50 Years of Empowerment: Celebrating the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and NDEAM 2023

This year’s National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) holds a special significance as we celebrate not only NDEAM but also the 50th anniversary of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Join us as we celebrate 50 years of progress and empowerment in supporting and advocating disability rights and fostering inclusive workplaces.

In this post, we’ll look at the progress of disability inclusion over the past five decades. Join us as we reflect on how disability diversity has improved lives and how you can further support disability inclusion.

The Rehabilitation Act of 1973: Igniting the Journey

The Rehabilitation Act began 50 years ago when individuals from the US fought for civil rights and sought equal treatment for people of different ethnic backgrounds and races. This sparked the connection between the similarities of oppression between racial minorities and people with disabilities.

The United States of America witnessed a transformation in pursuing disability equality and inclusivity through the Rehabilitation Act. It was enacted on the 26th of September 1973 to eliminate discrimination of disability under programs funded by the federal government. This act created vocational rehabilitation services to help connect people with disabilities to services needed to find employment and prohibited discrimination based on disability.

The Rehabilitation Act is just one of the many legislations geared toward disability. Besides this act, other statutory laws and regulations were enacted to further advocate for people with disabilities, such as the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).¹

Celebrating Inclusivity Through the National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM)

NDEAM 2023 observes and celebrates employees with disabilities in the US every October, acknowledging the contributions of employees with disabilities through advocating for employees with disabilities and exercising inclusive practices.

NDEAM’s roots go back to 1945 when Congress enacted Public Law 176, inaugurating every October’s first week as the “National Employ the Physically Handicapped Week,” and was renamed “National Employ the Handicapped Week” in 1962 to be more inclusive of people with all types of disabilities.² Two decades later, Congress expanded it to a month and changed the name to “National Disability Employment Awareness Month.”

The NDEAM serves as a reminder that inclusivity should be practiced and observed indefinitely. Through NDEAM, we celebrate the contribution of American workers and organizations who employ a diversified workforce, fostering positivity and inclusion.

5 Unique Ways of Celebrating NDEAM 2023

There are a lot of ways to celebrate and observe the NDEAM. Here are some National Disability Employment Awareness Month ideas you can try this year.

1. Start an Employee Resource Group (ERG)

A great way to show participation in this year’s NDEAM is by giving employees with disabilities access to peer resources.

If you don’t have one, you can start an Employee Resource Group (ERG) that can be a resource group for people with disabilities, a support group, and a place to advocate within your organization for inclusion and accessibility.

If you already have a disability ERG, ask them for help planning events throughout the month. There’s a high chance they’re knowledgeable about disability-related issues and can help bring awareness and change from your awareness events.

2. Post and Publish Blogs and Articles

Many of us are on social media, so why not use it to celebrate inclusivity? Writing about NDEAM on social media accounts can spark interest and motivate readers. It also helps spread awareness, bringing more people to be more inclusive in their own lives. Some hashtags to use right now include:

#disability
#inclusion
#disabilityawareness
#invisabledisability
#disabilitycommunity
#NDEAM
#NDEAM2023

You can even start a trend by including an NDEAM hashtag or posting creative photos with your team.

3. Host Workshops About Disability Inclusion

One of the best and most informative ways of celebrating NDEAM is by holding interactive events to educate about disability inclusion. You can invite guest speakers on-site or have someone hold a meeting via Zoom to talk about topics like the history of disability, the progress of different legislations, firsthand experiences with a condition, and Q&A at the end.

4. Participate in Disability Mentoring Day

One of the best ways to indulge in the observance of NDEAM is by participating in the disability mentoring day. Disability Mentoring Day is a large-scale program that promotes career development for job seekers and students through internship, mentorship, and career exploration.³

Held every third Wednesday of October, you can show support and form connections among peers and like-minded people, building relationships and learning more about people with disabilities.

5. Hire Someone With a Disability

Hiring people with disabilities promotes inclusive company practices, accessibility, and a diverse working environment . Celebrate the limitless creativity and talent of people with disabilities by adding them to your team.

HONORING 50 YEARS OF EMPOWERMENT WITH PEAK PERFORMERS

Peak Performers celebrates this year’s National Disability Employment Awareness Month with you, and we want you to know that we support people with disabilities. We value diversity and inclusivity; it’s why we do what we do.

Since 1994, we’ve been matching skilled people with disabilities and organizations who are looking to fill vacant positions. Whether you’re an organization looking for talented individuals or an applicant seeking the right company to work with, we’re here to help.

References

1.“What is the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)?” ADA National Network, https://adata.org/learn-about-ada. 29 Aug. 2023.

2.“National Disability Employment Awareness Month: A Commemorative Observances Legal Research Guide.” Library of Congress. 20 Sep. 2023. guides.loc.gov/national-disability-employment-awareness-month.

3. “Disability Mentoring Day.” Kansas Office of the Governor. kcdcinfo.ks.gov/disability-mentoring-day. 20 Sep. 2023.

Salaries on job description

Salaries on Job Postings

Overview of Issue

In a recent survey, 91% of job seekers and 67% of recruiters want a salary to be listed on a job description. However, only 12% of jobs posted list a salary according to a Ziprecruiter interview with CNN. This issue has gained recent attention with legislation moving swiftly across the country and prominent leaders calling for transparence and equity.

And yet, many employers still express reluctance about including the salary in the job posting.

Watch the video below for our argument about the benefits for companies including salaries in job descriptions, featuring Peak’s Clarence Augustine.

Watch this video on YouTube

Looking Up Salaries Online

In our modern Internet age, more and more job seekers are looking up the salary, or expected salary, on tools like salary.com or glassdoor.com.

Salary.com is an aggregator of data that helps employers and job seekers estimate the compensation range of a given role in a given area.

Glassdoor, by contrast, relies on user information where past and present employees report what they made in a specific role at a specific company.

Increasingly, job seekers can get a pretty good idea of how much they’re worth to you.

Transparency is Key

91% of job seekers want to see a salary listed. They also want to know what the benefits look like, what their upward mobility paths look like, and how the company culture is. Job seekers increasingly are doing extensive research online before the interview to vet a company, just as the company is vetting them.

For staffing agencies, we seek to get as much of this information ahead of time as possible. This helps us to be able to better sell your role. This information is always useful but is downright critical in the current tight labor market.

Sharing the salary on your own job posting is also estimated to pull in 2-3 times as many views on various job posting sites. So, if you’re struggling to find people, you should really think about including the salary in the job description.

Pay Equity

It’s currently estimated that women earn 80 cents to the dollar that a man does. This problem is also experienced by various marginalized groups of people: people with disabilities, racial and ethnic minorities, and LGBTQIA+ people. When a group is historically disenfranchised, they may be less likely to negotiate for the competitive wages earned by their peers.

Pay equity is still a huge problem in the workplace and including a salary on a job description is one of the first and easiest steps a company can take to beginning to correct for this continuing issue.

Why Companies Don’t Include Salaries

Companies might be reluctant to include salaries on job posting for a couple reasons (and why those arguments are flawed):

Attempting to payroll lower costs – many companies feel that they can get away with lowballing candidates in order to keep costs low. This often increasingly feeds into existing pay equity disparities. Also, candidates can just look it up online and will lose trust in your organization when they find out you’re lowballing them.
Not enough budget for required skill – some companies may not have the budget for the skills and abilities they need to recruit for so they don’t include a salary in order to get some unsuspecting candidates to accept the role. This will probably leave you spinning your wheels with recruiting and experiencing a higher turnover rate, thus costing you more money in the long run. You must pay people what they’re worth.
A company is worried about their existing employees pay – finally, some companies are concerned about their existing employees finding out what their new hires are making. Ultimately, this is an issue with pay equity and a company should be paying new employees close to what their current ones are making. Attempting to cover this up will lead to significant turnover and job dissatisfaction.

Let’s Talk about Salary Bands

Unfortunately, the other mistake many companies make is including a really wide salary band that doesn’t give an accurate expectation of how much people will actually be earning in the job. This too can drive a negative perception of the company as perspective employees suspect you’re trying to trick them into a role.

Try to express, as transparently as possible, the base salary (before commissions and bonuses) and keep the range between $5,000 – $10,000.

Loneliness at Work

Loneliness and the Work World

Advice for Businesses to Combat Loneliness

Whether employees are working on-site, hybrid, or remotely, loneliness at work is an increasing challenge many individuals and their businesses are facing (though perhaps its felt most by remote employees). What employers may not realize is that this is hurting bottom line and productivity by causing higher rates of burnout and turnover.

Let’s talk about loneliness and building a culture of inclusion, especially in a world where many of our co-workers are half a continent away. Watch the video below with Peak Performers’ Nick Bergen.

Key Stats about Loneliness

36% of Americans feel loneliness at work on a regular basis
61% of young adults feel loneliness regularly
51% of mothers with small children feel lonely

Loneliness affects a lot of people. These statistics have drastically increased since 2014 and the COVID-19 lockdowns have accelerated the trend even more.

Despite the amount of connectivity we all have access too, many people are feeling more disconnected than before.

Why should you care as a business?

While this may feel like something that’s “not your problem” this can adversely affect productivity, employee engagement, and retention.

Employee engagement is most drastically affected by loneliness. If someone is feeling lonely, they are much more likely to disconnect at work. Employees want to like who they work with and seek social engagement in their work.

And when someone is feeling lonely their productivity tends to decrease. Additionally, they’re more likely to turn over or “quietly quit.”

When we talk about company culture, it’s important to recognize that for most people company culture is the people and the experience of going to work.

What can businesses do to positively impact company culture and loneliness?

First off, understand that socialization happening at work is not a drain or something that needs to be punished. Time spent around the proverbial “water cooler” is time well spent to increase a culture of inclusion and improve company culture

It can also be helpful to implement an employee wellness program. Many such programs focus solely on physical health but having a social and mental health component can help with employee loneliness.

Also make sure to include all of your employees in company events and social activities wherever possible. Be on the lookout for those who are most socially disconnected and make a concerted effort to include them

Finally, strive to make your workplace more inclusive by including more people of various different background. It’s important to remember that hiring just one person from a representative group is not enough for true inclusion and it helps to avoid multiple people from various diverse groups to mitigate “tokenship” effects.

2023 Job Seeking Advice

Find a job in 2023

Top job seeking advice from Peak Performers

It’s that time of the year: time for merriment, cookies, holiday wishes, and even New Years resolutions. Top of many people’s lists are finding a job or finding a better job. Are you looking to find a job in 2023?

What are our job seeking tips for 2023?

Recession planning

Job seeking will be harder in 2023 than it was in 2022 due to a likely economic downturn (one that is probably already upon us). However, talent is still exceedingly hard to come by due to the number of people who left the workforce during the pandemic so as a job seeker the wind is still at your back. My best advice is this: do not procrastinate because more and more layoffs are happening. If you need a job, start applying for a new one as soon as possible. I have more recession planning tips here.

Network, network, network

75% of all jobs are gained by who you know. While Indeed and Ziprecruiter get the hiring limelight, most jobs are still acquired through shaking hands and making friends. So now is a great time to get on LinkedIn and build your personal brand. Now is a great time to join a job club, such as LaunchPad Job Club. Check out more about why networking is important.

Success is (partly) about showing up

In a recent Business Insider Article from 2021, they report that in retail and food industries 90% of people scheduled for interviews don’t show up. In the professional sector, people are much more likely to show up but ghosting is still a major problem felt by all employers. So stick to the basics: answer your phone when it rings, respond to employer emails, show up to your scheduled interview, and write a nice thank you letter after your interview.

Remote work, pretty please?

Did you know that on Google the number of people looking for “remote jobs” is double that of the people just looking for “jobs?” Remote work continues to be in vogue and is a valuable accommodation for many people with disabilities as well as those with familial obligations that keep them home. However, just realize that you’ll be competing against more people than ever before for those precious remote jobs. Odds are your boss actually likes working in the office and may want you there too—in fact some companies are enacting policies to NOT promote remote workers. Consider going back into the office or at least consider a hybrid work environment.

Seek out less visible companies.

We live in a rich-get-richer attention economy. Large, well known brands will get 100s of applications to 1 received at a small/medium sized business that does not have brand name recognition. It’s always been hard to get into these companies but, since many of them are implementing hiring freezes or laying people off, it’s harder than ever before. Drive around your city and write down the names of companies that are unfamiliar to you. Read local business publications to build a list of lesser-known companies. Consider new strategies for seeking out and applying for jobs.

Peak Performers can help you find a job

Are you ready to find a new job or a better job? Peak Performers is actively hiring!

Layoff FAQs and Planning

Planning for layoffs and frequently asked questions

Are layoffs coming in 2023?

Right now, the long-forecasted recession seems to be more imminent than ever. Some economists are predicting more layoffs in the near future.

Why are layoffs happening?

High tech companies sometimes act as the canary in the economic coal mine. High tech companies currently are struggling with access to cheap borrowing and venture capital. Furthermore, consumer spending has backed off. Other high tech companies are cutting back their workforce in anticipation of a coming recession.

Layoffs happen when companies need to cut down expenses. Often, employees are the most expensive part of most businesses and so they’re often the first element to be impacted when recessions happen or business slows down.

What should I do if I’m at risk of getting laid off?

Work on your resume now. It can be hard to re-construct your work experience after you’re no longer with a company. When exactly did you do that project and what percentage impact did it have on the bottom line? Take the time while you’re still employed to get all the information about your current job that you may need to market yourself for your next job.
Build your network. 75% of all jobs are found via referral. It’s all about who you know! Layoffs are a universally traumatic time period, for the people that leave and those who stay. If you are axed, know who you can reach out to for help finding another job and who will be your reference. Also keep in mind that often you can go to work for your competitors (provided there’s not a non-compete in place) or even your customers. Make sure to get personal contact information for people who will be allies in your upcoming job search.
Get on LinkedIn. I often joke that only three kinds of people active on LinkedIn: recruiters, sales people, and job seekers. If you get on LinkedIn and start interacting with people and building your personal brand with insightful posts, you send a strong signal that you are available to work.
Start applying. While you’re updating your resume and solidifying your network, you might as well apply for a couple jobs. You can take a couple of interviews and who knows…maybe you’ll find a great company to work for? Even if you don’t find a job right now, this will help you exercise these skills and get a feel for what the job market is like right now.
Save some money for a rainy day. I’m not a financial counselor, but I will point out that many job seekers feel like they have to say “yes” to the first thing that comes along because they need a paycheck ASAP. If possible, try to save some money to ride out a period of job loss so that you can find the right opportunity and not just an opportunity. Similarly, you can start researching COBRA health insurance options (or other marketplace options) so you’re not left without insurance.
Imagine the worst, hope for the best. While it’s not fun to imagine getting laid off, doing so can help emotionally prepare you for the worst case scenario. Doing this emotional preparation allows you to respond better in the moment and to hit the ground running if it does happen. Job loss often comes with grief and this can help you process your grief faster so it doesn’t get in the way of your new job search.

Who gets laid off first?

Layoffs often affect many people and companies all do it a little differently. Here’s some of the most frequently targeted groups of people:

Mid-level managers. Often, companies will seek to downsize by cutting out management. If you are a mid-level manager overseeing a small team, you may be at higher risk if your company were to merge these smaller teams.
Less tenured employees. Sometimes there will be a feeling of “last in, first out.” If you were recently hired you may be at higher risk.
Higher paid employees. Employees who have been around longer and are paid relatively higher than their peers doing similar work might also be at higher risk of lay-offs.
Lower performing employees. Sometimes companies will target specific employees based on performance reviews.

Who can help if I get laid off?

Peak Performers is happy to! Please browse our jobs here! Also be sure to reach out to your local workforce development center and your personal network.

Additionally, make sure to check out our local resources list. Remember, you’re not in this alone.

Careers are not always linear

Hiring for humans, not machines

Disability hiring starts with considering all applicants

There are certain patterns you can see in a resume that signal someone is dealing with a disability. Each resume leaves us hints about life events and perhaps what someone is currently going through.

Each resume tells a story both in what is included as well as what is omitted. To be more inclusive in hiring people with disabilities, pause to dig into these resumes further.

Cartoon depicting progress — Career progress is not always linear. People with disabilities will often experience disruptions to their career.

Resumes we see on a regular basis:

A person is seeking employment after a 5 year employment gap. Perhaps they are recovering after an injury or illness?
A person has a series of very short duration jobs that all seem to end abruptly. Are they struggling with their mental health or finding accommodation difficult in their workplace?
A person takes a step backwards in their career into a less prestigious role or perhaps even a part time role. Are they currently dealing with a newly emerged disability? Are they trying to find something that’s less pressure so they can focus on their health?

Any one of these resumes would raise an eyebrow of a recruiter and these people are the first ones to put on the “no” pile. If you want to make your organization more inclusive towards hiring people with disabilities, the first thing you can do is re-consider these applicants.

Take a chance and give them a phone call. Look at their resume a second time. Finally, don’t rush to make any conclusions about their work ethic or “culture fit” based solely on a sheet of paper.

Disability hiring is human hiring. You are not recruiting for a machine–you are recruiting for humans. And sometimes humans (and life) takes a non-linear path.

What’s in it for my business?

Multiple studies have shown that your workforce with a disability is 48% less likely to turn over. Companies that recruit people with disabilities experience a positive brand boost. Also, companies that hire people with disabilities tend to be more profitable due to the diversity and innovation that they attract.

You can read more about this in our whitepaper, the business use case for hiring people with disabilities.

Largest staffing agency in Austin award 2022

Peak Performers recognized in Austin

2nd largest staffing agency by hours billed

Peak Performers Staffing Agency is pleased to announce that in Austin Business Journal’s recent survey of staffing agencies, we are the second largest staffing agency in Austin with 863,696 local hours billed by temporary personnel in 2021.

Comments from Bree Sarlati, CEO:

Peak Performers is honored to accept this recognition as the second largest staffing agency in Austin. We are changing the world one job at a time by hiring professionals with disabilities. A big thanks to all of our customers who are helping us hire–we could not do this without you. Also, thanks to all of the talented, professional job seekers who seek us out looking for their next opportunity. We appreciate your trusting us to help you with your career transition.

If you’re hiring in Austin, we can help. Find out why we’re an award winning staffing agency who can help you find great talent and advance your DE&I goals through diverse hiring.

And if you’re looking for work, we can help you find Austin jobs.

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Media contact: myles@peakperformers.org – (512) 453-8833 X 116

Asking questions in an interview

Get your interviewer talking!

Advice for creating interview dialogue

An interview is all about you, right? Well, not really.

An interview is about your potential future employer’s needs and how your skills and experience align with their needs. Also, it’s about how much they like you and see you as a “culture fit” for their team.

A successful interview is a dialogue, not a presentation (nor an interrogation).

If you’re doing 95% of the talking, you’re doing it wrong. Here are a couple tips:

1) Flip the script

One of my favorite techniques to use in an interview is to start with flipping the script on the interviewer after introductions. Here’s how it might go:

“Thanks so much for taking the time to interview me today. I really admire your company and am honored to be considered for this role. If you don’t mind me asking, could you please tell me more about the role and what kind of candidate you’re seeking?”

Basically, this is asking them for the answers to the test before you take it. Most of the time, they will tell you what they’re looking for. You can then use all of this information to confirm that you’re the ideal candidate while you answer their questions about your skills and experience.

2) Connect personally

I recommend you find some small way to connect to your interviewer personally. Create small talk, listen for their response, and search for personal commonalities, such as a favorite pet, sports team, or even movie you’ve seen. You will have tons of things in common with anyone you meet!

Once you’ve found that commonality, get them talking about it.

“That’s really cool to hear you’re a dog lover too. Can I show you a picture of my dog? I’d love to see one of yours too.”

Reinforce what you have in common in order to make them like you personally and make them evaluate you as a better “culture fit.”

3) Ending Well

Finally, at the end of the interview they’ll often ask “what questions do you have for me?” This gives you an opening to ask questions.

Focus on open-ended, feel-good questions, such as “why do you love working here?” and “what makes your team great?” and “what attracted you to this company?”

Then, always ask:

“Do you have any reservations about hiring me?”

This gives you one last chance to address any concerns they have and also gives you valuable intel about how you come across in the interview. Also, it will give you insight into whether or not you’re likely to even get the job.

Also, check out our jobs!

If you’re in the labor market, our team of recruiters and hiring managers don’t bite! They’re here to engage you in a conversation, understand your skills, and consider you for our open jobs. Check out our jobs here!

Changing your resume

Advice for how and when to change your resume

Your resume is not a tattoo. Be ready to change it.

A lot of job seekers I work with have played the job search before. This is not their first job…it might even be their tenth. And while this experience can be valuable, sometimes we need to recognize that what worked for us before might not work again. You will need to change your resume

Resumes are marketing pieces that will change based on the current needs.

Tips for changing your resume

Exercise creative writing.

Many of us will be pulled into tasks and projects that go beyond our job description. After a couple years, you have your core job as well as many other miscellaneous experiences. Pay attention to these experiences and be prepared to present them on your resume in order to “check all the boxes” on this new job you’re applying for.

Job titles are more flexible than you realize.

With many organizations, you’ll be issued a cool sounding title, such as “Customer Success Manager.” Or, you might be given a generic title that doesn’t tell an outsider anything about what you do, such as “Program Specialist.” Be prepared to change your job title after the fact to better market yourself. If you want to be completely transparent about it, you can put your functional job title in parentheses.

Curate your content.

A lot of us could write a short book about our work experiences. The problem is employers want to skim your resume, not read it. While reading, our goal is to do a quick evaluation, see if you are in the right ball park of what we’re looking for, and then get you to an interview. This means you will need to leave a good deal of your experience that’s not directly relevant to this job on the sidelines.

Take notes after an interview.

Each time you interview with a recruiter, take a note of 1) what they ask you and 2) why they were interested in interviewing you. If they’re asking you for clarification, it might be worth clarifying something on your resume, and if they are really interested in you because of a certain skill/experience, highlight this in future versions of your resume so that other employers will notice it.

Change your resume regularly.

As you take interviews and apply for jobs and have others give you feedback on your resume, it will change. In order to be as agile as possible, make a habit of changing your resume regularly. So make it routine in order to keep yourself agile. Just remember to save all those earlier versions too!

You should have multiple versions of your resume.

My own position is a mixture of community relations, marketing, business development, and recruiting. If I were to look for a new job, I would create four different resumes focused around each of these core duties. Be prepared to have multiple resumes in order to give yourself flexibility in what jobs you can apply for.

Want more resume tips?

Check out our Youtube Channel!

Also make sure to apply for one of our open jobs!

Career coaches

All about career coaches

What does a career coach do?

A career coach will often help you with several key activities:

Editing your resume, LinkedIn, and cover letters
Helping you expand your network
Advising you on making a career shift or overcoming employment barriers
Evaluating job prospects
Preparing for interviews

How do I find a career coach?

You can find potential career coaches by simply going to LinkedIn and searching for “career coach.” However, if possible you should find a career coach that has worked with someone you know or is in your target industry. Ask friends, family members, and network connections for people who might be able to help you in your career search.

When should you hire a career coach?

1) If you can’t do it yourself. Some people struggle with composing a resume or need significant help with being able to overcome an employment gap or switching careers. If the difference between you getting a job and not getting a job, it may be worthwhile to hire a job coach. However, realize that they can’t do it for you—they can give you advice and help you craft a well-written resume, but it is ultimately your job search activities that will lead to a job.

2) If you’ve exhausted all your resources. A little while back I wrote “a guide to Austin job seeking resources.” Utilize services such as Workforce Solutions, job clubs, and online resources first before you seek out a coach. Attend networking events and send messages to people you know on LinkedIn. There is a wealth of information out there and available to you as a job seeker. Paying for assistance can expedite the process but make sure you’re not overlooking free resources.

3) It’s risky for you to look for work. If you’re already currently fully employed and planning to make a big career shift, it might be worthwhile to hire a career coach to help advise you. Making a career shift can be really hard, and they may be able help you strategically prepare for this all while minimizing the risk of losing your current job. After all, sometimes the best path is to seek a new role or alternate job duties in your current company instead of quitting it outright.

What should you consider when hiring a career coach?

It’s a fuzzy science. Many successful job coaches gain their experience from working in HR or recruiting, or even going through the job search process successfully themselves. Some will go on to gain credentials such as Certified Professional Career Coach (CPCC). Instead of looking for fancy credentials, look for local career coaches who have helped other people you know or who come from industries you want to focus on. Hire career coaches for their skills and their network.
Most will do an initial conversation for free. It never hurts to take a free consultation. At the very least, they may offer some free DIY advice or general guidance to help steer your search, even if you don’t hire them. Just be wary of a hard sell or over-inflated promises.
Most do it to help people. Most people who get into career coaching do it because they want to help people. Many come from HR roles and want to take a more direct role in helping the job seekers they encounter. Yes, they want to charge money for their services but many also have an altruistic motives.
You’re still going to do this yourself. No matter how good the coach, they should not write your resume and cover letters for you. They should not apply for jobs for you. And they should not attend networking events for you. At the end of the day, you’re the one that an employer is hiring.

How much does it cost to hire a career coach?

Business news daily estimates it to be $75-150 per hour with rates going higher depending on the industry and demand.

If this makes you wince, remember that most job seekers go without a career coach. However, recognize that we are each our own small business and sometimes paying for the expertise of a consultant can be valuable.

If you’re looking for a job, we’re hiring.

We’re hiring and would be happy to look at your resume.

Here at Peak Performers, we don’t charge candidates to help them with their job search. We make our revenue from having employees work for the customer and typically will spend some time with a job seeker for free to provide feedback and guidance so they can better market themselves. Our services offer a bit of coaching, but not at the level that everyone needs.

Disability Inclusion Starts With You

You Must be Part of the Change

Making Meaningful Change to Disability Inclusion and Hiring

After explaining Peak Performers Staffing Agency mission of hiring people with disabilities to a new person, I experience a range of emotional reactions ranging from enthusiasm to curiosity to indifference.

But my least favorite reaction is…

“Well, good for you. I’m glad someone is helping those people.”

While this seems like a benign statement, what is often implied here is “someone else is helping people with disabilities so I don’t have to.” Furthermore, the speaker usually makes it pretty clear in the statement that they are not part of this “other” group of people.

Not my Problem?

It’s estimated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that disability affects 26% of the population. This is not a mysterious group of “other” people. These are your friends and family, your bosses and coworkers, maybe even you.

Furthermore, the longer that you live, the more likely it is that you will acquire a disability through accident or aging. Looking out for disability inclusion is not only looking out for other’s well-being but also your own future well-being.

Access to accommodations, embracing an inclusive environment, and hiring diverse people with disabilities directly makes your workplace better and helps ensure you will have a future there.

We’re All in this Together

Disability inclusion is a direction, not a destination. This direction is the result of effective leadership, policy changes, and hiring goals. But meaningful change really happens through one hiring decision at a time, one job accommodation at a time, one work conversation at a time. Change happens through small incremental steps you have the power to impact.

Maybe you have the power to hire someone with a disability. Maybe you have the power to grant an accommodation. Or maybe you have the power to disclose your own disability and empower others to speak out about theirs.

You have the power to join us in changing the world, one job at a time.

Tips for phone interviews

How to interview on the phone

Advice and tips for having a great phone interview

Following the pandemic, many initial interviews have switched to over the phone. Sometimes this will be followed up with an in-person interview, and sometimes the phone interview is your only chance to land the job. Here is our advice for having a great phone interview to get the job.

6 tips for improving your next phone interview

Dress up (or at least be presentable). There is an unconscious effect that happens when you dress professionally–you generally feel more professional. This small psychological trick can help you perform better. Also, sometimes interviews will be changed to video interviews at the last minute and you don’t want to be left scrambling.
Plan for a spot with good reception. Unfortunately, it’s all too common that a candidate sounds garbled on the phone due to a bad connection or we get disconnected and the interview just ends prematurely. Seek out a place where you can ensure a good connection and if you think there’s any risk of dropping a call, ask your interviewer for a call back number in case you get disconnected.
Minimize distractions. It can be tempting to take these interviews “on the go” like at the grocery store or at a restaurant. Similarly, it might be easy to forget about your barking dog at home because you’re so used to it. Remember that we can hear everything going on the background and might be easily distracted by these small things. Focus solely on the interview and minimize auditory distractions.
Speak up. Most people sound softer on the phone than they are in-person. Also, bluetooth headsets sometimes don’t pick up your voice as well as you think they do. Speak up and focus on annunciating during your interview. It’s also important to start the interview by asking if they can hear you clearly.
Sit up and smile. When you sit up, you naturally project your voice better. Similarly, when you smile, as you would in an in-person conversation, your voice sounds more up-beat and dynamic. These small adjustments can help you sound more charismatic and confident when taking the interview.
Get “in front” of them. If you’re having an interview at 9:00 a.m., email them a copy of your resume and a link to your LinkedIn profile at 8:30. Then send a thank you email right after you’re done! If a recruiter is doing multiple phone interviews in a day, it can be hard to keep them all straight. This helps us differentiate you as a candidate.
Treat it like an in-person interview. It can be easy to treat phone interviews casually. Don’t! Take the time to research the company, connect with the people talking to you, and otherwise make a great impression.