Share in the Success! Inclusive Career Connections – Serge

Serge, a 39-year-old widower diagnosed with Pigmentary Glaucoma, came to EmployAbilities for help to find and explore employment opportunities after relocating back to Alberta. He expressed concern about starting ‘afresh’ here, but he has had no luck with his job search thus far.

Serge completed all Employment Readiness sessions and worked with his Employment Coach to develop targeted resumes, cover letters, job search strategies, transferrable skills/experience and expand his network.  Explored further education opportunities; completed several courses recommended by his Employment Coach to better his opportunities for transitioning into a more consultative role.  Serge met every request and suggestion with an open mind and vigour. He was determined to find the right fit.

Serge had maintained that he needed to disclose his vision impairment in his cover letters, which resulted in rejections. The Employment Coach stressed how important it was for prospective employers to assess abilities first. Finally, Serge agreed to focus on skills instead of disclosure in the cover letter. A strategy for disclosing this was developed, and new-found confidence was secured.

With this new approach, Serge was invited to interview with – Norquest/ ESL Instructor and Catholic Social Services/ Language Assessor roles. Both positions were similar to past employment, but they also presented alternate consultative and counselling opportunities. During his interviews, he expressed interest in the organization and his desire to move into the consulting and counselling roles and shared his vision barrier.  Both organizations were open and willing to adapt as needed and offered Serge positions starting within weeks of each other.

Working together, Serge and his Employment Coach addressed accommodation requests, navigated a Conflict of Interest issue, and set boundaries to support work-life balance.

After 6 months, Serge remains working with both employers, primarily as a Language Assessor and will be taking on a new group of ESL students in the fall.