Autism and Job Interviews
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- Опубликовано: 2 июл 2020
- Autism and job interviews: is there a way for autistic people to learn to succeed at interview?
When you are autistic, job interviews can be as painful as the dating process, you are expected to know the rules, but no one will tell you what they are.
Luckily, there seems to be progress in terms of how employers view the value of neurodiversity within their teams, but also support that's available for autistic people.
I spoke to Emily Banks, founder of Stack Recruitment, about her organisation that aims to help autistic people find jobs and educate companies on how their interview and hiring process can be more accessible for autistic people.
Stack Recruitment are London-based but can serve employers and applicants within the UK: stackrecruitment.org/
Contact Emily: emily@stackrecruitment.org
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What do you struggle with in interview settings?
David Team building exercise and all that NT behaviour.
Same at school junior school kids go their to socialise the government say they go there to learn.
Autism and school another video for Samdy vault.
I'm self-employed now but I've always had trouble in interviews talking about myself and being sure that examples I give actually relate to what is being asked, if I actually understood what the questions mean
Coming across as too stressed/tensed, while not noticing that myself. It has always been very depending on the interview setting and the (type of) people taking the interview whether or not I would feel slightly comfortable. Even then, I can’t sell myself (mostly I am too modest), I don’t like to lie and probably I have misinterpreted many questions... Also I get stressed more if a question is asked I’m unprepared for and can’t answer right away. The room may also be too bright (light) or have too many distractions around. Currently I am happily employed, but my job search has been a long one with loads of rejections and also loads of job interviews. Even when I would have had the feeling it went quite well there would always be a reason to not hire me but go for someone else instead (more working experience, coming across as a stronger/less tense person..). Dealing with that rejection time after time is hard, especially when given reasons aren’t something I am personally able to do much about.
Going into too much detail, sometimes visible stims like swiveling my chair side to side or clicking a pen because I'm nervous, showing confidence while accurately representing my skills, thinking clearly and putting my thoughts into words if the question is different than what I had planned for and my brain kind of freezes up from anxiety
For me too it's the questions they ask and which make no sense, especially since they have my CV in front of them.
I've got 3 BA, 2 Master's degrees (yeah that's a lot I know), a teaching qualification, and I'm planning on doing a PhD. I'm a straight A student crazy about learning new skills, ICT literate (I can code in html, css with a bit of javascript and php), I speak many foreign languages, and can read several ancient languages, I'm also a (professional) artist, always happy to help, and I'm a good educator.......
And yet I've never ever managed to get a full time job, only short term students' part time jobs, or self-employed short contracts.
I'm autistic of course.
Thanks to this video, some of the weird stupid questions I've been asked during interviews finally make sense!!!!
You wouldn't believe the number of times I was told my CV and tests were the best but my interview was poor so I didn't get the position.
Now I know why!!!!!
Something that annoys me about neurotypical people is that they say they want you to be honest, but they have no problem with themselves lying to you and when you are honest with them they can't handle it. We can't win!!
Do you mean me!?
You might be right, maybe that's "minä" ?
Yritän ymmärtää mitä sanot. Ei! En ole tyhmä? En vain osaa kieliä. Käyn vain Google languag. Tulen takaisin kohta!?
So what did you do to overcome this?
@Winter snow Owen Because in a neurotypical world you are expected to lie.
Job interviews are rubbish, they don’t learn much about you besides how you interact at face value. They want someone ‘easy’ to work with and who will conform without any questions.
Half the time it’s jumping through hoops pretending to be excited about being cooped up in a room for 9 hours a day @ £8 an hour.
I really enjoy the interview process at good tech companies, especially Sillicon Valley-based ones (or the ones that take on the same style). We get a lot of time to learn about each other (at least 5-7 hours), we cooperatively work on problems that I find fun. Being totally open and honest is a perfectly sound strategy, or even the only viable one because the process is so optimized for getting to know the person, so there's no point in trying to put up a facade.
Occasionally, my autistic traits are a huge benefit. My current job, they asked me how I dealt with repetitive tasks. I told them I find repetition very soothing a lot of the time, and if I'm allowed to listen to music I can just go all day. It took them less than a full day to make me an offer, and I actually really enjoy my job most days.
What kind of job do you do if I may ask? I'd love to do something repetitive all day, lol!
@@helenasvachova444 I go through claims on damaged rental cars and mark who we can send a bill to. I have earbuds in all day, and working from home was an option even before Covid. (Is now mandatory, lol.) I love it here.
@@RoseThePhoenix Thanks for taking the time to reply! That sounds like a pretty great job to me, and I'd never even think of looking for anything like that, so thanks for the inspiration! :D
@@RoseThePhoenix Man I wish I could do that job! I have ADHD, not autism, but I definitely thrive with repetitive tasks if I can be simultaneously occupied with listening to music or a podcast.
...instead I am currently dying as an accountant because I looked really good on paper even though the job is NOT a good fit :(
@@RianeBane sorry to hear that, it's terrible having the wrong job. What about bookkeeping? From what I've heard, that's fairly repetitive and would involve less contact with the public. If you're an accountant, you'd no doubt qualify to be a bookkeeper.
Oh....I thought everyone had to script for interviews and put on a sort of mask. :/ I’ve realized that usually after interviews or appointments I feel like it’s all a blur, almost like I made myself dissociate during the meeting. So weird.
Exactly the same happens to me, I can only remember one or two moments
For my university interview I practiced 3 days infront of the mirror ._.
I mean to a certain degree yes but I feel like I have to legit prep and remind myself they might ask random small talk questions on the beginning and to appear friendly and return the q back to them.
I've noticed the same type of questions they ask in interviews, are the same type of questions neurotypical people have asked me in real life, I don't like or enjoy being asked neurotypical questions at all.
My problem always comes when the "What are your interests?" Is asked. If I tell the truth and say that I am into spiritual things, computers, nature and animals I am going to sound like a freaky loner (yeah I am, but so what), but if I try to lie and say I am into all of the usual neurotypical crap like football, cars and socialising then they will smell a lie a mile away. I can't win!!
I really feel like saying "I'm sorry but I don't feel like talking about my personal life", which IT IS my personal life but for some reason my personal life is a potential employers business.
I just don't get it, I'm not going to ask them what their interests are as they are none of my business, so I would hope they would do the courtesy and honour the same for me.
As far as I'm concerned, as long as I turn up on time every time and perform 110% to expectation in completing the task, then that is all what should matter.
johntrevy1 I have pretty identical interests. In an interview I’d try to frame them into a more ‘acceptable’ format. Eg. ‘pagan nature lover’ becomes ‘likes hiking’. ‘Computer interest’ become ‘self-motivated student of programming languages’. ‘Spiritual’ becomes ‘enjoys meditation and yoga’ (not entirely equatable but whatever). It’s close enough to the truth that I don’t feel bad about lying, but it’s spun to my advantage.
@@msnglink1 I do that too! And I even try to link those activities to skills that could be useful to the job, depending on what it is. Unfortunately, it depends on the interviewer too.
I taught myself communication and subtle communication signs (because it baffled me all my life, so I made sure I'd understand it the hard way, even if it took me all my life to be mildly good at it), so I can tell pretty early on if the person is expecting superficial answers or not. This way I know how much detail to give or how much I need to lie/mask when asked a question.
It's not a perfect technique, though. Sometimes I'm too cautious and I mask more than necessary, but it's something I'm working on and getting better at as I get older. And sometimes I'll still be duped by very charismatic people who are gentle on the outside, but actually judgmental pricks on the inside, but after a few weeks of interaction I can finally smell the deceit. This isn't good for job interviews, but I wouldn't want to work with this kind of person anyway, so if they don't end up hiring me I see it as a good thing. (I live in a medium-sized town, so sometimes I'll hear stories later on about those potential employers that usually make me glad I didn't get the job - and it happens oddly often.)
Processing time is another problem and i suspect many other autistic interviewees have faced. We don't process questions as quickly as neurotypical interviewees which can mean being slow to respond or rushing out a low quality answer, perhaps having misunderstood elements of the question. Even when I've prepared for "typical" questions I've been thrown by slightly different wording.
GMLPC Same with the phone.
No one ask can you name as many dinosaur as possible.
So you say; Triceratops, tyrannosaurus Rex, spineosaurus, stegosaurus, diplodocus, raptor.
Question that require factual knowledge which you don't get in job interview.
It hypothetical question.
Like how would you get the company 1m pound profit?
There is good extra scence in the film Adam DVD.
Where he talks about job interview.
The actor who played Adam was in the film 21 before that.
THIS, ditto. I so hate being rushed as I know I have very good answers, but they "freeze" in my head under pressure
@@kme3894 So familiar. I always practise answer for the typical questions in interviews and when time come, my mind just pack and leave in critical minute. My mind is blank and I just stare and say like "yeh, right, oo I think like ... I mean like ..." or try ask to could you repeat to get more time to think and not still able to give convincing answer.
That's the thing I tend to counter in myself. In groups, I usually start out close to nonverbal, but one on one, even when I don't know the person, I can end up hyperverbal if they don't ask too personal of questions. Essentially, it balances out for me and I stand a chance
This is exactly why I failed my last interview. When I told my neurotypical parents about my mistake, they responded that I should've improvised my answer. I can't improvise, my whole life is a script. 😭
I had a 90 minute interview for a job at a company that I have worked at before. It was so hard. I cried after it was over because I was so tired for masking the whole time. They asked me questions that made me uncomfortable, they interrupted me when they thought I was going off topic. It all really made me feel so bad.
I can't tell you how many times I've gone into shutdown after interactions like that. When I was younger, it would actually be a meltdown, but I quickly learned growing up that meltdowns meant punishment. All around bad feelings in those situations :(
I'm so sorry you had to go through this. This is just such a horrible feeling. I've been there and it is exhausting and you feel completely burnt out.
If you can find the right job, people with autism are always going to be loyal, hard working employees. Rather than view them as a liability, employers should view them as Unicorns-extremely rare and extremely good, and asset to their company, not a problem. We're honest, reliable, follow the rules, don't engage in office politics and gossip, and can remain focused on the task at hand, without getting distracted.
THIS!! ☝👏👏
perfect
Totally!
So. Relatable.
Very true
It's difficult for me to predict what they want to hear especially with open questions, so I don't know what to answer.
If employers are serious about autistic inclusion they need to adjust interviews for autistic candidates. One big step forward would be to give autistic interviewees the questions in advance, e.g. the day before, and with advice on any required format. Maybe written answers should be an option, especially when questions are given in advance. This would compensate for processing issues and autistic candidates not decoding so well the unwritten rules of interview responses. They also need to realise that teamwork is not as vital as they always insist and recognise that autistic employees can do excellent work on an individual level. They need to have targets for which they are accountable on the number of autistic workers employed.
GMLPC yes.
@Winter snow Owen we know that.
The furthest I’ve gotten in a job is when they used recorded interview questions (I was able to delete my answer and re-record like a voicemail) then a written assignment similar to what I’d be doing for the job.
If you're diagnosed, you can ask for this. I have done this a couple of times now - the first one didn't even ask for proof and gave me the questions a week in advance, the other wanted proof of my diagnosis and gave me them 24 hours in advance. It does help so much.
As employers become more aware of autism and how the traditional interview format is often challenging to them, many have adopted questions that seem designed to trip up autsies. It's a clever way to weed out the neurodivergetns without seeming like they're being exclusive.
I've only ever had 2 successful job interviews: one for a video game shop where all the employees were 'alternative' and they happily welcomed my awkward self, and then for a tea shop who deceived me into thinking it was a nice job working in the shop when really it was placard holding in the street with no guaranteed hours, so I turned that terrible job down!
I have a science degree from a good university, but I've never been able to get a 'proper' job. I get too nervous, I'm too honest in my answers, and I struggle to answer questions which to me seem pointless or irrelevant.
I've been unemployed for 3 years, and it's because I've struggled so much in that time and found it impossible to get a job that I ended up seeking an autism diagnosis. Now I'm planning on being self employed, so I can avoid interviews! Job interviews are just the worst environment for me.
I cant find job for year and people thinking that I am totally stupid and I am starting to think it myself too
Listen to what I say! Et ole yksin! Sano vain, ja minä olen lähelläsi! No worries!! I'm here! ❤️
I couldn't get a job for years after university. I still don't have one to do with my degree. I just couldn't do the interviews. I hate how everyone I went to university with have got 'proper' jobs linked to their degrees, have their own houses and families and I d
Feel so left behind.
I've ended up in retail and I hate retail as you need to be really comfortable and good with reading people. I'm worried that it's going to be harder now everyone is wearing masks...
I'm not diagnosed but I came across a lot of information about autism and neurodiversity on the internet recently and my life makes a lot of sense now. I've only been interviewed once but it was such a pain I shut down in the middle of it and went non verbal and cried all the way home on the 2 hour journey. God do I hate interviews! They suck the life out of me
Sorry to hear. I had one job interview where as soon as the selection panel saw me, I realised I would never get it. But I went thru the whole laborious process and even an impromptu 15 min presentation outline which was a wild card in the interview. I wanted to bail as well, but the result is the same- we both didn’t get the job. Social anxiety triggers us as and when it pleases, and interviews definitely belong in the trigger warning category for us/ or that identify as being on the ASD.
"... it was such a pain I shut down in the middle of it and went non verbal and cried all the way home on the 2 hour journey" 💔 I feel you.
Job interviews are a lot like doctors offices for me. I'll talk myself up and walk in feeling really confident. The physical things are the first things I notice. My face is twitching. I'm breathing way heavier. It doesnt matter what I think in my mind, the fear strikes first and I'm left not knowing what to do about it.
My favourite response to that "What are your strengths and weaknesses?" crap is "My strengths include complete honesty. My weaknesses include a low tolerance for cliched, unimaginative interview questions". Sadly, I'm yet to encounter an interviewer that appreciates that answer.
I'm with you on that one.
The only interview I ever did well in was for pets at home because I was able to look up what they ask beforehand. I had memorised a script for every question and I managed to pull through and pretend to be confident 😅 I got the job, but left after one day because I couldn't deal with the customers. Had a full on meltdown 😭🙈
I think this is the thing, if we have to fake so much to get through the interview, is the work environment really going to be good for us?
@@YoSamdySam and if we don't fake, we won't get a job at all. this is kind of a closed-circle argument.
I had meltdowns in supermarket because it was too much distracting and i was whole time nervous
@@YoSamdySam Exactly. When I first started in the working world, there were those questions on the application, either a hard copy or digital and they were always the same. "Answer if you agree or disagree: I am extroverted and outgoing. I am engaging. I do well working with others..." Etc, etc. I knew that's what kind of people they were looking for so I would just agree to get the job. But really, most of it wasn't true about me as a shy, quiet, keep to myself person. Of course when I did get those jobs, it was difficult to deal with. They weren't a good fit. It's hard trying to find the balance of being true to yourself while also having a job when many jobs want traits that not everyone has.
And this is why I refuse to take any customer facing roles.
From my perspective, interviews equate to Hell. On. Earth. Panel interviews are the worst - having to maintain a connection with more than one person, and being excruciatingly aware that you're being studied by all of them while you're trying say the right thing. And what the heck is the right thing sometimes? Some of the things you get asked seem completely irrelevant and my brain simply refuses to process them. I literally go blank - "I'm sorry, I can't answer that question because no."
😂😂 I love that last line
Most interviews I've done for jobs are panel interviews, I've only ever done one to one once and I prefer that to be honest (as I don't have three pairs of eyes watching me).
I have cried during job interviewers, I struggle to read subtle body language & social cues, and need extra processing time. I especially struggle with the 'trick questions'! I feel like I'm lying when I tell people positive things about myself. Also, I think I have RSD. This video is hitting pretty hard. Very relevant. Thank you.
Some rules of thumb, tell them in advance your difficulties, and ask for questions in advance so you can type up the answers and send them to them. Mention your struggle with social ques. Also, if the job is based over an hour away ask for am online interview whenever possible as speaking in your own environment that you are most comfortable with works best for you.
If they want a presentation ask to do it prerecorded.
If they do not accommodate for any of your needs before an interview, ask yourself this question. Will they even bother post-interview? Use these asks to also help to determine whether or not you will be treated well and helped with your autism or are they going to get rid of you, because they expect your to be neurotypical and thus will burn out and the kicked out.
Happened to me enough times in my life where I follow this system of practice to effectively filter out the crappy employers that will be a waste of time even going to an interview vs those that actually will potentially treat me well. Does not matter if it's a warehouse job or a scientist job or whatever.
If all else fails maybe try and figure out a low start-up cost company where you can act how you want doing something with your own hours and terms. It's more difficult in some ways but easier than others. I am setting up a consultancy business after I finish my Ph.D. to basically advise people on trying to achieve things in specialist research projects be it public or private who want an outsider's view. Which should once established pay more than it's fair share and would only need 4 regular clients for it to pay well. Because screw the job market it sucks for neurodivergent people.
I am ALWAYS second choice after a job interview. My tip: send back a kind reply, informing the company to feel free to contact you if things change. Keep the door open. I got my 4 jobs after being second choice (and the employer soon realised I had been the best choice all along) and even had to turn down a job like that (because I already had enough work at the time).
same as me
I know how it feels to be second choice all too well.
Very important video. I've also found interviews very difficult. Employers often say they want answers in a particular format (commonly the STAR formula of situation-task-action-result) backed with very specific examples and it took me a long time to learn this (in some cases it wasn't even mentioned to me). I would echo the point about having examples of how you meet the skills in the job description. However I think most of the time the employers aren't interested in the answers. They have a "pecking order" based on the application forms and then - with a few exceptions - the interview is a social arena where they are really just working out "do we like this person?" and "will they fit in?" - both of which work against autistic candidates....
GMLPC I do agree with Sam dating analogy with the interview.
You are trying to sell your strength to a employer.
To get the job.
With the dating analogy you are trying to get a 2nd date.
2nd date means getting a job.
GMLPC They failed to give me a job in the chicken factory.
Because they have a peeking order.
@@garyfrancis5015 you silly! Lol
Right! What does fitting in have to do with my job performance? Why do people need to like me for me to help the company succeed? I was a hiring manager and I hired people I hated often, I hated them in the interview and working with them, but they had skills that helped the company succeed so why would it matter how I felt about them?
I'm good at applying for jobs and doing interviews, it's holding down the actual job afterwards that is the challenge.
Tips for interviews; be comfortable in your attire, nothing new on interview days.
If practical (and not in another country or something) do a 'dry run' of the journey so you are not anxious about finding the right place on the day.
If you have the names of your interviewers then look them up beforehand so you know what they look like and what their professional interests are.
BIG TIP: The people you meet on your interview will be nervous too. Remember, it's an artificial situation for everyone.
***GOOD LUCK!***
I like the first point you made. For me, it's a race between me getting comfortable enough there that it seems more natural and burning out from dealing with too much in a new environment
Omgosh yes! Especially after the trial period, it's so hard for me to maintain whatever standard I'm supposed to.
i’ve been crying all day my interview is tomorrow and my mom made me buy a new outfit because i didn’t have any proper attire and the outfit makes me uncomfortable but she obviously doesn’t understand and i’m worried about how tomorrow will go because i can’t really do anything now
I've only done one job interview and that was great, it was quick, he just asked what he needed to ask, it was informal enough that I was comfortable, and at the end he told me when my first shift was
That sounds wonderfully straightforward!
I've had dozens and dozens of job interviews and I've only ever been successful on 4 occasions, the most recent coming in October 2017 for a full time permanent job AND I've still got it! I gave up on job agencies because they will never give you a perm role because they milk your time in order to turn a profit. I went through hell for 3 years between 2008 and 2011 but I never gave up and I'm currently saving for a deposit for a mortgage :)
I have masked for a very long time and don't know how to act as "myself" because I'm only able to be myself when I'm alone. My biggest concern about the interview process is the expectation to be happy and smiley. I wish I could cry in the toilets first. I wish I could have someone come with me as comfort/distraction. The only job I've ever gotten was because my boyfriend was also in the group interview for the same job (it was in a supermarket, we both got hired). Thank you for making this video.
I've been able to avoid some the "you look [mad, sad, etc]" situations because in my case, I smile to the point of pain when I get nervous. Sadly, it doesn't make panel interviews any easier because there are so many people
I've been with my current employer (okay, my *original* employer merged with the current company in 2010) since 1997; but I didn't go through an interview for the job.
I went along to quote for upgrading their computers, and they said "we like the way your brain works... would you be interested in working for us?"
The best kind of interview: the one where you didn't have to talk
I missed the job of my dreams because I was terrible in the interviwe even tho I passed ALL other examinations. it broke my heart honestly because my perfomance there didn't reflected how I really am or would be on the job...
Dating v job interview
Tell me about yourself?
Open question could be ask by a employer or on a date.
How do you think it went?
Another open question which be ask by a employer or on a date.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years time?
Another open question could be ask by a employer or on a date.
I *hate* these questions.
I'm pretty sure that's where I take myself out of the running, each time. :-(
I hate those types of questions they make me ask, "what kind of question is that?"
The difference is that when you're dating, it's a very different kind of opening that needs to be filled.
Seriously though, some abstract questions like where you'll be in 5 years are more like "This is more to see how you answer the question and to find out if you have a forward thinking mindset and a plan". It's not so much that they actually want to know where you'll be in 5 years, I find.
Excellent point about the open ended questions -
Whoever asked the '5 years time' question on a date is mental. Why would anyone do it? I'd understand it on an arranged marriage interview (which are still a thing in some countries) but a date? Really?
The only job interviews I've done well in were with people I already knew or sort of knew. It helped to know that these people had interacted with me before and knew that even if I said something awkward in the interview, it wasn't necessarily how I would behave in the work setting.
Job interviews with strangers are the worst. I almost always say or do something awkward, or I just come off as very timid because I'm afraid to say too much and go on the wrong tangent.
I wonder if there's a resource like Stack in the US? It would be a lifeline for people like me.
I work in STEM and I think its both unconscious bias and sexism - particularly nuclear research which is very MOD flavoured. I am perhaps too honest in my answers in that I will say I don't know if I don't know something which is rather important in research!
I think I creep out HR people or anyone who has never knowingly met a ND person before - I have a youthful voice but apparently come across as much older/experienced when asked about specifics yet am in the body of a middle-aged woman.
It took me 2-3x as many interviews and 2-3 times as long before I got a job - and even then it was through contacts!
"It's not about what you learn, it's about who you know." This one life lesson is the cause of so much grief for me :(
I'm autistic and passing interviews is actually one of my weird superpowers. I'm 25 and have had 10 jobs in my life, and 12 interviews. One of them I was accidentally over honest and said I might be getting made redundant when asked why I wanted to work there. Granted its been low level work but I just go in with some example answers written on a piece of paper and try to adapt them to whatever I'm asked. Tbh I'm masking wildly amounts and literally acting another persona but hey ho. I'm good at writing CVs too.
Edit: now watched the part with Emily and she talks about a document with basically what I described, hahaha.
This is me too! Great at interviews and CV writing. I am intuitive about what they want to hear and read on those things. And can put myself in their shoes in terms of what they want to know. I've always done well. I thought this was a tick in the box for not autistic after reading some of these comments but I guess everyone is different. Sitting in an office after I've got the job though is definitely not a superpower!
That's what I appreciate more about low-level work, it's basic stuff so the interview is basically, can I trust you to do the job alright and less so a monkey dance to get people to pay attention to me. I also had the same luck with that kind of job nothing wrong with them and I try to avoid the customer side of things lol due to easy burnout.
For higher-up jobs, though I have to be more demanding of the employer for the interviews though by setting out how I want them to accommodate me for my disabilities and if they don't they can eat a turd for all I care lol.
I ask
1. Questions in advance which I will write up and send an advanced copy
2. If more than an hour away to be online interview-based
3. If the presentation is needed record it in advanced and send it to them.
@user-dc5bd2zv2z Hello , may I pick your brain about how to improve at interviews ?
Thank you explaining the strengths and weaknesses question. I always answered so literally bc I never understood what they were really trying to ask. Interviews are so difficult, once I run out of my script I have no idea what to say next.
...what are they asking?
As a fellow autistic, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for making this video. You cannot believe how much of this resonates with me. I'm basically just beginning my job search so I've only had one interview before - and the main thing that I struggled with is trying to say what they EXPECT me to say, and knowing the questions they'll ask; because I hate it when they just fire random/obscure questions at you that you haven't anticipated and then just expect you to come up with an answer right there and then as quickly as possible. It makes me as anxious and stressed as hell, and I'm so pleased to know that I'm not alone in this. New subscriber right here. :)
I’ve been working in retail since I was a teenager. It took a lot of time and learning to become open with strangers in my job, it really helped me overall with not feeling insecure to talk to a strangers in my work situations. That used to be so incredibly hard. Now it’s the norm.
But interviews?? Well that’s likely what held me back many years. I am good at any job I’m put it, but interviewing? Terrible in most cases. I’ve had luck in the past or just handed things at times. But in a competitive mode for a position? I rarely succeed above my peers, solely based on an interview, when I had been working for them for years. Ugh. I hated that.
I also feel defeated in some ways as far as my capabilities. I love my job, but it’s not what you’d expect from someone like me in some ways. Not that I’m too good. But that I am capable of most anything that’s hands on. I really can. I’m a someone that would only need hands on learning to do most anything. And yet having a diploma is all that counts to an extant. More so it’s experience and knowing people. But at this point. With the world the way it is. I’m just glad I’m working. It’s a living and I like my peers. But I need creativity. And my book has been a standstill lately. Ugh.
Is it strange for me to feel like I can do more. Not that I’m better than what I have. I am where I am because that’s where I need to be right now. But it can’t be forever. I feel like I’m capable of something more interesting, but no one sees that but me. Does that make sense? I often don’t make sense to others. It took so long to realize I’m actually not stupid and pretty smart really. And only lately I’ve been giving in to autism and more dynamic relegations. Especially the the Alexithymia. That hit me something.
Sorry for this length. Sometimes, I don’t k ow what get into me.
Your videos are helpful to my healing. Thank you. Seriously. Thank you so very much. It’s life changing. You. You have changed my life in the most comfortable possible. When really I was just ignoring it. But now. I’m really opening up to it all. And knowing why I’m so strange helps me immensely. Thanks again.
I really hope you read this. Sorry how crazy long this is. My brain never stops. It’s exhausting. Sorry.
So similar to me. I have so many similar features. I also been working in retail since my teen years with long experiences. Like in school I didn't learned anything from the books, teachers always say I'm too lazy/stupid to do home works and always felt I´m not enough smart to breed same air as teachers. But finally I manage to get basic business education diploma but barely that too. After all those school years, I felt I´m too stupid to get any higher education so I did not applied continued but went temp working. I have noted in working environment, if I can follow somebody, I can mimic that, make my own script, and I´m very fast learner doing by hands on approach. Long time I had so many struggles to face my customers, especially in conflict situations. But I have been learned how to cope and how to act correct ways. Also I have been some much been misunderstood by my colleagues/bosses, which I always wondered why. Past several years I have been more and more as working in retail environment getting me mentally tired after working day without knowing why.
All my life struggles have been made question myself years after years, what is wrong in me, why people is always understand me so many wrong ways, why I'm struggling to get long time employment (or short term) even I have so much experience, but I'm only connection to all these problems. Until year ago I started doubt I have Asperger and I got finally my Heureka lightbulb moment. Then I have been waited almost year to get appointment in this matter to specialist exams and now that process have been continued almost 3 months and I don't know how long it is taking total. But in this year I have started understand myself better piece by piece why I´m so different than everybody else by reading, talking and follow autistic groups and persons. Even met couple people with Asperger traits. Only questions left is how to use all these information in real life and like how to get employment. And if (or better say when) I get diagnose, do I tell it to potential employer or not or to other new people in my life.
This was a great topic for a video. One of my major problems is social anxiety related to my autism. I just do not feel comfortable around any person on this planet, that includes people I've known for years and years. This makes it very difficult to perform well in a job interview. It sounds like I have some of the same job interview problems you have too. I really do not know what they want to hear from me in the interview. All this makes a job interview very difficult. It's all a game that I don't know how to play.
I struggle with trying to come up with answers on the spot. I do much better writing things down when I've had time to think about the question more deeply.
The best thing you can do as an autistic person is figure out a way to work for your self I'm half way through my life now and only just being diagnosed my life has been hell in a job out of a job and the only work I stayed in and that was for over 10 years was one where I worked on my own. I'm no longer going to put my self in those situations ever again its just to stressful I'm now working towards my own small buissness where I'm the boss its hard but my mental health and happiness are way more important
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That was great and super helpful. I really struggle with the 'layers of meaning' in all the questions. Like the weakness question, they aren't asking what your weakness is, they're asking "what is something job related that you're not the best at naturally, but manage in a workable way?" I find it hard to work out what the actual question is. The other one I really hate is "tell me about yourself". So vague and open ended! I don't know where to start
Thank you so much for this video! I don’t know if I am on the spectrum or not, one day I think I am, the next I read something and decide against it (which then leads me down a dark hole questioning why I am as I am then) anyway, I have always struggled with interviews and even just job application, reading through seeing person specification and not feeling like I have any of the traits they are looking for. It has become such a problem for me that just typing in jobs in a search engine leads me into a really bad depressive episode, and the more I do it the worse I get but I need to be able to get a job. I’m 23 and never had a proper job and only managed to attend 3 interviews max. My problems with interviews is that I don’t feel I have been told how I am supposed to act, be, mannerisms to use, etc, I’ve not been taught how to be professional but everyone just assumes I’m supposed to know. The questions are so confusing and like trying to navigate a minefield. No matter how many times someone tells me ‘this question means this and they want this’ I don’t get. I just can’t grasp any of it and I’m just falling deeper and deeper into despair with the whole thing. I am at uni and we have an employability service, disability and wellbeing service but I wouldn’t know who to talk to first. Feel like I just need an hour with someone to get someone’s else’s opinion on what I should do next but I have no idea who to talk to about any of this
Neurotypical people advising me makes me feel like weeping. Even if its well intentioned. Thank f**k I was able to turn my art into my career. So much of what she says is basically impossible for me in an ongoing setting, despite having a masters degree. I am good at masking in interviews but the jobs were terrible. I would fall asleep on the job as it was so intense. The only employed job I loved was washing hair and making tea in a organic/trendy/alt hairdressers. I got a reputation for never stopping drinking tea as holding the cup was a way to mask and occupy my hands, and subtlety stim. The social aspect was actually nice as it was very structured and when you are washing hair you can have a conversation whilst standing behind someone rather than looking them in the eye..
With face masks being accepted, the silver lining is the reduced need to mask because it's harder to see exaggerated facial expressions which are common on the spectrum. I feel more comfortable like that. Maybe it would save our energy. Does anyone else on the spectrum feel the same way too?
Interviews feel like a marathon to me. I can prepare and psych myself up for the first half of the thing and then suddenly there is a question that I hit like a brick wall and then I basically fall apart. The most recent one I had felt like they did this intentionally as I felt like I was doing better than usual, but then they just kept hitting me with q after q (many very similar to others) until I ran out of steam and probably (I have to assume because of what my friends tell me whenever I'm in social situations that go on for far too long) gave off the vibe that I no longer wanted to talk to them. I'm just so exhausted by having to do this.
lol, a few years ago I had to do job interviews. I took a course on resume building and job interviewing. I applied to 5 places and interviewed with them all. I nailed them all and got a pretty awesome job. Yay for having the ability to intensely study a subject and master it very quickly. :) But honestly, when I later told my boss that I was able to master the skills of various jobs so well because I was autistic, I opened his mind. I noticed he was hiring new people who seemed to lean on the autistic side. We really just need to be ourselves.
Normally I’m ok in interviews because I’m a teacher and learning is my special interest and I love kids so I interview well there. When in university looking for summer work most of the interviews were ok as they were held by much older people whom I comfortable around. I’m only super awkward in my peer age group.
That's because the peer group places you in a hierarchy, and with older people you don't have to fit in.
Only been at one job interview(I'm 24 but I just started trying to get a job after graduating college) and I did not do well. It was also a panel interview which didn't help. So much anxiety in those settings.
Panel interviews are very stressful! I feel for you
The weakness question isn’t a trick question as such. The interviewers need to know that you know yourself and that your not arrogant or oblivious to your weaknesses. Neurotypicals and neurodivergents have weaknesses, if you know about them, you can mitigate them, if you don’t, you’ll blunder through life not having a clue about yourself!
honestly i've basically given up at this point cause i've applied to many jobs and half of the time i never even hear back, when i do hear back most of the time its just "sorry you're not right for the job". I've only been to one interview, which was a while ago and i don't really remember how it went. But also just the thought of working somewhere, the whole process of interviews, just thinking about it feels exhausting honestly. I hope that in the future i can do jobs that I can do from home that involve minimal social interaction, but unfortunately in this world most first jobs are in retail, those boring jobs that you do just for the money. As a soon-to-be uni student, im gonna need some sort of income, but i know the process will be exhausting.
wow i’ve had the exact same experience, i’m taking a gap year this year bc i can’t go to uni without saving, but i can’t get a job because i have (self diagnosed) ASD so i’m kinda screwed lol
@@oscarsharples6754 I'm self diagnosed too haha. I hope you can find something soon. Good luck on the journey!
Thank you for this video.
thanks for highlighting this - interviews are such a struggle and its nice to hear that there are so many opportunities out there and recruiters and companies who want to be genuinely inclusive
Thank you so much for making this video! This helps me so much and gives me hope ❤️
Excellent topic. Thank you it is food for thought when reformulating the strengths and weaknesses segment, and disclosure as someone that identifies as being on the ASD. Raising awareness to employers can assist us in ensuring that we are afforded cultural non-neurotypical safety in the workplace, which can help others to understand our uniqueness (and not as a disability).
Annoying NT interview questions: Where do you see yourself in 5 years?- Answer: (what they want to hear)-In your seat after taking your job by shoving you out of it. Answer (what I want to say with an honest answer) not in this job!!!
Such great tips, thank you! And btw love your style, hair and glasses look so fresh! 💜
I'm not sure yet whether I'm autistic (*see final paragraph) but so much of this makes sense. When I began my current job (academic music library assistant) and had my first review, my boss - though happy with my work - criticised my interactions with colleagues, saying I wasn't communicative or friendly enough, and that people didn't know how to approach me because I always looked sad or angry. I had no idea and actually burst into tears. I'd been there a month and wasn't ready to make friends as it all seemed overwhelming, and I didn't know my colleagues well enough to interact properly. Plus, all my energies were going into my work, which is largely customer-facing, and for which I did, and still do, a lot of masking. I'm trying to mask less these days because it's so exhausting and anxiety-inducing.
I genuinely enjoy my job because I'm a musician and I love to use my skills and knowledge, but the public part of it is very taxing (ideally I'd have a job that just involved cataloguing/processing stock, where I could sit alone in a room with a radio or RUclips to keep me company). As a result of my boss's words I tried very hard to be different and have developed a very high energy work persona. I also did a handful of interviews in the last few years and suspect I overcompensated and came across manic. The reason I got my current job is that I was a student there first (MA Classical Song - yes, I love to perform even though I have social anxiety/problems), and because I reckon that all but one of my colleagues are ND in some way so, despite my first review, I fit in.
I'm now doing a Master's to become a qualified librarian, but that aside, I have never managed to get a full-time or "normal" job. Originally, I wanted to be an opera singer (big obsession), but serious illness affected my voice for a few years at the age when most singers are starting out, and my confidence went (I'm now 39). Also, I cannot deal with the social and networking/business sides of it, or the punishing schedule. I still do a lot of singing, however, and occasionally people pay me! I think I interview badly - either I seem unconfident, or too high energy. I think my facial expressions are too big sometimes and it's off-putting.
*I definitely have traits, particularly difficulties with social interaction, occasional meltdowns, obsessions, and some sensory issues, which make life hard; and whenever I've taken tests, such as the AQ and CAT-Q, I score over the threshold for autism (AQ, anywhere between 32 and 39, and CAT-Q 133). However, I'm not pursuing a diagnosis because of the cost, and because 1. I'm scared in case I'm not really autistic and am wasting everybody's time, and 2. I don't think I want to know my IQ score. Though I was always seen as gifted at school, I'm not very mathematical, and I know that my score will be dragged down because of it and I will feel ashamed and like a failure. Yes, IQ only tests certain types of intelligence, but I know it is regarded highly and used in the diagnostic process. I just can't bring myself to find out. Sometimes I think I'm definitely autistic, and other times I think I'm just weird/on the periphery and shouldn't dare to consider it. I was originally diagnosed as Bipolar, but I'm not convinced that's correct.
Very informative episode Sam! Just saved it to my favourites' list for reference
I am at the point of giving zero crap. I just sent an email saying, hey I am autistic and have ADHD, send questions in advance, I will answer them in depth written down. We can then talk after that knowing the questions in advance. If they don't give accommodations, I say screw it they are not worth crap and I don't owe them their time, they would have treated me like crap in that job anyway. If they respond positively to such things then I know they will actually have my back with my disabilities and my answers written down given more time means I can relax more and feel less need to perform as well in the interview as I already did the hard crap several days in advance.
I even mention my speech impediment as well as grounds for giving questions in advance. If I need to do a presentation, they will get one prerecorded? They are over an hour where I live well ADHD and lateness is an issues you are going to get a webcam interview from me. I spent 5k in a year when I graduated university to try and get a job I ain't wasting that much money to parade around in a god dang suit travelling and spending hundreds of pounds on a ticket again for you to say no I came too early to the interview as grounds for not picking me for a job.
If a workplace expects me to dance to a neurotypical tune, they are garbage, not worth it and I would reject the interview undergrounds of not accommodating neurodivergence. As I ain't working in a place that wants me to behave like a normal person when I am not. That is hell I will burn out and be fired within a few months. So I am effectively doing this accommodations test by interviewing the company to see if they will treat me and make adjustments as necessary or if they see me as garbage.
As if someone treats me like garbage at the start, then they will treat me like garbage as an employee.
Excellent video very helpful! Thank you!
have looked more into Enna now thank to you! thanks very much Sam! you're the best!
Brilliant video, just what I needed at a perfect time! Thank you! It’s so frustrating that the interview process has nothing to do with actually doing the job! I need a work environment that will appreciate who I am not just take advantage of me. Thanks Sam and Emily!
I know what you mean, I have experience the same problems people take advantage as they think we are easy targets or stupid when we are far better than they are.
My tips:
- At first: If you apply for a job where you think "its nice to have the job", the interview will be a lot easier than when you apply for a job where you think "I definitely need to have this job"
- Be able to quickly show your skills. For example, by showing former projects. If you can talk about technical details, this helps a lot.
- If you talk about weaknesses and problems, be able to clearly define them. Like "They appear in these specific situations and there alone"
Sometimes, you can run into traps like "software limitations". Do not be afraid when that happens. Your possible employer might think "Well, he run in the trouble but this is because of something newbies do not know when they use that software."
Thank you so munch for doing this video, I am stumbling my way to figuring out going back to work. Writing resumes, cover letters and what have you. I just found out earlier this year that I am Autistic LEVEL 1 which was a relief but frustrating as well. I am in my 40's and have been A Stay at Home Mom for over 12 years. So this was great for getting some sight & info on interviewing. I am in the USA, so I am going to have to see if there is help for Autistic here on the west coast.
hey sam! just came across this video! this is great timing for me as i just graduated in december 2020 from art school and looking to work in the design field. it looks like their site is currently under maintainence but i will certainly be reaching out! thanks for all the great content you do as always, hope you are doing well!
My personal hack is working for a temp agency. This can be almost any field but I personally am a certified surgical technologist so I work with a travel “nurse” agency. These folks generally look at skills not frills. They place you with companies for temporary needs, usually 13 weeks. This gets you past the interview and allows the employer to see what you can do. If it doesn’t work out it doesn’t look bad on your resume, you just get sent to the next place. I realize change is difficult for most of us but the jobs are usually the same just different companies. I have forced myself to see it as an operating room is an operating room, then I don’t freak out so bad when I change hospitals. I truly hope this can help some of you!!!
Sam, thank you for all you do. You are like looking in a magic mirror. All the same issues but soo many more answers than what I have! Much love
Thanks for this. I have an interview this week and I'll return to comment if the things ive learned here were helpful. Whether they work for me or not, i appreciate this video existing as a tool to aide my fellow n.d. people. ✌🏾🤟🏾
Very excited about this one! This year has been a disaster for me- on top of the interview itself, they were in a language I am not fluent in. I thought I would faint every time I entered the doors of the interrogation room.
All aspect of the interview have been always hard. I have so many times wonder why my answers to the video questions is never lead to real face-to-face interview. And if get by some miracle job interview it is have always same formula. Either is A) It feel from start, this is not going to working at all even I arrive they are excited to see me, I have so many blank moment, my answers are shorts and I try to remember to smile in correct places. And they never again contact me or B) I think we had good connection from start, they are excited to see me, we have good chat and I get less blank moments and I feel yes, this is finally the place where I can see myself fit in the company. But after that I just got email saying I´m nice person, but they choose another person who is more qualify, more experienced, more like them. But nice you went thru our long application process, have nice life, smiley face. *aaaarrrggghh*
At least they contact you again. In the USA, it's quite common now for potential employers to just neglect to contact any candidates they reject
Interesting interview. Thanks for sharing.
This was very helpful to solidify some of the thoughts i've been having about stagnating in my career. I've been going out for positions and getting only a few interviews, which I never get selected for the next round. The biggest issue with the interview process is the questions they ask you are not direct, as shown well in this video. All the questions they ask are "tell us about a time" or some vague question about "what you do best and worst". The questions aren't direct so we end up preparing by thinking of specific times and going into too much detail about the situation and less about the skill they are trying to ascertain you have based on how you handled the situation. Most of the time I struggle to figure out what they are actually asking and what they want me to speak on about myself or the situation. The next interview I have I think I'm just going to tell them straight out that I have ASD and the typical interview questions are not direct which make them hard to answer and so instead of giving specific examples of a time when, I'm going to instead just speak to the general skills and behaviors I think they are asking about. Hope that works out for me better. Wish me luck.
Yes, thank you so much this information was very helpful. The initial interviews aren't so bad, it's the in-house interview where I know the people interviewing me and they know me and to me, their questions were so stupid, so off the wall, I have no clue where they are coming from, Emily really helped me with answering weaknesses as my answer would be, show me what you want to be done and I'll do it or learn it. I can do anything I put my mind to. 😑 I guess that's not what they want to hear either. Though I've been trying to start my own business I've stonewalled it seems at every turn and now it looks as if in the terrible time of looking for a good job I need to find one. This was great information for me. thank you for having her as a guest. I am going to email her soon. After so many years off the job market, my resume is going to be a challenge, and though she is UK I may still be able to hire her as a coach or something. At least now I know why I have had such difficulties in the past. Teamwork is my downfall because I can't for the life of me figure out why people do the shit they do. I definitely have some work ahead of me.
On thing they miss when masking is involved is the internal processing. So for example in job interview i have to modify my eye contact to make recruiters more relaxed. But while i am masking, achieving more normal eye contact, i am not actually listening to the speaker. Instead, i am focused on who i am looking at, how long i have looked at them, and who i should look at next. Thankfully, eye contact is actually a brief time interval, so once i made a round of eye contact, i can listen again and generial get caught up on what is being asked. But then it starts all over again while i am answering. So this is a masking skill that took year to develope and is highly stressful, even if it does work.
Really enjoyed this video Sam
I went for a teacher training interview in February, I badly underestimated how much planning i'd have to do for it that was a wake up call. Making sure i actually answer the questions they are asking as well, I was never sure what they wanted me to say or whether i'd said enough.
This video is so good! I get really frustrated with interviews, the only jobs I have got are through much more relaxed interviews where I was told what they were looking for. I hate going to a place which I don’t know and meeting people I don’t know. The job descriptions never say anything. I wish interviews were more practical where you were given a bit of instruction. Interviews are just designed to trip you up, with so many unwritten rules which take forever to learn.
I have always masked pretty heavily in situations like job interviews, which I find stressful but relatively effective. My biggest tips would be to know how open your employer might be to neurodivergent or disabled employees (helps you decide how much to mask and if you want the job), answer questions by breaking them down to the core skills you have (stops questions from being overwhelming and confusing), and demonstrate that you understand and can work around your weaknesses (applies to everyone, but especially important if you have a spotty record with employment or education).
I got lucky with the job I'm at. My boss was looking to hire someone to take care of the extra paperwork and I was pretty much able to say "ok let me get my headphones" and the rest is history
I have had more than a few interview "disasters", some bringing me close to a meltdown (or two), I wish I had seen something like this 40 years ago!
Hey. You should do a video of examples of unsolicited advice or assumptions from non autistics. Like "I'm pretty sure hiding under a blanket means you are depressed" or "being by yourself for a full day is not good for your mental health".
I was lucky to find a specific autism company, and I was talking to dad passionately about all I learned about it and he told me to go down the route of showing myself to be passionate and infodumping basically. I talked about amythest and they seemed very impressed.
I love your videos and it helpt me figuring out some stuff myself. Thank you for making them! And I didn’t know you lived in the Netherlands, that’s so cool! I’m Dutch myself 😄
This is making me want to cry. I have been questioning if I have autism recently and I'm not diagnosed or really prioritised looking into it as I feel I don't tick enough boxes or the right boxes. But listening to you talk about interviews is really relevant to a recent experience I had. But again as I'm thinking about it, I spoke with friends and they said they feel the same way and struggle with the same things so again am I reading into things too much? Job interviews are horrible though
It's strange that my parents don't believe I'm on the spectrum (currently not officially diagnosed) but they did nearly all of what Emily talked about to help me when I was old enough to start working
This video gave me much more confidence, hope and trust that if I disclose my condition it'll even be a positive thing ;u; and I'll even get to put a foot down for my needs and educate and help put our identity out there
We're here, we're valuable and we're making huge progress.
Thanks so much to this lady and her hard work to help too 💙
The only thing I'm worried about is I don't have an official diagnosis nor want to pursue one and it'd be almost impossible to convince people I'm autistic
So I don't pass for neurotypical OR autistic :'((
im too honest for my own good and can't help it, it's very frustrating doing interviews because why do i have to lie and tell them what they want to hear just to get a job that i am literally qualified for...
also i hate bringing up honestly that i'm struggling with x and y mental health disorders and autism and it's as if they just don't react appropriately - they don't say anything "bad" but there's no accomodation? it's as if i never said anything...which makes me feel like they think it's just an excuse but it is literally not?
interviews are not a good way to measure someones skill level at doing a job.
also another thing that's super annoying is when neurotypical people undermine everything you say like haha yeah everyone gets nervous for interviews dont worry and it's like ....no? it's not just nerves bro if i don't write a whole fucking script i cannot function and i am overstimulated and on the verge of having a panic attack/vomiting/fainting but HAVE to do it if i want to get money to literally live.
I have been in and out of retail work for a number of years now and keep losing my jobs. I go into my jobs with a mask trying to keep the Facade up for as long as I possibly can until unfortunately one day I'm overcome an overwhelming feeling and snap. On top of this it has been very hard for me to get by and find a job in which I can feel stable. Otherwise I cannot look after myself. It also doesn't help that I have dyslexia and ADHD. So with me nearly hitting 30 years old I still do not know how to read properly and that has held me back. Being in food hospitality and not knowing how to communicate very well really sucks. It seems these are the only type of jobs I can get but I can never hold them down. I don't know what to do anymore.
This was really good!
I know it might be asking a lot, but please consider manually adding closed captions. It not only helps a great deal for people with hearing difficulties, but it can also help in cases where the audio isn't 100% or people are speaking with heavy accents. The auto-generated CCs often don't do a very good job and it can get rather confusing.
On the topic of the video: I've only had 3 jobs in my entire life, 2 of which I never had to do a formal interview for. They just contacted me when I was working for another company and basically wanted to hire me based on my professional reputation rather than an interview. I didn't know I was autistic at the time and in hindsight, I find it remarkable that I've been able to hold on to those jobs for so long. The social aspect would always deteriorate greatly over time as I gradually stopped masking, to the point where they basically forced me to quit. I always struggled greatly with being on time, but they would generally not be too bothered about it as I was able to do more work more quickly compared to my coworkers. Once the social aspect had deteriorated, they then used my lack of punctuality to force me to quit or be fired for urgent reasons (which basically means you won't find any employment after that). Currently I've been unemployed for over 2 years, mainly because I've lost my passion in the field I was working in, which was front end web development. I find job interviews absolutely dreadful because I feel like I'm constantly forced to lie and I don't think I do so convincingly.
I do try to have captions done for every video, but it's not always possible before the video is up, and I've been working through the backlog. I am very aware that it helps people a lot.
It would be interesting to look at how to keep a job once you've got it! In my case later in life I started supporting kids in schools, one to one. My observation skills and analytical plus pattern seeing helped in this. My quirky passionate manner actually helped me get the job. But like most of us we put that much effort and focus in there ends up a burn out. I've had quite a few of these ending up dismissed under health (mental health) problems. I loved them jobs and currently rebuilding myself once again.
I’ve been at this for a while and can honestly say as a person with ASD its impossible to get a job
Remember, being autistic is not a disorder. Society is disordered, not us.
Hi Sam. Love your videos! One of your videos mentioned an Autism mentor. I'm curious to learn more about that?
I'm tired! My conversation with the doctor did not go well. I've been thinking about this for a long time. I'm going to take the matter which I have thought for a long time. I am grateful to all of you who have listened to and supported.
It is time to live and it is time.Now is my time.Something extra was found around my neck. Cancer. My grandson’s aged doctor put his hand on the clavicle in the Pits! And right away I said, "That's it, Patti." Tumor. And now I'm dying.
I think it really depends on the situation whether you should disclose your autism during an interview and whether or not your feel comfortable with the interviewer. I've done it a few times, but there have been a couple of occasions where it has worked against me. I actually disclosed it in an interview with the BBC once (I felt that because the BBC is interested in diversity, that the talent manager I was speaking to in the interview would be open to autism). I didn't get the job. I requested feedback and they said my interview was great, but they felt I wouldn't be able to cope in a "constantly changing environment" and would feel overloaded.
I'd never mentioned any weaknesses as a result of autism. Only things it makes me better at. Funnily enough I'm actually really good at dealing with changing environments, because as a coping mechanism I've learnt to plan for everything incase something does pan out differently to I expect.
Conversely I've had other times when its gone great. My current employer is really supportive of me and I've always been open with them about autism. I disclosed it in the interview to them as well and they were fine with it.
I'm so sorry you had this ableist experience with BBC. I'm glad you work for a supportive company now.
My struggles start even before an interview... I obviously can't write attractive enough CV to be invited for an interview.. I'm never sure what to include or skip from my cv to say enough and not too much and stay honest to my comfort (being OCD and perfectionist doesn't help) and put some twist or something that make them wonder what I could say if they meet me (I'm far from creative writer or story teller - I can write only OCD documentary...)
I just want so badly to tell my next interviewer that I have autism, and if I come off as woody or dull, it's due to the situation, and I am more often bubbly, friendly and interactive. I think I would have to be under the influence to not feel like Im going to my execution when interviewing or public speaking.
I don't have a diagnosis, but I'm going to look into getting one because of how relatable many autism symptoms are to me. I've considered opening my own animal sanctuary, because I want to work with big cats (cheetahs especially), and it's a very competitive and niche field. If I opened my own sanctuary and I was the owner, I could avoid a lot of problems that arise when I'm interacting with other people - and especially people in positions of power over me. But I would still have to know how to think on my feet in some situations because when it comes to predators, you have to be able to react quickly if something goes wrong. If a cat were to escape or even try to grab you through the fence, you couldn't hesitate in your response. I did feel rushed at my internships (where I worked with big cats) a lot of the time - mostly while cleaning - and I was often confused by directions and about what things I was and wasn't allowed to do.
I'm in the US. There are discussions about how sexism affects pay. But
actually, I have found that height is a more reliable effect. The taller you are, the higher your starting pay.
Also, it's way easier to get hired if you are good looking.
That is absolutely unacceptable grrrr!!!
Thank you for this video, Sam! It was very interesting!
Personally I find interviews pointless. If everyone lies anyways, what is the point of even having an interview?
I completely understand why you might encourage people to disclose their autism on a job application, but I honestly don't know if I can ever trust people not to have inherent biases. I have only disclosed my autism to one employer before, and it's ended up being the cause of trauma I am still working through today. Obviously this isn't going to be the case for everyone, there's plenty of people out there who are happy and willing to learn about neurodiversity, but for every boss who's ready to accommodate a neurodivergent person, there's another boss who "can't handle" knowing about an employee having autism and ends up using that as an excuse to spread something you disclosed in private around to the rest of the employees. It's just not a risk I'm willing to take again.
Surprisingly enough, I haven't had as bad luck in interviews as I could have, though I think the whole "tiny timid girl with straight As" schtick helps people pity me at the very least. Then again, I've only ever really had jobs in retail (readily available, stores in my small town are desperate for employees) or theater orchestration (highly specialized, I'm one of maybe 5 people in the area qualified to do it), nothing like a fancy professional office job. That's not to say they're easy, I hate them a lot. It just feels like lying about qualifications that I've never been told I have. I'm only truly comfortable applying to jobs that pertain to my music degree because I have the piece of paper that proves I'm qualified and the scores to back it up.
I'm currently waiting for an adult autism assessment and I've always found interviews absolutely awful. The two jobs I have had I think my interview success was down to the fact that a large component of the interview was giving a pre-prepared presentation so I went in knowing exactly what I was going to say. It also made it easier to get away with not making direct eye contact with anyone.
I wonder if it is just best for autistic people to work as self-employed if they are able to? I think I am on the spectrum (not even sure, but I have a strong suspicion I am) and I do struggle with the fact that despite probably having more skills and knowledge than most people I know, I have a very hard time at getting a job or staying in employment other than my freelancing gigs. Now I am trying to just expand on the services and products I offer rather than subjecting myself to any more excruciatingly painful job interviews or office environments... I kind of want to give up on fitting in and just do my own thing :( Am I deluding myself?
I have done interviews with good success and lots of scripting beforehand. What has fallen through is job performance, especially as I was not aware that accomodations could have helped improved my long term success. I have often finished short term jobs, having worked very hardto be told later that i didn't quite meet expectations. Or a more recent situation that was very toxic and ended up really crushing me and my performance. Are there resources for bouncing back after figuring out a diagnosis or self diagnosing/in hindsight? Is it ever appropriate to reach out and address with an employer that you learned that your struggle was likely due to undiagnosed issues? I wish I could reach out and let people know that i really did try my best. Looking ahead i am increasingly inspired to serve our community by helping bring more awarrness ♡
Thanks Sam, you're amazing ♡
For the last 5yrs I have been doing temp work because finding and keeping a perm job has been so hard. But now, due to Covid, even the temp work is drying up. The temp jobs never last long because they all want the interpersonal skills that I just don't have and can't keep the mask on when stressed. I recently took the ASQ test and scored 46 out of 50. My most hated interview question is "why do you want to work here"? I struggle with this because the job/interview is likely to be one of over a hundred applied for in the past couple weeks or so. And I don't care who or what your company is or does, I just want a job that is not too far from home, one I know I can do well and get paid for it, so I don't end up homeless! Let's be honest, would any of us work if we didn't have to? I have signed up for a couple of online courses to add skills that may help in getting a remote job. I'm hoping that with Covid encouraging companies to look more favourably on working from home jobs that 'upskilling' will help.
I'm pretty scared of job interviews, I doubt I will be good at them. I'm really bad at vague questions, and people like to ask those. I also just stop being able to talk when I get too anxious. And I don't want to pretend or lie. All of my jobs until now I got through my parents asking if I could work somewhere or I didn't need an interview for (for tutoring exercise groups at uni I only needed decent grades in the relevant courses). I also never needed interviews for my internships. But maybe I will be lucky and one of the people at uni I know has connections to the industry and can help me a bit.