Do you reveal your dyslexia in a job interview?
Posted by: ghotit on: June 17, 2009
I was recently quoted as saying that I do not recommend to reveal your dyslexia at a job interview. At the same time I have repeatedly stated that I am a Proud Dyslexic. Recently I was approached and asked to explain this contradiction.
How can I be a proud dyslexic and at the same time claim that during a job interview one should not reveal his dyslexia?
So the aim of this blog is to attempt to explain what I define as a “Proud and Realistic Dyslexic”…
So let’s start with the “Proud” part. Why am I proud? Why should one be proud of being a dyslexic? Well here are my main reasons:
- Dyslexics are on average highly intelligent people, so from an intelligence point of view I am in great company (Albert Einstein is just one genius example)…
- Dyslexics are innovative thinkers. From the dyslexic people I know, and from what I have read about people with dyslexia, we usually can boast of highly imaginative thinking. And to quote our friend Mr. Albert Einstein “Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world.”
- Dyslexics tend to just fight on and deal well with setbacks. Many of us have grown up in what I call “struggle mode”. From more or less age six and onwards we have to go every day to an institution that places the highest value on how you Read and Write. Exactly the two area points that we dyslexics have many difficulties. This may explain the “30% Entrepreneur are Dyslexics” study…
Okay, so where does the “Realistic” part come to play….
Well, even though we may be very proud of what we are and of where we have gotten to even though in many manners the ‘institutions’ were designed against us…we still live in a world where many people who see how slowly a dyslexic reads may get the impression that the reader is not too intelligent… or where people who see the spelling of a dyslexic may assume that he is not too scholarly or a sloppy thinker etc., etc.
The world is not an ideal place, and justice can not always be found. Therefore, I believe that a dyslexic must be realistic. There is a very high chance that your interviewer is not familiar at all about dyslexia. You usually have 10-60 minutes to convince your interviewer that you (out of many others) are best suited for the job. So is it realistic to start educating him in this time period that though you may have some writing and reading limitations you have these other great characteristics that simply outshine all other candidates…
No, I recommend being realistic. Of course do not lie, if the topic arises, you should be forthcoming on your dyslexia. But if it does not, then get the job, and once in the system, PROVE THEM ALL WRONG 
.
BTW – If you have dyslexia, please cast your vote in Ghotit’s Blog “Do you reveal your dyslexia in a job interview?” Poll. It is located in the right frame of the Ghotit Blog…. Thanks.
8 Responses to "Do you reveal your dyslexia in a job interview?"
September 15, 2009 at 6:31 PM
i am dyslexic.and did not know until a got the test a age 40.i worked in the childcare field and have to leave my post as i was very badly treated. i started in a new company in retail and told the people i worked for about my dyslexic at the interview and they were fine and 2 years down the line i am work in that company.
August 31, 2009 at 12:19 PM
I would not mention dyslexia in an interview but when you are asked about your writing and performance then mention it. If you hide it completed when questioned, they then have a reason to let you go. In the UK you can not be sacked for having dyslexia because it is a disability by law.
Once you start, if you think your team leader is supportive, then mention it, but mention you have mean to overcome the problem if they support you.
Also speak to a colleague in the office just to check your grammar in report, this is normal. This person should be someone you work closely with and you feel they are helpful and want use it against you.
regards
Steven Milner
http://www.ihavedyslexia.co.uk
Social network for dyslexia
August 16, 2009 at 11:19 AM
Being proud or not depends on your profile (how your dyslexia affects you) I am dyslexic myself but my particular profile effects my ability to write coherently and to spell (this is being composed on Dragon NaturallySpeaking which I would recommend to anybody with specific learning difficulties (I feel this is a much more accurate term for describing dyslexia). I myself have just started a new job as an instructor teaching horticulture and all the way through the application process I made it very clear that I was dyslexic unfortunately this doesn’t seem to make much difference as the college I work for still insists on me filling out a lot of paperwork by hand, I find this quite ironic that working in the 21st century with all the modern technology available that I work in a profession that is still reliant on paperwork and supposed to have an ethos of equal access to all! I would agree that dyslexics are innovative thinkers with a unique way of looking at problems. As for highly intelligent ,as for the famous examples we hear of I think this is a case of particular profiles that work best within the culture of the time e.g. Albert Einstein and General Patton their profiles couldn’t have had a particular impact on their ability to write. I think you might be right that people who are dyslexic have to be more tenacious and to find alternative strategies to succeed in the world at large. Being realistic is about how hard you are prepared to fight for what you want!
August 15, 2009 at 5:50 PM
I thinks it maybe safer to declare your dylexia as like me people may stuggle to structure an answer in an interview, even through they know it – my condition is that it takes me longer to understand and process questions. I’m really fustrated as I know that i need to say, but can’t articulate the answer effectively in an interview sitouation.
July 8, 2009 at 2:12 AM
I agree with everything you say. Because though dyslexia is not such a bad thing, many people are ignorant of it and they may use it against you. Maybe you can use your time convincing the interviewer of your skills and so when he finds out you have dyslexia, it won’t matter much to him anymore.
July 7, 2009 at 10:54 AM
Yes well said! I hope you do well in your GCSE’s…..I have applied for 10 jobs stating I’m dyslexic and only got one interview…I also went for 10 job NOT stating I’m dyslexic and got 5 interviews; so I think it best to wait for job to be offered before tell them.
SAD BUT TRUE!
July 3, 2009 at 8:06 PM
Go on you, after reading that im now proud to be dyslexic! This has boosted me and now im going to do the best that i can in my GCSE’s!
THANK SO MUCH x
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November 17, 2009 at 5:26 PM
I’ve known I am dyslexic since a young age, and have always had to push myself to get anywhere. My teachers told my parents wouldn’t get very far. But now down the line with a degree and also a masters degree in Marketing and 3 successful careers in marketing later, I think I’ve proved those teachers wrong.
Steph get those GCSE’s under your belt and the rest will follow…I still don’t have a GCSE in maths as I got an E grade but as part of my job I deal with complex numbers all the time and I’ve managed just fine.
I recently went for an interview for which I had to do a written test. Before reviewing my test they said I was excellent for the job and wanted to see me again. After they read my test they said that my spelling was shocking and that this worried them.
Now I am not sure If I should tell them I am dyslexic in my next interview with them or try and put it down to nerves.
Any suggestions?
Thanks x