Description:
Sometimes we put blockers in front of ourselves that make our journey to finding meaningful employment a lot harder. Let's chat about some tips for going about your job search journey and how to find neurodivergent-friendly companies to help you succeed.
Speaker: Natalia Lyckowski (she/her), Global Neurodiversity Advancement Leader at IBM
Proudly neurodivergent (ND) and parent of an autistic IT Professional, Nat enables businesses to see the value in embracing ND talent to attain highly skilled and dedicated professionals that may otherwise be overlooked. 1:20 individuals are ND and 1:50 are autistic. This talent pool brings 32% new skills, 66% higher job loyalty, and more, improving corporate citizenship and revenue.
Nat has driven culture change, improving trust and allyship through:
Global Acceptance Training across >30 Countries
Speaking Engagements >10,000 Audience
Youth Self-Advocacy Initiatives > 2,500 Audience
Safe-space Think Tanks to ensure representation >200 Members
Nat is also experienced with intersectionality across PWD/PWDA, LGBTQ+, Race, Ethnicity, Gender, and other identity groups. Nat is also a Business Analyst and has been with IBM for over 25 years.
Topics:
1) Self Advocacy
Deciding about disclosing - and when
Focusing on strengths and skills - which can be gained anywhere
Resume & interview coaching help
Doing your research on the job and company
Understanding process may be exhausting – making time for self care
2) Finding your match - What to look for
ND friendly companies - (Neurodiversity@Work Roundtable)
DEI culture
Looking for BRG/ERG, safe spaces, representation
Career development opportunities
If close to the requirements - apply anyway!
3) ND@IBM
Video: "What's it like to be ND @IBM"
Targeted hiring with culture change
Nat's role as a Global ND Advancement Leader
AAA - Awareness, Acceptance, Advancement Model
How to Attend:
The event will be hosted on Zoom.
Register on Eventbrite (https://bit.ly/ndjobseeking). Tickets are free but donations are appreciated.
The Zoom link will be emailed to you 24 hours before the event.
10 minutes before the event, click the Zoom link in your email to join.
About Viability:
Viability is a neurodiverse, youth-led organization dedicated to:
Empowering neurodivergent individuals in work, school, and life
Supporting organizations and communities in becoming more neuro-inclusive
Having operated in a disability space for 3.5 years, we have grown to offer a range of services including mentoring, leadership programming, recreational programming, educational workshops, process consulting and community events.
Unlike most other organizations in this space, we are disability-led and peer-to-peer, with 70% of our core team members identifying as neurodivergent.
Our approach is one that centres justice over equality, where we aim to address the root causes of systemic barriers that limit neurodivergent people's participation. To get involved, please email: info@viablecareers.org