A worker who suffers serious injuries may be unable to return to the previous job, but he or she could treat this as a chance to embark on a new career adventure. People with disabilities have many opportunities in today’s world and they can build successful careers with proper support. Creating a backup plan, venturing into the business world, explaining the gap in the resume, familiarizing with workers’ compensation law, and gaining new educational and professional skills are some of the tips that can help an injured person navigate his or her career.
Creating a Backup Plan
As a worker considers career change after a serious accident, he or she should come up with a backup plan. This involves creating a list of different careers that inspires confidence in him or her. The injured party shouldn’t just apply for one position and expect to receive a job offer. Instead, he or she should prepare several applications and submit them to several potential employers. Applying for multiple part-time positions is also a wise move.
Starting a Business
To build a career that aligns with his or her talents, passion, and lifestyle, the injured party should consider the idea of venturing into the business scene. He or she will need to do thorough market research, planning, and obtain some start-up capital to actualize the idea. By starting a business, the injured person will enjoy the flexibility to work on his or her schedule.
Explaining the Gap in the Resume
During the interview, an injured person will need to explain the gap in his or her resume. It’s important for him or her to briefly talk about the injury. Rather than dwelling so much on the circumstances that resulted in the injury and the challenges of recovery, the injured party should concentrate on the unemployment gap. He or she should talk positively and briefly mention what he or she was doing, including undergoing physical therapy, acquiring new skills, or seeking another job.
Familiarizing with Workers’ Compensation Law
If the injured party has been collecting workers’ compensation benefits because of his or her work injury, he or she must acquaint himself or herself with the workers’ compensation law. Are benefits affected when a recipient starts earning money? Does changing employers affect the benefits? Those are some of the crucial questions that an injured worker should ask himself or herself. The injured party should always be straightforward about his or her employment status but wise to collect the benefits provided they are available to him or her.
Advancing Education or Acquiring New Professional Skills
If the injured person decides to follow a career path that requires education or credentials that he or she lacks, the injured party should identify courses and certifications to pursue. He or she could consider volunteering or work shadowing to gain some practical experience.
People who suffer serious injuries in an accident have a plethora of options as far as employment and career paths are involved. No injury should make a person assume that he or she is disqualified from building a fulfilling career and fully enjoying his or her life.