Hiya! I am Will More, I live in Somerset and I graduated last summer from Exeter where I studied Economics with a year in industry at Enterprise Mobility. It was during this time whilst working when I was diagnosed with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, and no, I am not a clean freak. Currently, I am travelling (and working) sporadically while trying to raise money for charity on my gap year.
My Win A Day experience was insightful for two reasons. Firstly, it gave me exposure to a multinational heavyweight company – J.P. Morgan – and made me realise that they are people just like you or I. That made me feel a lot less stressed about graduate assessment processes. Secondly, it made me realise that my ideal role was probably a couple of years down the line. It would actually be a better idea to get more experience and understanding of the sector, and then that kind of role would come more naturally. I was particularly interested in Diversity and Inclusion roles and coming to that from an Economics background was always going to be tricky – but I didn’t realise what I didn’t know at that time!
I have struggled to decide when to talk about my disability. I think that this is for two main reasons; firstly, it comes and goes, and so sometimes it is almost unnoticeable. I haven’t quite worked out how to verbalise this, without feeling like I am wasting people’s time or looking for an advantage for my application! The second reason is that I don’t know of any adjustments which I would require to make the recruitment process fairer, so it feels easier to keep quiet about that. However, I do proudly tick the disability tick box on application forms!
I have spoken about it though when relevant, and I think this suits me at the moment. The next challenge is definitely about being proactive when I explain how I need to work, rather than wait until I am struggling. Managing OCD does mean I like to stay fairly organised though – which is useful for life and the workplace! I also think it gives me a sense of perspective, as I have really struggled before. Compared to back then, things are really good which I think is partly due to accepting and coming to terms with myself. The plans are now to find an employer who suits me, as well as me suiting them, and really crack on from there.