Job Interviews are my Autistic Nightmare

My Job Interview Jacket

There is nothing that makes me as acutely aware I’m not neurotypical, as doing a job interview.

Recently my Head of Department encouraged me to apply for a new position. I was really chuffed - it was an awesome opportunity, in an area I’m passionate about. The downside: it required a full job application and interview. Job interviews are my Autistic nightmare. Let me tell you why:

Job interviews assess verbal communication skills, and job knowledge. But they also silently judge other characteristics such as likeability, authenticity, and trustworthiness.

Employers: I get it! I also want to work alongside knowledgeable, hardworking, respectful team members. But what if your interview applicant has a different way of presenting these values? Research shows neurotypical people are likely to judge Autistic people harshly, based on first impressions. This can kill our chances at job interview. Here are my top challenges as a Neurodivergent job applicant:

1. Body language and facial expression differences. Autistics do not use facial expressions and non-verbal communication skills the way neurotypicals do. This makes it hard to develop rapport with our neurotypical interviewers.

2. Auditory processing disorder: I can’t process interview questions in real time – that part of my brain works slowly. I have to pause for many seconds to understand verbal questions. Also, I can’t reliably filter the sounds I want to hear. I might be listening to the interviewer’s voice, then suddenly my brain switches focus to the hum of a fridge. This is not something I can control. I can completely miss important parts of the question. It appears as though I’m not trying to pay attention - which is definitely NOT the case!

3. Executive function/working memory differences. Interview questions often have multiple parts, like this one:

“Why would you like to work in our department, what skills and knowledge can you bring, and what is your vision for the department for the next 5 years?”

Questions like this are common. They are there to let you tell a story about your career, your skillset, and your future goals. Great! But they require my brain to rapidly sort relevant information, hold onto multiple different ideas while I speak, and sequence them in a logical order. This is MUCH harder for me than neurotypical job applicants. Often my working memory…doesn’t work! By the time I’ve finished saying my first idea, the other ideas have disappeared. It’s not that I’ve forgotten the information entirely, I just can’t access it when I need it. I am frozen.

4. Sensory processing differences. My body requires deep pressure and proprioceptive input, a type of stimming, to remain regulated. I need to flex my back, arms and wrists, wrap my legs tightly, and fidget, constantly. But this is not Neurotypical body language for “confident and honest”. I have to mask my Autistic movements and posturing, at the cost of my physical comfort. How bad does it feel? I’d equate it to having my teeth drilled. I can bear it, but it makes it hard to concentrate. After 30 minutes of this, I am wrecked.

Missing out on a job you’d love and thrive in, because you don’t interview like a neurotypical, is painful. However, these experiences taught me how to prepare, and some hacks to level the playing field. There are simple adjustments you can ask to be given to all the candidates. These will lessen your disadvantage, while actually helping everyone being interviewed.

Tips/Accommodations for Autistics at Job Interviews:

1. Ask for preparation time. 20 minutes to read the questions and write notes in a quiet space. This allows you to overcome auditory processing differences, and supports executive function.

2. Bring your CV and/or Selection Criteria to the interview if you can. These are a great visual summary of your career to refer to during preparation time. It will help your executive function and working memory because your career experiences are right in front of you, when you need them for planning your answers.

3. Rehearsal. Autistics often have strong memory skills. Find out what job interview questions others in your industry were asked, then memorise and practice your responses. Job interview coaching is an expensive, but potentially high yield form of this practice – I found it helpful.

My most recent job interview was my best ever. Why? Partly it was practice. The sum of all my previous job interviews and their questions filed away in my memory – I had a lot of examples to draw from. The other part – I disclosed my diagnosis to the Head of Department. They are an awesome human, willing to grant all the accommodations I asked for, for all the candidates. This even included making sure the questions did NOT have multiple parts!

Unfortunately discrimination is a fact of life for disabled job applicants, so disclosing a diagnosis is a risky decision. I would not have disclosed if I didn’t know the Head of Department well, and even then it was nerve-wracking.

My hope is workplaces will make interviews and hiring practices more inclusive, including alternatives to job interviews.

Managers and bosses: don’t underestimate the power you have to include your Autistic and disabled employees in the workplace. We are longing to give you our full potential!