Proof, honesty and autism
Different honesty metrics can cause a headache in life, and job interviews are a prime example. Let’s stack my experience as a neurodivergent against traditional interview advice and see how I fare in the interview process…
Interview advice number one: Research the company
Result: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
🤯 “Now that I can do”
Some candidates will throw a cursory glance at your “About us” section on the day of the interview. Not me. The likelihood is, I’ll have switched into hyperfocus ever since I got word of an interview: relentlessly finding out everything I can about the company beforehand. Does that help in the interview process? It turns out, it doesn’t. Give me a specific question about your manufacturing process in 1916, I’ll be able to answer it. Ask me where I see myself in five years when I have no idea whether I’ll be working at your company or how the teams operate, and I’ll fall at the first hurdle.
Interview advice number two: Prepare your answers
Result: 🤔 “What’s the question though?”
I think you mean “come armed with a bank of pre-determined vague replies”. Unclear, open-ended questions are my nemesis. My literal brain finds it difficult to match your hypothetical scenarios to my experiences. Can I give you an example of when I <insert non-specific verb>? No. I really can’t. Because it’s different. And it’s about context. And I have never even met the people you are talking about.
Sharing interview questions in advance does help me prepare, so I don’t ‘freeze’ or go off topic during the interview. But many hirers won’t provide these as a reasonable adjustment because it might put some candidates “at an advantage”. For candidates starting on the back foot because of overwhelming executive function and sensory challenges, this simply isn’t true.
Interview advice number 3: Focus on your strengths
Result: 🕵️ “Sounds great, I’m sure you’ll need proof”
How many people do you know who have bluffed their way through an interview? Not me. Even though I know I’m good at what I do, I find it hard to tell people about my strengths with confidence unless I have concrete evidence, otherwise it feels dishonest.
This need to prove myself can be exhausting. Neurotypical people probably wouldn’t come to an interview armed with hordes of proof that they’re a good listener, or an excellent multitasker, but I would. It can be overwhelming for panel members who are just trying to get through the process.
This pattern of wanting the recruiter to understand the whole picture of you can also result in information dumping and oversharing.
Interview advice number 4: Ask thoughtful questions
Result: 🎯 “Sure, I’ll ask questions I’ve thought about”
I’ve done my research, I’ve come armed with proof. And here is the last hurdle. I have to make up a question. But lets go back to the honesty metrics again. I equate honesty with truth and respect. I’m direct because I don’t want to waste your time, and I can’t make up vague questions any more than I can interpret them. My executive dysfunction challenges mean I find it hard to think up things on the spot, and retain short-term information that’s been delivered in speech. And if I can’t do it? It looks like I’m not keen on the job, or I’m disinterested. I can ask questions that I really want the answers to, but are they the questions you want me to ask? What if I think you need to rethink your organisational structure or that your mission statement is meaningless? You can see how it gets confusing.
Rethinking the hiring process
A poor interview performance does not mean a poor candidate: don’t miss out on talent by not hiring people who lack interview skills. It’s time to rethink traditional advice and the way you assess the interview process. Autistic people are often great at spotting patterns. We want to know why things happen and how things are connected, so we often tell the whole story, even if you didn’t ask for it. This analytical approach can be a huge asset in the workplace, but can be tricky to manage in an interview situation. Many of us find it difficult to answer straightforward questions with a succinct summary because, well, everything’s complicated isn’t it? Everything depends on context. We want you to have all of the context so you can grasp the full picture. The result: those who are great at what they do, but unable to describe their greatness, often get overlooked…..