Lift, Inc.

Lift, Inc. (http://www.lift-inc.org) is a national nonprofit corporation that hires, trains and places people with significant physical disabilities in high-level information technology jobs, such as programming and systems analysis. Other professional jobs are available. People are placed with one of Lift's corporate clients in yearlong contract positions. Lift is the employer for that time. At the end of the contract period, clients are invited to hire individuals full time, and they do so.

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Location: Washington, D.C., United States

Saturday, October 28, 2006

Thoughts on Mentoring

October 18, 2006 was Disability Mentoring Day, sponsored by the American Association of People with Disabilities. October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month, where jobseekers and career changers who have disabilities job-shadow people already in the fields where they want to be--but only for a day. It's also a recruitment tool for the companies and a way for jobseekers to have a first look at a potential employer.

I have attended one Disability Mentoring Day and had several formal mentoring experiences. My DMD experience taught me a few tips about writing Web copy. My former employer's mentoring program helped me clarify future career goals. Since I was thinking about applying for a professional publishing program at George Washington University (and eventually did so, earning the certificate), my mentor gave me some practice editing and writing newsletter articles. Another employer effort kept me on track in an upward mobility program.

Later on through a job-hunting group, the recruiter I was matched with showed me that I did indeed have a range of work in my portfolio. He helped me to organize it and then gave me an assignment--volunteer assistant newsletter editor for a three-day HR conference. (I saved my press pass for several years.) I attended all sessions, not just the one on disability.

Here are some quick thoughts for making future Disability Mentoring Day activities even better:

1) Expand the event to two days or more and rename it. Cut out the disability awareness videos and the company presentations during lunch. Those of us who have disabilities have seen and heard it all before, from the "Ten Commandments" video to the classic and hilarious (but outdated) "A Different Approach," featuring a then-unknown Michael Keaton. Distribute information packets and let us talk more.

2) Make employee participation in the event required, because there are always more participants with wide-ranging interests than mentors. Match people early, and encourage mentor and mentee pairs to communicate well before the event, perhaps working on a small project to review later. It's not enough to observe during meetings. The Day moves at lightning speed.

3) Mentees need to think carefully about their goals so they can be matched well. Be specific. Don't be afraid to contact that person again for assistance if he or she was helpful. Don't wait to reconnect.

With all these positive experiences that mentoring brings, you don't always need a formal program to find mentors or grow in a career. But in science and tech careers, mentors are crucial. After you've been at an organization for a while, you know who is receptive to questions from newbies, as long as they are asked in a non-intrusive, conversational, curious and ready-to- learn way. Great supervisors mentor in this way and by example. It's the same with co-workers. Make the choice to learn from everyone and every experience. And some things you must learn for yourself.

Wednesday, October 25, 2006

Of Job Openings, Query Letters and Applications

Hey, everybody! Check out these new career opportunities at www.lift-inc.org/featured/Openings.html. Here's a longer version of the California job, and another one in Austin, Texas. Good luck to all applicants!

Lift, Inc. (www.lift-inc.org) has recently developed an exciting new opening for a software engineer to work with one of the world's leading corporations.

San Jose, California -- The position involves evaluation, troubleshooting and analysis in a strong team environment. The individual selected will work closely with customer management and technical support personnel, IMS management and other product teams, and will be responsible for driving team activities such as causal analysis, process analysis and defect prevention. Foreign language skills are a plus. A bachelor's degree or equivalent experience is required.

The position requires knowledge of the following:

Z/OS, and or OS 390 Operating System
Information Management System (IMS)

Austin, Texas: WebSphere Specialist -- This is another exciting opportunity to work with state-of-the-art technology in a strong team environment. The candidate chosen will provide technical support via phone and electronic updates, and must demonstrate exceptional problem-solving and interpersonal skills. Preferred technical skills (can be taught): WebSphere, relational database, JAVA, Distributed Op Sys.

For further information, to make referrals or to apply, contact Liftinc@aol.com.

Lift, Inc. is an award-winning national nonprofit corporation that trains, hires and places information technology specialists who have physical disabilities.

Reflections on query letters and applications: Like anyone else, I've written and agonized over a ton of application materials throughout my career--probably killing a few trees before e-applying became the norm. Here is the wisdom I have collected over the years:


Keep it brief (no more than one page). Concentrate on your skills and be confident. Use everyday phrasing, but be professional. Rewrite if you have to.

In the cyberspace age, it's easy to become informal. But in a cover letter, don't. Use Mr. or Ms. Usually the hiring manager is not someone you know well.

Don't address disability AT ALL in a cover letter. Know how and when to disclose and how to ask for accommodations. Let employers see what you can offer them.

We all make spelling errors from time to time. But if you describe yourself as "detail oriented" in a cover letter, and your cover note and resume have typos, you've lost that opportunity.

Sunday, October 01, 2006

Greetings and Welcome to the Lift, Inc. Blog!

Hi!

I'm Carrie Smoot, the Christopher Reeve Intern for communications and outreach for Lift, Inc. (www.lift-inc.org), a national, nonprofit corporation that combines information technology training and placement with corporate clients for men and women who have significant disabilities. I have always thought that computers are cool tools. Occasionally I've written about them. I enjoy learning about gadgets, assistive technology and everything else in between.

I hope this will be an informative resource for everyone about technology, employment and disability, perhaps reframing everyone's thinking. I'd like people to see that we who have significant disabilities are just like anyone else. We're not "supercrips," "overcomers" or miracles. Riding the subway every day is not heroic.

Most of all, we expect to work in challenging positions with competitive salaries and the ability to move up. We aim high and want more than entry-level opportunities or call center employment. And we will work to get there. All of us want to contribute and participate in life in meaningful ways. National Disability Employment Awareness Month begins today, but of course it should be observed all year. A great place to start learning about disability employment issues is the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy.

A career is a lifetime journey. No matter what paths you choose, information technology and personal computers will play a large role in your position. Look way beyond disability issues and stay curious about everything. Lifelong learning is a must, and it's fun! But through it all, love what you do. Build positive relationships with everyone and be happy. Remember that your work is what you do, and not who you are.

If you love tinkering with your own computer or building one from scratch, and can't get enough of Java, HTML, SQL Server, C++, VisualBasic or QBasic, you already know IT is for you. It's a telltale sign of an excellent fit if your favorite reading material is about programming languages and you belong to a systems architecture book discussion group. But information technology isn't just about working with machines, code and data. It's about working with people--people who need the reports your data generates, or who need advice about what data they need to collect to make critical business decisions. Organizations want to know how to create those stunning, convemient and useful Web sites that everyone goes back to again and again. Teammates need your help when their computers have frozen or something doesn't work. It's up to you to keep everything humming. There are so many options.

Deep in your heart, if you know that working with code, data and daily new challenges would frustrate you, consider another career.