I have been involved in hiring new employees for four companies over a 40-year span. Never did I consider hiring a person for what they cannot do. It seems such an obvious statement that you are probably wondering where I am going with this thought.
Every person has things they cannot do. For example, I am 5’8”. I cannot dunk a basketball. I cannot even see over a 6’2” guard to shoot the basketball. I would not be a good choice for a basketball team. However, my height was sufficient for every job I was hired for. They hired me for my business understanding. I was hired as an Engineer, later a Purchasing/ Inventory Manager and later as a Team Builder because I was good at it. It did not matter that I was 5’8” and could not dunk a basketball.
Every person has things they simply cannot do. Some people are afraid of heights. They would not be good candidates in the construction of multi-story buildings. Other people are not comfortable cold calling on prospective clients. Some are not very mechanical. Others struggle with math. The point is we all have our weaknesses and that is not what we wish to build our careers on.
The obvious conclusion of these statements is we want to hire people for what they are good at. As long as what they cannot do (like dunk a basketball) does not interfere with what you need them to do, and they are very good at the thing you do need them to do, then they are a good candidate for your position.
If you are still reading, I thank you. Here is the real question. Do we exclude a population of people from our candidate pool because we are concerned about what they cannot do? Do we let “labels” scare us away from a relatively untapped group; a group that is 1/3 as employed as “normal” people? If you are told a candidate has a disability, does it make you pause? Are you concerned about how they would work out?
I had polio when I was 5. I have very little use of my right arm. On one of the first interviews, I ever had I was almost past over because the adding machine was on the right side of the desk and the manager wasn’t sure I could use it. (That was in the late 1960’s. Adding machines were huge then.) Luckily, I got past that concern. I went on to become the Purchasing/ Inventory Manager of that company. However, I was almost passed over for an entry level job in the initial interview because I was “different”.
My goal is to challenge you to not let the “label” get in your way. Interview candidates for what they CAN DO and don’t be concerned about what they CANNOT DO, unless it interferes with a portion of the job you need them to do.
Some “disabilities” are actually “strengths”. I have worked in very loud manufacturing environments. The machine operators “talk” to each other with hand signals. I have often thought what an advantage a team of people that understood sign language would have. Would loss of hearing be a “disability” or “strength” in that setting?
Statistics show that individuals from groups that are typically shunned (like the disabled) once accepted into a group become extremely loyal. In the work place their absenteeism is lower. Their turnover is lower. They want to be where they are accepted. Take it from one in that category.
Christian Life Coach 