Tag: job search

If you’ve been reading me for a while, you already know I’m currently in the midst of a trying-to-not-be-frantic job hunt. Because I’m some kind of over-sharer or glutton for self-punishment, I’ll be blogging my job search. Welcome to my new blog tag: Job Search. 

Today I signed up with Inclusively, a job board specifically designed for people with disabilities, including mental health conditions, chronic illnesses, and neurodivergence.

I filled out all the sections about experiences and skills, and poked around the platform to see if they had a job listing for me. Nope (although there was a lingering half-match dated 2023 that hadn’t been removed for whatever reason, so I clicked “connect” anyway, because I wanted to Click All the Things.)

It remains to be seen whether I will connect with anything on this platform or not, but I think it could be a valuable resource for many people.

What is Inclusively?

Inclusively is a job platform designed to connect disabled job seekers with inclusive employers. Their mission is to open doors to untapped talent by working with companies to create a more accessible and accommodating hiring process.

How Inclusively Works

Signing up for Inclusively is fairly straightforward. You create a profile where you can:

• Choose whether to self-identify as disabled and disclose if you receive SSI/SSDI. (They said this information is anonymous and protected, but, honestly, I am not sure what they means or how it works.)

• List your skills, experience, and job preferences to help match with employers.

• Select Success Enablers—specific accommodations you might need at work.

When you see a job that looks like a fit, you click “Connect” to express interest. I have no idea what happens after that point, because I only clicked the one, ancient and forgotten listing so nothing special happened.

Employers can also search for candidates based on their skills, experience, and Success Enablers.

Job Categories and Success Enablers

Inclusively has a wide range of job categories, including:

• Writing/Editing

• Administrative/Clerical

• Customer Service/Support

• Computer/Engineering/IT

• Education

• Medical/Health

• Retail, Sales, and more.

One feature I’ve never seen elsewhere is the Success Enablers badges. These badges represent common workplace accommodations that job seekers can select to indicate their needs. There are 110 Success Enablers across 14 categories, covering a range of accommodations including communication support, mental health accommodations, and workplace modifications.

When I searched for “autism,” Inclusively offered 11 specific accommodations, including:

• Designated Quiet Zones

• Noise-Canceling Headphones

• Alternate Interview Format

• Uninterrupted Work Time

• Remote Work

Users aren’t required to take all the badges that come up on a search and they aren’t limited to badges from just one search category. This platform clearly recognizes that many people have more than one disability or need a wide range of accommodations, and Inclusively allows them to reflect that in their profile.

The Success Enabler badges are also useful because they allow potential workers to tell potential employers what they need to be successful without ever disclosing a diagnosis or any other protected medical information.

What I’ve Seen on Inclusively So Far

So far, I’ve browsed the platform and noticed a strong presence of higher-tech jobs, particularly in computer science, engineering, and IT. These roles look like great opportunities for people with technical skills, but they’re beyond my expertise (which tops out somewhere around tweaking HTML by hand).

That doesn’t mean there aren’t other job types available. I signed up in the Writing/editing category, of course, and remote work is both a Success Enabler and a main search toggle, so this appears to be a job board that views remote work as the extremely important success enabler it is for so many of us disabled workers. Job offers that fit my skills should come through at some point. I just haven’t seen one yet.

I’m Checking Inclusively Daily

Checking the Inclusively job board daily is now part of my job search routine. The site says new listings go live every day, so the right job might pop up any day. Tomorrow I’ll add something else to my daily routine. Build it up, keep looking, keep asking around, keep writing. 

If you’re Disabled and have technical skills, Inclusively could be a goldmine of opportunities right now. If, like me, you’re looking for something a little different, it might take more patience. Either way, I hope I’ve shared information helpful in your own job search.

You can check it out here: www.inclusively.com.

If you’ve used Inclusively, I’d love to hear about your experience. Have you found it helpful? Let me know in the comments here on the blog or wherever I’ve posted it.

I didn’t always know I was a skilled writer. It wasn’t until I was around thirty that I realized I could craft marketable words, and my first published work didn’t come until I was about 32. But once I understood what I could do, I honed my craft and built a body of work I’m proud of. And yet, despite my ability to produce excellent writing, I keep getting shut out of jobs—not because I can’t do them, but because the job market wasn’t built for someone like me.

This is what it means to be a capable but disabled worker. This is what it means to be not failing, but failed by the system itself.

I Can Work—But Not in the Ways Employers Expect

I am autistic, I have ADHD, I have complex PTSD from childhood, and workplace PTSD from years of bullying. I have Central Auditory Processing Disorder (CAPD), which makes it difficult to process spoken language in real-time, especially in rooms with lots of ambient noise. I have sensory issues that make being around people all day an unbearable strain on my nervous system.

The short version: I cannot work with people. I can work with text.

When I’ve worked in traditional, on-site workplaces, the same thing happens every time. I get bullied. Employers don’t protect me. The stress builds until I have an autistic meltdown—not because I want to (I hate meltdowns and wish I never had them), but because my nervous system reaches a breaking point. And then, instead of support, I get fired. Even by employers who claim to understand autism. 

In one case, I was even threatened with a lawsuit if I ever told anyone how my employer had treated me. 

This cycle is not just exhausting—it’s completely unsustainable. And the two times I’ve visited Vocational Rehabilitation (in Kentucky and in Idaho) I was told I am too disabled to qualify for their assistance. The world has told me over and over again: “You are unemployable.” But that’s not true. The reality is that I have very specific ways I need to work, and the jobs that fit me are so rare and difficult to get that I am being forced to the margins.

The Devastation of Losing DoorDash

DoorDash wasn’t a great fit for me, but it was something and I was good at it. I was a conscientious worker who paid attention to detail and genuinely cared about getting hot, accurate, undamaged food to customers. I had platinum status for high volumes of high quality deliveries. I felt competent and the work allowed me to survive while only having brief contact with people, without having to navigate toxic workplaces or get stuck for hours with bullies.

Now, I’ve been deactivated because they claim I submitted false personal information (I did not. The system choked on my “mis-matched” name, face, and gender marker) and my survival is in question. That was my stopgap job, my safety job, my fallback, security job. And then, when it became clear to me that it’s just not safe for me to keep trying to do face-to-face work, it became the only job I could access.

Finding another job should be simple. I’m smart, I work hard, I can write at a high level, I’m a quick learner, I pay attention to details. But it’s not simple, because every direction I turn, I hit a wall:

Traditional on-site jobs? They put me in environments where I can’t function.

Freelancing? It’s overwhelming, requires constant marketing, and forces me to juggle projects in ways I can’t manage.

Gig work? Unreliable, inconsistent, and often exploitative.

I am highly capable, but in a narrow and specific way. That means I am severely limited in my ability to get work, even though I could be an incredible asset to the right employer.

What I Can Do (If I’m Given the Right Work Conditions)

If I were given the right conditions, I could be a phenomenal employee.

I am a strong, versatile writer with experience in:

✔ Academic writing

✔ Formal and technical writing

✔ Science and medical writing

✔ Accessible, public-facing content

✔ Lyrical and creative writing

I’ve been published by Beacon Press, The Modern Language Association, Jessica Kingsley Publishers, and National Geographic. If an employer needs words, I can give them words precisely tailored to their needs.

I can also do light tech tasks like basic HTML, simple Excel/Google spreadsheets, updating managed WordPress blogs, and any work with clear guidelines. What I can’t do is deal with people all day, audio-heavy work, or chaotic multi-tasking.

What I Need From an Employer

For me to thrive in a job, I need:

✔ Remote work. I cannot work in an office.

✔ Clear guidelines. Tell me what you need, and I’ll get it done. I have failed at jobs where I was given vague guidance. Tell me what you want me to write about.

✔ Steady work. I can produce a high volume of writing if given structured/clear assignments. I would rather write every day, full- or part-time, for one employer than juggle five employers. 

✔ Text-based communication. I can’t handle prolonged voice work due to CAPD. (I can do short video meetings if needed, but honestly? I really hope they aren’t needed. You have no idea how much meetings drain my reserves, stealing energy I could be using to write.)

✔ A workplace that doesn’t expect me to “suck it up.” I can work brilliantly when I’m accommodated, but I shut down in environments that aren’t a good fit for my needs.

If an employer or company could offer me these conditions, they would get a dedicated, highly skilled writer who could produce outstanding work without the usual distractions of office politics.

Why Finding This Job Is So Hard

Job hunting and interviewing have always been massive barriers for me. People assume that because I write well, I must be able to navigate the social aspects of job searching just as easily. But I can’t.

• Interviews overwhelm me.
• Networking is inaccessible.
• Self-promotion is exhausting.

It’s a huge contradiction—I can write you a flawless cover letter, but I can’t sell myself in an interview. I can explain complex topics in clear language, but I struggle to advocate for myself when I need accommodations. The system was designed for people who can “perform” for employers, not for people who can actually do the job.

Why Did I Tell You All This?

If you’re reading this and thinking, “I know a job that fits Max’s needs,” here’s what you can do:

📩 If you’re an employer who needs a talented writer: Contact me at [email protected]. I am looking for steady, remote work where I can write and edit. You can look at my LinkedIn profile if you’d like.

🔎 If you know of a job opportunity that fits my needs: Please send leads my way. Even if it’s not a perfect fit, I appreciate the help.

💡 If you’re an autistic person reading my struggle and identifying hard with it, I want you to know: You are not failing. The system is failing you.

You are not broken for struggling in a world that refuses to accommodate you. You are not lazy or demanding for needing a different structure. And you are not alone in this fight.

I am still searching for the right place, the right fit, the right employer who sees my value. And if you’re someone who can help me find it, I hope you’ll reach out.