Finding and Keeping jobs - Tips and Advice

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I am unemployed and looking for a job. My last three jobs were lost due to problems I now know relate to AS. Will it help me or hurt me to inform prospective employers about my condition and explain how it affects my work?

Always remember, no matter what they say they DO NOT WANT YOUR OPINION ON ANYTHING UNLESS ITS THE SAME AS THEIRS.[/quote]

I completely agree. I am learning to either not offer my opinion or ask if they'd like it first.

SB2 wrote:
One thing

America needs to be aware that the social interaction skills of those with aspergers, and some of the other traits associated with the disorder makes it a disability. Handicapping those who have it an a multitude of ways.


second thing.

Once it is established as a disability, people with aspergers would have a foot in the door for any job they are qualified for. Thanks to The American Disabilities Act, it could be viewed as discriminiation if you are not hired simply because you are a poor interviewee.

third thing


Synx 13 wrote



Quote:
How do people find good jobs though? It's no good to send your resume to a job who would mistreat you if hired, and I can't find any that don't!

How do you keep a job, once you have it?


You keep your job because of your disability. And if they mistreat you at work that would consitute the creation of a hostile work environment which is generally punished by levying hefty fines against the company in question and retention of your job. Which generally translates into the fast track up the ladder so they can hide you from the narrowminded customer and other work associates.


Simply, we must form a pact, and lobby and encourage studies into the de hibilitating factors of aspergers in society. Armed with that we need to have the DSM list aspergers as a neuro disability. Then lobby congress for recognition.



Side note:
If one with aspergers can find their niche i dont view it as a disability at all. I view it more as an advantage. Unfortunately a personal niche is hard to market. We need to stand up and be counted, NOW.
We need legislative recourse, NOW.

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one point i would like to make - is that the ADA is a very cruel, sick joke in the first place. it gives people with disabilities hope in finding work when in fact there is no hope at all, because numerious senators and congressmen got their palms greased by liability insurance lobbys, and lobbys representing employers. i have a seizure condition as well as being an aspie and they will not hire me anyways because epilepsy(what my seizure condition is called as a DX) is considered to be too high of a risk to hold down a job(like i would have a seizure on the clock for example).

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Hunterton wrote:
I got hired on the spot by Publix. I showed up for the interview, got offered a bag boy job that paid $5.75hr. I now make $7.00hr

My boss, Emma says I'm very intelligant, and I talk way too much. Other than that, I'm a good co worker. I don't know of ANY discrimination about AS kids w/ publix. Thats why I love Publix. They're easy to work for.

Hunter

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i tried cust service work as a bagger in connecticut back in 1989-1992 and i HATED it because the general public are snots and are UNappriciative, and the ''cust is always right'' rule of retail is [removed by lau] anyways - i say this because i saw it while working in connecticut for a division of a&p called waldbaums - the person wanted a can of soup - said the one she had was the one on sale - but the one 2-3 columns over on the shelf was - NOT the one the cust had - she went ''cust is always right'' - and i almost said to her ''[removed by lau] - you are WRONG 99% of the time - always trying to get the wrong thing at the sale price -[removed by lau]''.

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J-Man wrote:
I've been fired from jobs just because people thought I was "creepy". That of course is due to my social problems.

For instance, a guy named Dennis Obrikat offered me a job at Microsoft. I packed up everything I owned, moved 700 miles, leased an apartment, got all moved in and the bastard fired me 3 days later.
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all more the reason to call him back - tell him [removed by lau] and [removed by lau] - and dump w_indows and use linux or bsd instead

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zer0netgain wrote:
Wow. So you're just coming up on 18?

Well, I'm not sure where you've been applying or for what, but I can tell you that at your age a lot of people will see you as under qualified no matter what.

I'm surprised a Krogers turned you down, but they are a union shop (IIRC) so they are careful who they hire. From personal experience, I'd keep trying at other grocery stores. They do hire anyone who is willing to show up when scheduled and do their job without having to be watched all the time. It's at least a way to get started.

Sadly, at your age, unless you have some remarkable skill or talent, nobody will consider your "skills" to be anything remarkable because you haven't had a chance to do much that demonstrates them. So, you may have them but nobody really notices them. This will change quickly once you can start working.

If you have confidence in yourself and know what you are good at, keep trying, even at the same places that once turned you down, and politely assert yourself that you want to work, have ____, ____ and ____ skills and qualities to offer, and if they have no openings, if they could refer you to someone willing to hire someone who wants to work. I can't believe that wouldn't open a door with someone you meet sooner or later. Most young people are looked over because they don't want to work when they are hired.

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personally - i am against any kind of labor union.

I have been working for almost 30 years now, almost all of them miserable. One job was so bad that I filed a claim with the EEOC for workplace harassment and settled out of court for one year's salary.

I have only one tip, that I didn't figure out till I was in my late 30's: smile at your coworkers when you arrive at work. It has made an amazing difference in how I have been treated.

Now, something completely different. I finally have a job I don't hate. I am teaching at a community college, and have been since last August. My coworkers respect me, the politics are manageable, and I really like the teaching part. I bring this up as a potential job for other aspies. Since we tend to have special interests, it can be easy to speak to a group about them. I like knowing what I'm talking about and getting to share that information with others.

So, just a thought.

You may as well let go of pulling off the "charming jerk" thing unless you have it going for you anyways. It sucks.

well first off do something that compliments you example, I work in automated equipment the reason is my brain likes to automatically break down equipment to the smallest levels and it does this by itself kind of like picking syndrome except my brain picks away at equipment so work is actually relaxing to me because my mind is busy "picking machinery apart" this also allows me to be very good at this from programming to repairs to general upkeep it works very well for me and keeping the job is easy as well mostly because you dont have much interaction with people and machines are so much more easier to understand

so in general seek out the job that lets your brain rest enjoy itself usually this involves things that are not customer service related I find that most of us do very well in these newly emerging "techi" positions if it is programming server admin or other new jobs of this type the overload of information needed is great for this constant need we have to feed our brains instead of being like them and relying on so much social interaction

hope this helps

A lot of AS people want to be creative, so they wind up in a lot of freelance, self-employed gigs as computer consultants, house cleaners, music teachers etc. These jobs have no security or benefits. I decide to give up this life for a state govt. job, working with a lot of NT people. I have an advantage here in some ways, since I am more creative and enthusiastic than my co-workers, so they tolerate me. I also get a pension, a medical and dental plan and four weeks of vacation, 13 holidays, 3 prersonal days, and 15 sick days. Yes, there are drawbacks- being in a union environment where everything is based on seniority- The good hours and days off go to those few who have been here a really long time. There are 18 other people here in my pay grade, and although I have been here for 16 years, only 2 of them have less time than me.

I just had this same conversation with my supervisor last night. For some reason either my boss, the company, or a co-worker doesn't like my conversing with fellow co-workers during down times. I was told that it is very distracting to other employees and the customers on the phone. I see other co-workers interacting with one another during down time between calls, how is my conversing any different? I am told that I do a good job interacting with our customers and solving their problems. Sadly, my conversing with co-workers has to change, is their is a possibility that I might be dismissed from the company.

This forum should have a sticky for successfully doing job interviews and all of the NT craziness behind job interviews. I'm too lazy to read this entire thread.

If you can't join 'em, beat 'em.

I completely agree. I am learning to either not offer my opinion or ask if they'd like it first.[/quote]

Someone should of told my boss that. He likes listening to my opinions and given up on telling what or how to do things as well

I don't feel thank you notes are a necessity to land a job. Some people may feel like it's just more paperwork even though a nice gesture. I think it should be considered optional. Just try to focus on the interview, but if you want to do a thank you note, then I say go ahead. If not, then I don't think it's necessary personally.

Often keeping a job can be difficult despite office politics and dealing with personalities. All I can say is that more services need to become available in placing adults with Asperger Syndrome into employment and furthermore agencies to assist adults with staff development. Perhaps working in a library may be one option?

This is my first post on this forum. I should mention that I’ve never been officially diagnosed with Asperger’s/autism though I think there’s a good chance I have it at a mild level. As a kid, my doctor thought I was mildly autistic but my parents didn’t want me diagnosed due to the stigma attached to the condition back then. I’ve also met quite a few Aspies and generally find them easier to talk to than people without the condition.

I managed to hold down a job at an insurance company for over five years. I always felt out of my element in the corporate world. Your success or otherwise in that environment depends mostly on how well you fit in and how you cope with the company’s (often arbitrary) systems and procedures. Your level of knowledge is often of secondary importance. Nobody tells you this when you’re growing up. The people who *really* succeed in large companies are those who fit in while still allowing their personalities to show. I was never able to do this, and instead I kept myself to myself, carrying out my tasks robotically, not knowing why I was doing them a lot of the time.

As part of my job I had to take a series of exams. These were a life-saver for me. They were hard, but I knew if I put my mind to it I’d have a reasonable chance of passing them. Close to the exams you were given a number of study days, so for one day a week I could be a professional hermit which was great! Every time I passed an exam my salary went up, and this was my main motivating factor. Moving up the corporate ladder never interested me.

I’ve suffered from depression for a long time and in 2009 this began to affect my performance at work. My concentration and short-term memory took a serious hit. I contemplated leaving for several months and I eventually handed my notice in last Christmas. I’ve been out of work since. Looking for jobs has been frustrating. I don’t interview well unless it’s on the phone (I’ve been told I have good facial expressions for phone interviews!). My background naturally leads me to the corporate world but I don’t want to end up there again. I’m now thinking of working in a totally different industry such as mental health (I have some first-hand experience there). Luckily I’ve saved up quite a bit and have largely been living off my savings, but they won’t last for ever. I make word and number puzzles and have made a little money selling those, and I’ve even made some money playing online poker, but I’d like something a bit more concrete I guess.

I found a good article on the Guardian website (British newspaper) about companies employing Aspies (or not). Can I post links on here?

One tip I've learned is that you want to study what NTs do and do it just as well or a tiny bit better. You don't want to be like the Adam character in the movie and try to do way more than the boss asks--no matter what you think--the boss is ALWAYS right. You should study NTs to better fit in--fitting in is part of you job.

Resume Reminders

This weekend I've been helping my husband sort through a few hundred resumes he received in response to a Craigs List a few months ago. He's been too swamped to take a look at them, but he desperately needs the help, so I figured I could help him.

Some things to note when sending a resume, especially by email or in response to an ad:

1) Say everything you want to say. We're not emailing you back to get the copy of the resume you didn't attach the first time. With over 100 resumes, you can be sure a qualified candidate will be found.
2) Be sure the resume IS attached. See #1, above.
3) Use proper spelling and grammar in EVERYTHING. Don't use text short cuts in your email; this is the FIRST THING they see about you. Make sure your letter and resume have been proofed by someone with good language skills. It shows that you care about quality. Employers want to hire people that care about quality.
4) Do write cover letters, especially if your qualifications don't match up word for word with the list in the ad. It really helps to know that you have already signed up for a course on the software asked about, or that you feel strongly talent X is a good compensation for missing requirement Y.
5) Address every requirement in the ad somewhere.
6) If you don't leave near the job location, explain somewhere why you are applying so far away.
7) It's OK to apply just because you like the company, even if you don't have the skills for this job opening, provided what you do is in the same department or using closely related skills. My husband is keeping the stack for future hires of different qualifications for his department, but he doesn't have time to think and sort and forward to other departments.
8 ) DO use your NAME as the file name. It saves me a LOT of time sorting, since I can just save it straight to a folder without putting a name on it. I can tell the people who've been around the block and paid attention, because they very nicely do this. Maybe this time around its lost brownie points since I'm not the final decision, but you never know who is doing the sorting, and you always want every brownie point you can get.
9) If the last job you list on your resume ended a year or two or ago, we'd kind of like to know what you've been doing and how you are keeping your skills up. Something else that hopefully finds its way into a cover letter, as long as you can find any way to put a positive spin on it.
10) Don't be disheartened if you hear nothing back at all. Sometimes the company is just too swamped. My husband's company is in a huge growth phase and his department is having a lot of trouble keeping up. But none of those resumes have been lost, and rather than place another ad when the next position needs filling, he'll start with the stacks he has already sorted.
11) Maybe it's just me, but I prefer NOT to open a Word doc and have it default to "comment review." Make sure you are sending files that will open in "final" ONLY, or - better yet, in my opinion at least - print it to PDF and you will be sure it is viewed EXACTLY as you wrote and polished it (just because I have Word doesn't mean I have your fonts ... many resumes end up lined up oddly as a result).