Tips for conducting virtual interviews with deaf and hard-of-hearing job candidates

October was National Disability Employment Awareness Month. It’s a month dedicated to helping people with disabilities find jobs, including those who are deaf or hard of hearing. The Center on Employment in RIT’s National Technical Institute for the Deaf has some tips for employers who conduct online interviews with those who are deaf or hard of hearing. The group is eager to help improve methods of online communication, due to COVID-19 making traditional interviews almost impossible. A few tips include:

• Avoid having bright lights, windows, or distractions directly behind you, so the other end can see your facial movements.
• Make sure to perform test connections to ensure everything goes smoothly.
• Use dry erase boards, writing tablets, chatrooms, or comments to help clarify communication.
• Avoid putting your hands on or near your mouth when speaking. Feel free to use gestures or facial expressions.

Read the full list of tips here: https://www.rit.edu/news/tips-conducting-virtual-interviews-deaf-and-hard-hearing-job-candidates