Apparently this scheme guarantees applicants an interview as long as you reach the basic requirements of the job advertised. Barnsley council advertise this scheme, I’ve applied 4 times now in the last month and once for Sheffield council for different jobs and have failed each and everytime to even get an interview which leads me to believe this statement is horse crap if I don’t declare It can lead to dismissal if I do declare I don’t get an interview. I’m not demanding privilege and expecting an easy access but I’d at least like the chance to show and explain my disability and how it wouldn’t effect me Feeling slightly deflated now as the calibre of job I’m applying for is getting less and less with the same outcome
My girlfriend is in a wheelchair. She was working at Leeds Becket Uni in an admin role that became obsolete & was given redundancy in November 2023. She's been looking for work for 6 months now & it is not easy finding anything suitable. As a result I can understand your pain. Your disability may be far milder than hers, (she cannot walk at all). There is little help from the Job Centre TBH. All we seem to hear is Conservative & Reform politicians sabre rattling about benefit claimants not wanting to work, but there is no real understanding how hard it is for many with genuine disabilities to get an interview, never mind a job. I hope she finds something soon, as it is dispiriting & the general rhetoric is frankly insulting from those on the right of politics. Whether things change under Labour remains to be seen.
You'd expect council jobs to interview in those circumstances. Are you definitely hitting the essential criteria?
Barnsley Council's application process is undergoing something of an overhaul in the near-future. At the minute, you need to mention "key phrases" or words written in the job description to garner enough points to get an interview. It's a tedious process to ensure that you've done this, so they're altering it to be more conventional afaik. My point is, the applications are anonymous at the point of first reading. You don't see the applicants name, gender, disabilities or otherwise. You only see the Q&A portion of the application, those with enough points get an interview.
I’d contact that and explain the law if you are definitely meeting the essential criteria and they are unable to deny it.
if this is the case then how are they able to advertise they are disability confident? I get applicants still need to have some sort of criteria to hit. But to say you are guaranteed an interview when in fact it’s not at all is a bit misleading just to point out aswell I make sure I include each essential criteria in every answer, it’s very tedious and the majority of the questions are just generic buzz word questions but I do play along I’m not saying I want or expect special treatment but the jobs I’ve applied for have all been either jobs I’ve got a lot of experience in or are low level with no specific specialist requirements so to not get an interview is rather deflating maybe this is the working world now I don’t know I’ve only ever had 2 jobs in my life and never had in interview (I’ve worked 25 years) and I’m in employment currently but need a change
I believe so yes I even go out of my way to put all the individual requirements in every answer as tedious as it is
They're able to say they're disability confident because they're anonymising the application process, meaning that you wouldn't be unfairly treated based on any disability you may have, as they've removed that information from the person looking at the applications in the first instance. Why you're not getting an interview is something I cannot answer, but I can say that when you're applying for a job for Barnsley Council, the fact you have a disability plays zero factor in you not getting an interview, as the person looking at them isn't privy to that information.
I get that, but some answers on an application may make a disabled person look like they are not willing to do certain things, when they are physically incapable, so that seems unfair in itself, don't you think?
