What should I do to ensure getting hired out of college (as a finance major)?

OK. I am a 20-year-old legally blind female who doesn't have a good employment record. I've only had one job, and I got fired from it after like seven weeks. I was just becoming a senior in high school then. As far as being legally blind, I can see well enough to get around and whatnot but have a few setbacks. For instance, being a part-time waitress for those few weeks, I didn't have the advantage of seeing people signal for tea or whatnot. Being afraid they wouldn't hire me, I didn't tell the restaurant management I was disabled. (I couldn't sue for being fired unfairly because the unemployment agency or whatnot requires I be able to get a 40-hour job.) Problem with this is I have nystagmus, which makes my eyes move involuntarily sometimes, and I bet people think I'm mental because of it. Anyways, due to my disability and sucky job record, I'm afraid I won't have a good chance at getting a finance job when I graduate. What should I do?

Public Comments

1. As a college student I would absolutely get as many internships as possible. If you are looking to work in finance, I would suggest you try one of the large finance firms rather than work for a New York Life, First Investors, Northwester Mutual type of place. Those place want to you develop your own client base and if you feel you would have trouble network to mine for potential leads due to your disability you may want to avoid that area. I would get in touch with your college's career center ASAP and tell them you are interested in unpaid finance internships. The more experience you get for your resume the better. I will warn you that they are probably going to bend over backward not to limit your options for you so you need to be very up- front about what YOU identify as areas where you can see as issues or problems. Employers will want to hire you if you can demonstrate your skills and help them to understand how your difference in ability will impact your work. If you are very upfront about how you manage your accommodations, they should be open to working with you. I will warn you that despite the ADA there is a big difference between the way educational systems and employers’ work with people with disabilities. They are usually willing to make reasonable accommodations, but they may have a very different definition of reasonable. The more you can help them with that process the better your chances are. Depending on where you live, there are several internship programs and career fairs designed to facilitate this process. Don't miss these opportunities while you are still in school, the world in much less accomodating once you graduate. As for the bad job history, don't sweat it. Lots of college students have made bigger mistake simply due to ignorance or laziness and they have gone on to great careers. Just talk about interviewing strategies to deal with this. Good Luck! You can absolutely get there; it will just require a little more effort.
2. Be sure to get an internship at a big company. Apply early with them knowing about your disability so they can adequately prepare your work space with a computer that has a large screen and things like that. Have a positive attitude about your search and life. The positive energy that you put off will help them see past any short failings and see that you would be able to do the job.
3. Laurie gave you a good answer. I suggest you follow her advice. You also do not have to mention that you were fired when you apply for internship jobs. That was a long time ago. Peace and blessings!