Guaranteed Interview

ramblingsonthego · 2020-12-11T07:54:19+00:00

I am being made redundant in the new year (happy new year huh?!?!) and I am currently applying for jobs. I have seen the guaranteed interview scheme and I don't know whether I qualify. I have partial hearing. If it is quiet I can hear ok, if it is a noisy, busy space I really struggle and so I will lip read (masks are making this very hard). Does this qualify me? I do not want to tick the box and take advantage if my impairment is not severe enough. Can anyone help?

AlexaShutUp · 11/12/2020 08:01

I think you're the only one who can answer this tbh, other than testing it in a court of law. Does your hearing impairment have a substantial and long term impact on your ability to do daily activities? If so, then it counts as a disability and you are eligible.

Interviews are only guaranteed under the scheme if the employer believes that you have demonstrated that you meet all of the essential criteria for the role, so if you do tick the box, it will be important to go through and ensure that you've provided enough evidence for each point.

Good luck with your job hunt!

daisychain01 · 11/12/2020 08:13

If you have partial hearing you are at a disadvantage compared to people with good hearing so please make the most of the opportunity to be interviewed provided you can meet their minimum criteria for the role you're applying for. It isn't about being "severe enough".

Guaranteed interviews were devised to ensure you're on a level playing field. The rest is up to you, as regards doing well at the interview.

If your hearing impairment is say your left ear, please do ask them for a Reasonable Adjustment at the interview if it will be F2F (possibly not) to position yourself to hear as comfortably as possible on your right side, or however you need to adapt to get the best from the interview. Or if you do it by Skype or Teams your RA could be to request in advance that you and your interviewers use the chat feature to type anything that you can't hear properly. They will be only too happy to do that.

Original poster

ramblingsonthego · 11/12/2020 08:19

Thank you so much for the advice. It has actually helped. Since being told about redundancy I have lost a hell of a lot of confidence and job hunting in a pandemic, with hearing loss and the stress of needing a job to pay my bills has all just hit me. I was good at my job, I have the awards to prove it and to be thrown out the door has just made my confidence plummet.

I do hit all of the criteria on the person spec and job description thankfully. I am submitting it today and just wanted advice on if I tick that box! I would not want to take a place away from someone else.

OP posts:

Needanewnamenow · 11/12/2020 08:23

I have partial hearing and wear hearing aids. It's a conversation I have with myself but on balance do not feel my hearing loss puts me at a disadvantage because of the job I do. But if my hearing got any worse then I probably would. Don't feel bad if you think your hearing does disadvantage you that is what the scheme is designed for. As a pp said you still need to meet minimum criteria. Good luck with your application and hopefully interview!

Bagadverts · 11/12/2020 08:29

Does it affect your daily life? Does it affect how you operate at work? You might make the adjustments so naturally that you barely notice- do you always sit to the left/right? Do you position yourself facing the main speaker if you are in a bigger meeting?

Original poster

ramblingsonthego · 11/12/2020 08:32

Thanks @Needanewnamenow sadly hearing aids didn't work for my hearing loss due to the low frequency hearing loss I have. My ENT did say they probably wouldn't work, as the low frequency I cannot hear at is not picked up well by aids. I wish they did work!

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Original poster

ramblingsonthego · 11/12/2020 08:37

@Bagadverts

Does it affect your daily life? Does it affect how you operate at work? You might make the adjustments so naturally that you barely notice- do you always sit to the left/right? Do you position yourself facing the main speaker if you are in a bigger meeting?

I think you are so right. I do it without thinking. I know what I need so I just do it and don't think about it.

I always face the main speaker and sit near the front. If I have to sit to the side it is always on the left hand side so my "better" ear can pick up the low frequency. If I am struggling I can lip read as well, but I am still learning to lip read (my hearing loss happened 5 years ago) and occasionally get it wrong! Subtitles are brilliant and I just have them permanently switched on.

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Fishfingersandwichplease · 11/12/2020 09:00

Fingers crossed for you OP x

daisychain01 · 11/12/2020 14:13

@ramblingsonthego

Thank you so much for the advice. It has actually helped. Since being told about redundancy I have lost a hell of a lot of confidence and job hunting in a pandemic, with hearing loss and the stress of needing a job to pay my bills has all just hit me. I was good at my job, I have the awards to prove it and to be thrown out the door has just made my confidence plummet.

I do hit all of the criteria on the person spec and job description thankfully. I am submitting it today and just wanted advice on if I tick that box! I would not want to take a place away from someone else.

It doesn't work like that, you applying doesn't take a place away, you're throwing your hat in the ring with the others, there isn't a quota system or limit it's all about suitability for the role.

It would be like saying you don't want to get the job in case they could have given it to someone else!

ThePoetsWife · 14/12/2020 20:26

Ask them to send you a copy of the interview questions in advance. That's a perfectly ok reasonable adjustment request to make.