Dyslexia, delivery management and me

Around 10% of the UK population have Dyslexia – about 6.3 million people. That’s a huge amount of people. There’s a common misconception that Dyslexia only affects the ability to read and write. In reality, Dyslexia can affect memory, organisation, time-keeping, concentration, multi-tasking and communication. Which can all impact your everyday life.

Navigating my career and dyslexia 

I was diagnosed with Dyslexia at age 21 during my second year of university, back when I was studying Tourism Management. I had an interesting career from then on. I first dabbled in events. Starting my own company during my studies, then joining an events and wedding company. Facing 3 years in that role with no progression I needed a change. I was dared by my late cousin, Peter Cheung (who later became my mentor) to move to Singapore and start again. So that’s what I did. 

If one thing you needed to do in life was to get a job, how would you do it? Cousin Pete

Cousin Pete shared his wise words of advice to “get on with it”, and if all else failed I knew I could return home. During interviews abroad I would mention my Dyslexia, but found this often put my application straight into the ‘do not hire’ pile. I felt discouraged. 

I eventually landed an events role with the St Regis Hotel. I continued pushing and started to build my career, working for different luxury hotels and travelling across Asia. But something was missing. Through my connections I was offered an interview for a Business Development Manager role (which I had no experience in) but was recommended for. I thought, why not?

I got a call offering me the job just as I was about to board a flight back to the UK. It turned into a flying visit home and not long after, I relocated to Singapore. I was a Business Development Manager for 2 years with MCI Group where I learnt the art of storytelling. It wouldn’t be until 2019 when I returned home – with one bike, 3 suitcases and a laptop bag. 

Back in the UK but where to start?

When I was back home I didn’t know where to start. I had just shy of 10 years international experience – shouldn’t that make me more marketable? Following some much needed time with my family I landed a role at American Express GBT. One month in, the pandemic started and I was furloughed. I was frustratingly looking once again for a new role. I knew then I wanted something different, I just wasn’t sure what yet. 

I then joined the British Dyslexia Association (BDA) for one year. My time with BDA made me realise that working somewhere Dyslexic-friendly was really important to me. They had everything in place and the onboarding was seamless. They gave me advice to contact Access to Work – a brilliant government scheme that can help you get or stay in work if you have a physical or mental health condition or disability. I was also given handouts after my meetings detailing what we discussed and next steps. A new one for me, they also pointed me towards physical tools such as yellow tinted acetate paper that can help reduce visual stress. 

BDA supported me not only in the ways you might imagine, but they also helped me realise what I wanted to do in my career. I wanted to help people, not just in the private sector but the public sector too. I wanted to work somewhere that has the support and accessibility in place for anyone with Dyslexia. I knew that at my next company I wanted to create that legacy. 

In September 2022 I joined Diverse and Equal. A tech for good organisation that takes on people with no tech experience and trains them through an intense course. This is where I decided that a delivery manager role would suit my personality and what I needed out of a career – a role where I could help people. 

After completing the course at Diverse and Equal I eventually reached out to Made Tech. Ahead of my interview the People team asked me how they could support the process – as someone with Dyslexia, this was amazing to hear! I received the interview questions beforehand, making the whole process feel truly accessible. I felt like I had a fighting chance. The interview was smooth and friendly and honestly, one I really enjoyed. 

Spoiler – I was offered the role. My line manager and project line manager met with my Dyslexic trainer who then did a workshop that was open to the whole of Made Tech and had some of the great tips I’ve mentioned so far. I’ve been here for over one year now, so I must be doing something right. 

Tools and techniques I use

Making the decision to join Made Tech was a great one for me. With a supportive team I’ve been able to really find my space in tech. So here’s a few nuggets of advice that have been helpful to me along the way.

Firstly, be open about it. It can be scary as the worry of feeling judged is always there. But remember, when looking for a new role, interviews are 2-way. It’s as much about making sure an organisation is right for you, as you are for it. Keeping quiet about your Dyslexia or any other type of personal difficulty might cause you headaches later on. When in reality – they could (and should) support you from day one. 

Once you’re in your new role speak to your team about how they can support you or particular ways of working that really help your Dyslexia. For me that means receiving a point by point summary of all meetings. This way I can make sure I’ve fully understood everything that was discussed. I also find giving myself 30 minutes at the end of the day to plan for tomorrow and having my clothes laid out for the morning super helpful.

Now what would a blog post be without a helpful resource? Here’s a few final tools that might also help you if you have Dyslexia too:

• Otter AI – helps transcribe meetings in real time, record audio and more
• Speechify – this one is great for reading notes back to me
• Grammarly – the name says it all, this tool gives you options on tone of voice and sentences
• a dictaphone recorder is useful when meeting with clients, you can record the sessions and listen back to it later
• yellow tinted acetate paper is great if you find it helpful to print out paper, it helps reduce things like visual stress so you can focus easier (this also works online)
• an hourglass timer, although it may seem a little old-school – when the sand has all gone I take a breather and step away from my computer for a break 

Throughout my varied career and eventually finding my calling as a Delivery Manager, my Dyslexia is something I’ve had to learn to navigate. But one thing has always been clear to me – be honest and upfront. This is how you can make sure you have the right tools, techniques and most importantly, support, in place so you can do your job well. 

If you’d like to hear more insights into navigating career transitions and overcoming obstacles in the tech industry I’ll be at Agile in the City Bristol on 6 November!  

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