Equality matters

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You may have concerns around equality issues when considering your career options and jobs or future courses. These may revolve around your:

  • health condition or disability;
  • race or ethnicity;
  • criminal record;
  • gender;
  • sexual orientation;
  • age;
  • caring responsibilities.

If you are applying for work or further study, the recruiter should not ask you about any of these factors, unless you have already indicated that you want to discuss them. It is important that through the application and interview process you are able to do your best and not feel discriminated against.

This page provides some advice related to specific equality issues, links to further information, and details about the additional support available from the Careers Service.

Disability

Although many students are anxious that their disability, neurodiversity, long term health condition, specific learning difficulty (e.g. dyslexia) or mental health condition will have an impact on their career choices, this is often not the case. It is likely that throughout your education and life in general, you will have developed a range of sophisticated strategies to handle the obstacles you have faced. So, your disability may have no impact on your future career plans.

However, there could be issues which you’d like more information on, such as whether to be open about a health condition or disability with a prospective employer, and what ‘reasonable adjustments’ you can expect in the application process and in the workplace. You may also be interested in finding employers who have a positive attitude and proactive approach to recruiting disabled employees.

Further information

  • EmployAbility - Register with EmployAbility for advice and support with applications and to receive individualised adjustments advice. 
  • Youreable - An online forum and community where disabled people share experiences and support each other. 
  • Evenbreak - Employers who are advocating for diversity and ready to look past disabilities and at candidates skills are advertising vacancies on this platform.
  • City Disabilities - Offer a free mentoring scheme putting people with experience dealing with disabilities and health conditions in the workplace in touch with those who can benefit from it.
  • My Students Club - By becoming a member students get access to recruiter contacts and job opportunities. There is also expert employability advice in their Disability Career Guides.
BAME students

It is against the law for employers to discriminate against applicants and employees due to their race, including nationality, colour and ethnicity. However, there are many sectors and workplaces where people from BAME (Black, Asian and minority ethnic) backgrounds are significantly under-represented. As a result, some employers actively recruit graduates from these backgrounds. 

The resources below explain forms of race discrimination and how the Equality Act (2010) protects people. They also cover employability opportunities available to you and some organisations that are prioritising diversity.

Further information

  • Race discrimation at work  - ACAS (Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service)
  • BYP Network - A professional network open to students and graduates. The network showcases Black talent to partner organisations as well as hosting a varied jobs board, blog and newsletter.
  • Creative Access -They provide paid internships in the creative industries that are available to those from under-represented BAME backgrounds. The platform also hosts useful resources and a careers blog championing diversity.
Gender identity and sexual orientation

It is illegal for employers to discriminate against job applicants and employees because of gender identity or sexual orientation. The resources below demonstrate what your rights are and how to search for employers that are championing diversity and inclusion. If you would like more support you can discuss this with an employability adviser in an appointment, bookable through Career Connect.

Further information

Equality and diversity issues (Targetjobs)
Guidance on the law, your rights and finding LGBT+ positive employers.

Starting out guide - Stonewall
Support for those looking for a first job or wanting to make a career change. Includes tips for identifying inclusive employers and insights into a wide range of sectors.

Vercida
A leading diversity and inclusion jobs board. Includes a database of employers, vacancies and a supporting blog.

Neurodivergent

About 1 in 8 people in the workplace are thought to be neurodiverse. Under the neurodiversity umbrella conditions may include:

  • Developmental Language Disorders 
  • Dyscalculia 
  • Dyslexia 
  • Developmental Coordination disorder (Dyspraxia) 
  • Tic disorders (including tourette’s syndrome)
  • Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
  • Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) or Condition - including Asperger’s syndrome

It is a legal requirement for organisations to make reasonable adjustments to support you in the recruitment process and workplace. The following resources explain how to find inclusive employers, what to expect from the graduate job hunt and offer specific employability advice.

Further information

Mature students

It's against the law for employers to discriminate against job applicants due to their age. However, if you're an older graduate, it's important that you market yourself effectively and persuade employers that you have qualities that younger applicants don't.

You're likely to have a wealth of experience from your work history and life.

In particular, emphasise:

  • Skills gained from previous employment, even if this was in a non-graduate job
  • Skills gained from other life experiences, such as through involvement in voluntary work or balancing the demands of higher education with caring responsibilities
  • The confidence, ambition and adaptability that you have shown by deciding to enter higher education as a mature student
  • The fact that your age makes it more likely that you will stick with an employer instead of wanting to move on after a year or two

It’s important to be positive when approaching employers, mentioning the positive reasons for entering higher education instead of emphasising dissatisfaction with previous employment. 

If you need support exploring your career options based on the opportunities your degree will open up, use our website or arrange an appointment with one of our advisors

Further information

Criminal record

If you have ever been convicted of a criminal offence or cautioned by the police, you may be unsure about whether you should disclose this when applying for jobs or professional training. You may also be concerned about the likely effect of such disclosure.

The appropriate course of action will vary depending on:

  • the nature of the offence
  • the type of sentence
  • the length of sentence
  • the area of employment you're interested in

If you're unsure of your options, book an appointment to speak to a careers adviser via Career Connect in MUSE.

Further information

How we can support you

The Careers Service is fully committed to ensuring that we treat everyone equally, regardless of age, gender, race, disability, religion, or sexual orientation.

Talk to us if you:

  • are worried that you will face discrimination when applying for a job or course;
  • don’t know whether to disclose a disability in an application or interview;
  • suspect you've suffered discrimination when seeking employment or admission to a course;
  • are unsure of your options due to a previous criminal conviction or police caution;
  • have other personal circumstances which are impacting on your career planning, applications or interviews.

Contact us via our live chat service to book an appointment or send us your questions.

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