Last summer I applied for a job with a federal agency. After a panel interview and a reference check, I received a tentative offer letter with pertinent details related to the role; salary, duty station, start date etc. I was told prior to my official onboarding I needed to undergo an additional background check after accepting the position as outlined in my offer letter.
Reading over it, I noticed no mention of telework or remote work options despite being told during my interview that the agency remained in a maximum telework posture.
I followed up with the agency and spoke with my future boss relaying my enthusiasm for joining the team, and disclosed my need for telework as a reasonable accommodation.
“I’d follow up with H.R. about that,” she said.
After several e-mails back and forth, the H.R. Specialist continually refused to acknowledge my request that telework be included in my offer letter prior to signing. As I was not an employee yet, I was told a potential telework schedule could be discussed with my supervisor only after onboarding.
My request for telework became a game of finger pointing and an impossible Catch-22.
This lack of imagination led to my decision to ultimately decline a role that I was otherwise excited to begin.
From this encounter I learned my most valuable lesson as a disabled job candidate. It’s something that I lean into deeply during interviews.
When you make a personal disclosure about a disability to an employer, you’re telling them one thing about you.
How they respond tells you everything you need to know about them.
It’s an amazing sorting hat. Use it.
#jobhunting #ndeam #disabilityawareness #disability #deia #DEI
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