I first came across EmployAbility via an email from my university department when I was in the beginning of my second year studies. I’d just flopped my first ever technical interview which also just happened to be for a Google summer internship. Needless to say I wasn’t feeling particularly confident about applying for jobs but decided to contact EmployAbility anyway because they understand the needs of students with disabilities and treat us equally.
I don’t quite remember the run-up to a conversation I had on a Wednesday morning with Tab, but this one sticks in my mind the most. Tab phoned me up to ask if I’d like to attend a 1 day TechAbility session at Google. The session involved meeting other disabled students, meeting Googlers and having fun learning about Google through talks and tasks. Having flopped my Google interview I really didn’t want to go so threw every excuse possible at Tab, but she wouldn’t take no for an answer so persuaded me to go along. Therefore one Wednesday a few weeks later I found myself attending the event and ended up having such a fantastic time. Following this I was lucky enough to receive a place on the Google mentoring scheme organised by Google and EmployAbility. For a couple of months this involved going along to Google every Wednesday afternoon for lunch and a two hour session with a Google mentor. Not only did my mentor help me with my CV, interview skills and coding abilities but he also really helped me with my confidence, so much so that I managed to obtain myself a summer internship with Amazon in Seattle.
Even though Amazon isn’t a company that works directly with EmployAbility, Tab still kept in touch with me throughout the summer to see how I was getting along, which in my opinion just shows how caring they are. After two summers working for Amazon I was ready for a change so decided to brave it and apply for a full-time graduate position at Google. Since EmployAbility work very closely with Google it meant that my interview experience was tailored to my needs to give me the best possible chance at success. My phone-screens took place on-site, I was given extra time for all my interviews and my on-site interviews were with very friendly Googlers who managed to make me feel a lot less nervous. I now have a full-time job for Google starting September 2014 which I’m very excited for and again EmployAbility are working closely with me to make sure I get all the support I need.
Finally I’d just like to say that EmployAbility are a fantastic company, who really get to know the individuals applying through them and can see talent even when those people, such as myself, don’t necessarily see it at the time.
At EmployAbility we work with disabled university students and graduates to ease the transition from education into employment. To take advantage of these opportunities, the first step is to register with us. You can also contact us with any specific queries.