Can Speech and Language Disorders Affect Your Job Opportunities?

“If all my possessions were taken from me with one exception, I would choose to keep the power of communication, for by it I would soon regain all the rest.”

– Daniel Webster

The short answer to this question is, unfortunately, “yes.” Speech and language disorders can and do affect job opportunities, particularly when it comes to how you perform in a job interview.

If you have difficulty in finding the right words to say or organizing your thoughts for example, a potential employer might think you’re not equipped to handle the job or have come to the interview unprepared. An interviewer, who is unaware that you have a speech or language challenge, could form a negative opinion, come to incorrect conclusions or make judgments about your intellectual capacity.

A heavy accent could inhibit a person’s ability to make themselves understood to others. If verbal communication skills are an important part of the job he/she is seeking, a prospective employer might dismiss him/her as an inappropriate candidate. Similarly, a speech and/or language difficulty could inhibit your prospects for a promotion, if the new job requires public speaking, for example.

Fortunately every person with a speech or language disorder has the potential to improve. With the right help, the right attitude and lots of practice, new skills can be learned and new strategies can be incorporated that will have you expressing yourself more clearly.

If you think a speech or language disorder might be impacting negatively on your career opportunities. Contact S.L. Hunter & Associates to determine how the team of qualified Speech-Language Pathologists can help.

The offices of S.L. Hunter & Associates are located at 5195 Harvester Rd. Unit 4B. They can be reached by telephone at 905-637-5522 or online at www.slhunter.ca.