Before you’re hired
Your job search for a Government of Canada job starts with GC Jobs. This job portal lists all federal public service job opportunities and recruitment programs.
We know that applying for a new job can be stressful. In addition to these resources on applying to federal public service jobs, there are measures in place to ensure persons with disabilities have fair and barrier-free access to public service jobs:
Programs and jobs for members of employment equity groups
Some jobs and programs are only open to people who self-declare as belonging to an employment equity group (women, Indigenous Peoples, members of visible minorities and persons with disabilities).
To be considered for these opportunities, when you apply, you’ll need to self-declare.
Self-declaration
When you apply online for a Government of Canada job, you can fill out a confidential self-declaration form to confirm whether you’re a person with disabilities, or whether you belong to any of the other employment equity groups. It’s simple and easy, and it gives you access to job opportunities and programs that are open specifically to people with disabilities.
One example is the Federal Internship Program for Canadians with Disabilities, which connects persons with disabilities with employment opportunities in the federal public service. It also provides support to participants, managers and federal departments and agencies to help foster inclusive workplaces.
Learn more about self-declaration for Government of Canada jobs
Self-declaring as a person with a disability
You can self-declare as a person with a disability if you have a long-term or recurring physical, mental, sensory, psychiatric or learning impairment, and if one of the following apply :
- you consider yourself to be disadvantaged in employment because of that impairment
- you believe an employer or potential employer is likely to consider you to be disadvantaged in employment because of that impairment
- you have been accommodated in your current job or workplace due to an impairment
Disabilities can be visible or non-visible, and can include the following:
- coordination or dexterity limitations (difficulty using hands or arms, for example, grasping or handling a stapler or using a keyboard)
- mobility limitations (difficulty moving around, for example, from one office to another or up and down stairs)
- blind or visual impairment (unable to see or difficulty seeing)
- being deaf or hard of hearing (unable to hear or difficulty in hearing)
- speech impairment (unable to speak or difficulty speaking and being understood)
- other disabilities (including learning disabilities, developmental disabilities and all other types of disabilities)
Assessment accommodation measures: changes to tests and interviews
The Government of Canada offers accommodation services for both persons with long-term disabilities, as well people who are experiencing temporary impairments.
Once you’ve applied to a job, you may be invited to write a test or to an interview. As a person with a disability, you can request changes to the process, format or content of tests and interviews so that you can fully demonstrate your competencies. These changes are known as assessment accommodation measures. They are designed to remove barriers to a fair assessment. Examples include:
- individual assessment session
- quieter room
- reduced or increased lighting
- extra time and breaks
- larger font size
- use of speech-to-text software or live reader (someone who reads the questions aloud)