Companies not making it easy to contact about recruitment process

[Auburngal]

I do wish companies are better to contact about their recruitment process needing to be ND friendly.

I found a couple of companies’ application processes super confusing to ND, dyslexia for me. One company had an email address which I said do you have any other way to apply as it was a 700 word essay (had to be a minimum of 650). Though I have done those length essays and longer, that was cough 20 years ago. I didn’t receive a reply.

Another company had no option to contact them.

Yesterday evening I did an application form online for a government department. It was also the closing date. 500 words personal statement! Bloody hell did i struggle to fill that and wanted as close to the 500 words max limit. I think I typed c483 words. At school, college and uni, when I did essays/assignments, I always did 5-10% above the minimum number. I never had to edit to reduce words. There was an option at the end of the application to get a feedback form from a third party. I did mention in the third party questionnaire that the 500 word statement was not ND friendly.

I’m sure that companies that refuse to respond to emails or have no way to contact them are breaching the Equality Act 2010.

I have been put off by several companies making their recruitment process very difficult and/or confusing. My IQ is about 130 so it’s my dyslexia in me that finds it confusing.

That must be frustrating.

My son has dyslexia (and I do mildly myself). One thing he does for that kind of length of text is to dictate it into the notes app on his phone, and then copy it in.

I know companies should be making adjustments, but I wonder if they expect you to be doing this kind of minor adjustment yourself. Is there anything about the application that would mean that wouldn’t work?

I’m all for reasonable adjustments being made, but I don’t understand why being asked to write a 500-word statement is a problem?

All government job adverts have a contact on them and they should usually ask you during the application if you need reasonable adjustments.

If the issue is that it doesn’t allow you to write slightly more than 500 words, it’s because that isn’t fair. Everyone gets judged on max 500 words and no more or whatever the limit is.

My advice would be to write it in Word first so you know it’s the right length.

I’d just ask my mate Chat GTP to churn it out for me! 😂