Job Interview Tips for people with Asperger's Syndrome:

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Hi there,
I'm a new member of Wrong Planet and I found these tips helpful for a recent job interview where I was successful enough to get the job. I hope these tips are of some help to anyone with Asperger's Syndrome and ASD related disorders. I have been recently diagosised with Asperger's Syndrome earlier this year and I'm from New Zealand. Hello to everyone out there on the spectrum of life!:)


Job Interview Tips for people with Asperger’s Syndrome and ASD related disorders:

1. Preparation is the key: by this I mean; make sure you know as much as possible about the job you are applying for. Use the internet to research the company, look at company history, and read as much about the company as possible. Who are the main staff and how long have they been working for that company? What is the reputation of the company like? What have they achieved in their industry? Make sure you are as prepared as much as possible for the interview, do you know your CV inside and out. Have a list of your job experience in the relevant industries and achievements ready. (Business and personal achievements). Have a list of your personal attributes and a list of your strengths ready e .g hard working, punctual, determined, team player etc. Have some examples written out in case you are asked about them. Have some examples written out or memorised of situation questions, say five or six different ones e.g. When was there a time when you dealt with a difficult customer and what action did you take and what was the outcome? Was there a time when you had to work out of your comfort zone and what steps did you take to achieve this and what was the outcome. One on a positive situation. A time when you delivered superior customer service. A time where you did something different and why? Was there a time when you exceeded your target and what did you do to achieve this? Generally situation questions work like this: 1. What happened? 2. What action did you take? And 3. What was the outcome or end result?

I know this seems a lot to take on; my advice is to break these steps down and work on them one at a time.
What I did for a recent interview was to have all these written out and most of them learned off by heart or memorised so that when I was asked in the interview I was ready to give the answer. When listing or having to tell your potential employer about weaknesses, you are better to just say something like: ‘You like to give or do your best and tend to be a bit of a perfectionist and you are working on improving varying your work with more than one task at a time throughout your work day’. Do not go on and list a whole lot of what you think are weaknesses as you probably won’t get the job.

2. Practice interview role playing if possible with a trusted friend or family member. By this I mean one of you will play the interviewer and the other person the candidate going for the job.
This will hopefully get you more confident with the interview process and what role you will play in it. If you absolutely hate role playing, make sure you have at least researched the job expectations and company and have some answers ready preferably on a piece of paper. It would probably pay to practice the whole interview from start to finish, so that you get to know how an interview works and what the Interviewer is looking for in an ideal candidate and also to show you how to act and respond correctly and quickly in the interview. Try not to take any criticism personally. Keep the end result that you want in mind all the time if you can.

3. Make sure you are wearing the right clothes to the interview. If the interview is for a corporate or office job, make sure you go dressed properly and you have shiny polished shoes. Also depending on what industry the job is in, go and check out the place of employment and go dressed like the staff that work there. For example if the staff are dressed in suit and tie, then that is how you go dressed. If they are in jeans and a polo shirt and sneakers, then dress in your tidiest jeans and polo shirt and sneakers. If you are a guy make sure you have a shower, shave before the interview and a recent hair cut, like a day or two before the interview. Wear deodorant and make sure your clothes are clean. If you are a girl, make sure you are dressed smartly and have showered and have minimal jewellery and you are wearing the right amount of make-up and not wearing any clothes that are too revealing.

4. Look at the person you are speaking to; I know this is hard for people with Asperger’s or ASD related disorders. At least look at their forehead or bridge of their nose or mouth or the side of their forehead.
What I did was to have most or all of my answers ready in my head and then gave as much eye contact as possible. Sometimes I would focus on the bridge of the nose so as not to intensely stare into the interviewer’s eyes.

5. Give clear and strong confident answers when possible and try and be to the point. Try not to go on for too long as people with Asperger’s can and do sometimes. Try not to repeat yourself too much. When talking say just enough then stop and let the person interviewing talk or ask their next question.
If the person interviewing you does not answer straight away then you can in most cases continue to talk, but only if you have enough relevant points to say. If not stop talking and let the interviewer carry on with the next part of the conversation.
Another part that will be difficult for people with Asperger’s and ASD is being able to read the facial expressions or body language of the person interviewing them. You may be able to get around this by giving short and to the point answers and by not repeating yourself as much as possible or not at all and giving some eye contact as explained in point number four. In a way you would be learning your answers like a script before you go in to the interview.

6. Try to be as relaxed as possible by doing some breathing exercises and positive self talk before entering into the potential employer’s premises and the interview itself. Relax and try to treat the interview as if it were just a conversation. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself in the process of the interview. In my case it took more than 2 interviews to get really good going to interviews and it may take quite a number, but so long as you are improving each time and learning something from the process then everything will come together as it did for me in my 4th or 5th interview. Also smile and shake the person’s hand and say it’s good to meet you... (Person’s name). At the end of the interview, thank them for their time and say: ‘I look forward to talking with you soon’ or ’Thank you for your time, I look forward to hearing from you soon’. Try to end by selling or summarising verbally your strengths or positive points.

7. Disclosing or telling the interviewer about your Asperger’s Syndrome. I would say that in most cases honesty is the best policy. You are better to tell the person interviewing you as they can make allowances for your disability. A brief letter from a Psychologist or Doctor is more than adequate. So long as it explains briefly what Asperger’s is and how it affects you and what allowances may need to made and a list of your strengths because you have Asperger’s Syndrome. If you decide not to disclose your Asperger’s, you may end up standing out as different and still come to the attention of your employer because of Asperger’s Syndrome. Your Asperger’s or ASD may be too hard to camouflage and you could still have a difficult time working for and with your employer.

Bookmarked, this is really good advice!
Thank you for posting this

I never told the interviewer that I have AS. That was something they learned later if they needed to. I don't know how it's going to be once I graduate college and go into the real world. I'm afraid that as soon as I show them my diagnosis (do I even still have those papers anymore? I submitted one to my college 3 years ago) that they'll dismiss me immediately and hire an NT instead. Mom says for me not to tell them because "It's none of their business."

You're welcome Blahbla:)

I believe you, I have my moods too Erisad. We can't be happy all the time. Hope you find these tips helpful.

Huh? Oh, that's my signature. I just have that there as a warning so people aren't confused when I change moods or something. Thanks for the tips though! XD

How did you work out my Aspie/NT score Erisad?:)

Um, those are my Aspe/NT scores. I found it on a quiz on one of the threads here. I probably should change the pronouns so it isn't confusing.

Hi I'm Chris and here goes my first post here.

Great advice Richman, I've never had any big problems with job interviews and presentation situations, I just never know what to wear, or how to wear it for that matter so I always get my mum to choose my clothes for me when it comes to interviews. The interview process never really makes me nervous but what I do worry about is how I look since I haven't got a clue at all about clothes and fashion, and it often makes me panic, sweat and lots of other nasties whenever I'm expected to dress in a way that is different to how I might usually. My way around that kind of anxiety was to buy a cheap suit on-line and just wear it around my hose until I became more comfortable wearing it.

I've never told an interviewer about my aspergers voluntarily, but have disclosed it afterwards if it became relevant to the job or during the interview if I was asked.

Recently since taking a position as an e-commerce specialist 2 years ago I have interviewed several people myself and now have two people working for me, and I have got to say conducting an interview for me was allot more nerve racking the being the interviewee (i just hope I didn't let it show). Im not going to pretend that I am experienced in interview technique but from my experience of being interviewd and now conducting them ive got this to say about how to dress.

First Impressions Count! - I don't think it matters what kind of job you are going for, unless it is completely inappropriate or you have been advised otherwise always dress smartly (Suit, Tie, Clean Shoes etc...). I don't think its the clothes that sway it but the fact that it shows that you have made an effort and care.

Thanks for the post!

I've particularly been thrown by the "what are your weaknesses?" question. Common sense (whatever that is) would dictacte that you don't be too honest and go off on a rant, but that didn't hit me till after the interview, lol.

One thing in particular bothers me in interviews though. In one interview I was talking and suddenly cut short to be asked "Do you really want a job? You're sitting...well like us!" I have a (unintentional) tendency to mimic body language in situations I find ambiguous. Of course in the workplace there are unequal power relations and I have had a few embarrassing situations where I've interacted with my boss as if I were his equal.

I think some degree of body language pratice would be useful before an interview. My apparent "lack of physical responsiveness" was brought up at every review I had in my previous job (at the time I wasn't fully aware of my AS).

(edit: thanks to the original poster. I read some of your advice before I went to the interview. knowing what to do isn't too difficult... the more challenging part is doing it under some pressure. preparation helps with that.)

I just got back from an interview and, assuming I pass the urine test, I'll start working there soon.

I'd like to give another tip for going to/being at the location for the interview.

Firstly, if possible, know where you need to go and who you need to talk to. Try to remember the names of the interviewer and some of the people who help you along the way, whether they're employees, secretaries, etc. My situation was a bit awkward because I didn't know the name of the person who called me to schedule the interview. If you don't know where you're going, ASK for some help, be kind to the people who help you, and try to remember names and their positions in the company.

Keep your goal in mind: To get the job!

When they're asking you questions, remember that the point is to convince them you're qualified for the job. Try to avoid mentioning anything negative about yourself unless they ask. If they do ask, unless it's vital to whether you're able to do the job, don't make yourself seem worse than necessary. You can tell them a few ways in which you can improve, and mention a small problem UNRELATED to the job they'll have you do. It's better to get the job and try than to assume you can't do it (unless you're sure you can't do it).

Also, remember that they don't know you. If you're a decent person or at least qualified for the job, try to communicate that and don't worry about all the things about yourself that they don't know.

If you have time to prepare, you can say to yourself "They should hire me because ___________." Then, at the interview, if they give you an invitation to do so, tell them what you use to fill the blank, and be optimistic about your abilities!

Preparation will help, and so will practice. Think about answers to the questions they might ask. In my case they just asked a few things...

'Think about a time when you needed to solve a difficult problem. What was the problem and how did you solve it?'

'Some times people can be challenging. Think of a time when you've encountered a challenging person. What was the situation and how did you deal with it?' they might ask something like that if your job is related to customer service

'Think of a time when you've gone above and beyond to complete a task. What was the task, and how did you complete it?'

They also asked something about a time when I've made a mistake, what was the mistake and how did I correct it...

Think of answers to questions like those, if they're relevant to your job. Think about times in your past when you've been challenged, and how you dealt with the challenge. And make yourself seem good when you recollect those memories.

Hi,

Thanks very much for this comment. It help me to think about my ideals.

Tks again and pls keep posting.

A headhunter once told me a piece of advice that worked very well. He had me think of successes I had in the workplace while rubbing my thumb against my finger under the table. Then, in the interview, if I started to get flustered or think I was losing the interviewer I was to rub my thumb against my finger unobtrusively which helped calm me and bring focus back to my answers. It worked well.

The best I can figure is that it develops a positive conditioning sensation.

Awesome thread! These are great interview tips regardless of if you're on the spectrum or not. Bookmarked!

I'll second the caution on disclosing a diagnosis during an interview. Legally an employer cannot ask a question during an interview that touches on a personal relationship or on a medical diagnosis. These are no-no questions for THEM. If you introduce the topic they can converse about it. But they cannot raise the topic. If you do raise the topic you may be putting them in dangerous territory, legally. If it leads them to ask a question they legally cannot ask, they can get in serious trouble. Raising this during the interview may make them nervous for reasons that have nothing to do with Autism.

On what to wear, there's one other line of research you can use: During the phone screen or when arranging the interview with the hiring manager, you can always ask. I've done this on my last three jobs, and it has worked out well. But it's never a bad idea to step it up just a little bit to indicate you really are interested in the job. For example, when I interviewed for my current job I was told "jeans and t-shirt". I won't wear a t-shirt to a job interview, so I wore nice jeans and a button-down shirt. Later I found out some people thought I was dressed up, but I had no negative comments.

Something else on what to wear: The first time I asked a hiring manager what they suggested I wear, it was for an IT job. They said, "business casual". This has so many definitions it didn't really give me a good idea of where to start. Also, I am a fashion disaster and really have no clue how to choose clothes, coordinate, any of those things. So I went to a department store, walked into the men's section, and told them. "I need clothes for an interview, and I really REALLY want this job. The hiring manager said to wear business casual. HELP!" What happened next is hard to describe. The man's face broke out into a huge grin and he said, "We'll take care of you." He called people over from each part of the men's department and had people picking out shoes, socks, slacks, ties, shirts, everything. They showed me which combinations worked well and which didn't. They told me which colors worked well with my hair and eye color, and colors to avoid. I took notes.

I realized that the people in that store geek out on their interests just as much as I geek out on mine. Theirs is clothing and fashion. I gave them a chance to go nuts and enjoy themselves with their own special interests, and in the end I walked out with a really nice, coordinated interview wardrobe.

The moral to the story: It never hurts to ask.

I ask about the clothes all the time. If not the phone screen person I call back and try to speak with the receptionist, anyone that can give me an idea of what to wear. Also, sometimes I make it a light question with the interviewer like "So, I was planning on wearing my Tuxedo but my cummerbund is not back from the cleaners; will that be okay?" It usually elicits a response about what they expect.

One time though I wore a suit and tie to an interview and several people marked me down as being too dressed up. Grrrr.

One thing I did and later regreted was to take a herbal calming remedy (Kalms). I was still incredibly nervous and couldn't think straight. I had a lot more knowledge about the subject than I was able to access. At my post interview feedback meeting, I was told that I came across as really confident, but didn't know enough about the subject (the exact opposite of what was going on internally). The person who got the post told them that she was really nervous and they made allowance for that. I've since heard, over the gravevine, that she's out of her depth in the job. I think I might have been too.