The WRP is an excellent way for students and recent graduates with disabilities in all fields of study and of all grade and degree levels to market their abilities to a wide variety of potential employers across the United States, as well as sharpen their interviewing skills.
The way the program works is pretty simple. Coordinators at campuses nationwide register during the spring semester to help arrange interviews for students the following fall. Federal employees are trained as volunteer WRP recruiters and recruitment assignments are made over the summer. Soon after the fall semester starts, the candidates begin to sign up with designated campus coordinators to complete the registration and application process. If you are not sure who your school’s campus coordinator is, email wrp@dol.gov to find out who to contact on your campus.
After the candidates have completed all steps of the application process, they will be assigned a time for a 30 minute interview with the recruiter. The candidates are rated on four key characteristics: qualifications, communication, maturity and direction. Information from these candidate interviews is compiled in a searchable database that is available directly to federal employers. Private sector employers can take advantage of the WRP through the National Employer Technical Assistance Center at www.askEARN.org.
There are five key steps that candidates should take to prepare for their WRP interview:
1. First and foremost, review all materials and requirements of the program. They are available on the main WRP website at www.wrp.gov. Also take time to review the supplemental materials that are available at www.dol.gov/odep/wrp.
2. Meet with your campus Career Center to prepare your resume and cover letter, and to practice interviewing through mock interviews.
3. Educate yourself on what Schedule A is and how you can obtain your Schedule A letter or documentation. Schedule A is a hiring authority that allows federal agencies to hire and/or to promote individuals with disabilities without competing the job.
Starting in the fall of 2013, all candidates must be Schedule A eligible in order to participate in WRP. A Schedule A Checklist and sample Schedule A letter have been developed for campus coordinators and candidates to review and use as a guide. These and other important documents can be found at http://www.dol.gov/odep/wrp/Students.htm.
4. Identify and practice talking about potential workplace accommodations that you may need with your campus Disability Support Services or Career Services professionals, or another person you trust. Remember that your classroom accommodations may not directly translate to workplace accommodations. You do not have to disclose your disability at any point in the application or interview process, but you will be asked to disclose any workplace accommodations you may require.
5. Watch the short videos that are posted on the Department of Labor website at http://www.dol.gov/odep/wrp/Videos.htm. These videos are intended to help prepare you, as a young person with a disability, to navigate the job search process.
There is no guarantee of an offer or a job through WRP, but if you follow these steps you will come out of the application and interview process being more prepared and polished for your next interview.
Source: DOL
This information is intended to be educational and should not be considered legal advice on any specific matter.
