursery job and mentioned all the good things you did there, it could help the interviewer see the passion and care you can put into your job

One-in-a-million

Thanks I will.
 I love working with children and know it’s what I’m meant to do. Im sure something will come for me soon.

thank you X

Azziman

Hi One-in-a-million,

It's definitely something I'd mention. That way, they are aware of your situation, so that it doesn't come up as a surprise if and when you get the job. Being open and transparent from the beginning works out better in the long term x

I hope the interview goes well!x

Much love

Former Member

Yes. I had a job interview this morning and defiently mention it especially if you diclosed it in you application just try to turn it into a positive a good time to mention this is when they mention about weaknesses or struggles.

Former Member

Hey there everyone just to let you know I'm gonna go ahead and close this thread since it's almost a year old now.