Finding and Keeping jobs - Tips and Advice

Post Reply New Topic

OR ... just use a recruiter like me! That's what we do (companies pay our fee, not you) ... those are the best options right now:

1) Use a recruiter
2) Call hiring manager directly
3) Networking

Hope this helps!

I first hear for thank you letter. That is new for me. My last interview was totally fall. First i always give right answer, and than lost self and give information who can offend them, or sensitive information. And my voice is like in little girl, I'm an engineer, but 39 years old, they wants young engineers or engineers with expiriens, I'm 39 years old without expiriens and totally out, maybe more than 1 year past and i didn't see job's advertise suitable for me, they usually look for people under 35 years old, with car and with expiriens. I try with network like eresi, oriflaim, similar, but i haven't friends, didn't sell anything. Really no solution for me.

i've had 8 interviews in 8 days...phew. what an experience! i'm learning as i go but wish me luck. thanks, this topic is helping.

If you aren't looking for some stimulating type of job that interests you...but just an income.

My Aspie does well at an all night type position just stocking, he seems to like the lack of social interaction and because it's repetitive he knows the job well.

...he has held it for 4 years now.

It seems that this world values people only with confidence, social or intellectual. I have neither, and so can't seem to get a job without needing good customer service skills or without needing A-levels, no matter how hard I'm trying. Anyone else feel the same way, (preferably those who lack confidence)?

The type of job what will suit somebody with my frame of mind will be to just work at a computer, just inputting data, somewhere where I don't have to talk to any customers. Also, if it was just part-time work, with suitable hours (preferably 9 til 3, and 2 or 3 days a week). I know that finding this kind of job will be rather difficult, but it is possible because my employment advisor suggested this type of work to me, and is going to help find some for me. He also said that me working just part-time will be more ideal for somebody like me, rather than full-time, and I know he's right, (and no - it's not because I'm lazy. On my days off I will go and do some volluntary work too). I've worked 3 years in a shop, doing volluntary work, and dealing with customers, and although I've gotten confident with working in a team, I haven't seemed to gain any confidence with talking to customers. The manager just left me all on my own on the till, where I practically had the whole responsibility of the shop floor, and I got very overwhelmed when the shop got quite busy (because sometimes about 12 or 13 customers would all start coming in at once, into a small shop). I don't think that kind of thing isn't very good for an Autistic person, who finds social pressure more harder than anything (also I suffer with an anxiety disorder). Customers could see that I was overwhelmed and unconfident, and so decided to take advantage of me by haggling the way into getting something cheaper or for free, and me (being timid and afraid to argue back to strangers), let them get away with it. So, no, I really don't think me being alone with customers is very practical. Surely others on the spectrum must know how that feels.

Seems like every place I've checked in the past few years has told me "We don't have any applications, you have to apply online." and more and more places are going online as of late

It's definitely a losing battle

A way to overcome the anxiety of checking yourself in the mirror just before an interview: http://asdjobsink.blogspot.com/2011/07/how-do-you-look-for-your-interview.html

I got a degree recently from a good university, but smoked and drank too much and did terrible at networking. I keep making the mistake of taking too many ADD stims on the 2 or 3 interviews I have had because I psyche myself out beforehand that they'll see right to my aspieness. Being that wired makes me talk too much and gives off a sketchy vibe, but it's either that or giving rambling non-linear answers that are barely coherant off my meds. Sigh.

So all I can find are temp gigs, I did labor stuff for a few months but it beat me down after too long. Just started at a call center, I look professional and am decent looking and it's mostly women around, but I am straight up terrible on the phones. I'm ok at the front desk (hate all the people walking around but it's way easier handling calls) but in the call center there's incoming calls and there's sort of a script to follow, but there's just enough variation call to call for me to sound like a stammering idiot 1 out of every 4 calls or so. We're supposed to mute customers on hold but I forgot one time and heard her say 'man he should really stop drinking before answering calls (my supervisor connected to my headset probably heard it too) .' I wasn't drunk, I just get dry mouth from talking too much and getting nervous and worked up and slur some words when I get weird requests on calls so I probably sounded like I was. Today though I made the mistake of revealing too much to my supervisor who I thought was into me about my loserish life and I can tell some stuff's got around..I definitely need to play it closer to the vest like some people have said. Awkward small talk being self critical and my lack of confidence ruin me every time.. I think I'll get another chance next week because I'm overly polite and they want me to do well, I just don't know if I ever can calm down enough to not sound nervous. I need some data entry job where I work on a computer and I'm by myself. It amazes me how poorly I handle working with people and keeping a consistent personality..drugs really do make you a weirdo I'm effing exhibit A.

Choose a work environment that fits your personality. When I was a teenager, I lived in a town with a big IBM headquarters. The people that worked there were paid well.Our high school teachers and guidance counselors just assumed that everyone wanted jobs like that--9-5 suit-wearing jobs in a high rise cubicle, office parties, team player, cog in a wheel, shuffling papers all day, type of employment. It scared me to hell. The corporate image of what a job had to be was so engrained in my mind-that I wasted many years trying to land the kind of job for which I was ill suited, which I could not have kept, and which would have made me very unhappy. I wish there had been a counselor around who would have pointed out to me that I could have become a zookeeper or taxi driver or train conductor or sold tickets in a theater and been just as "successful." If the paychecks were smaller, the stress would be as well and I would have been much happier than continually trying to become someone I was not. It was not until I was thirty that I realized that "work" does not have to be the kind of corporate-style torture that I had long envisioned it to be. Since then I have worked continuously, often at jobs for which I was overqualified and most always at jobs for which I was underpaid.If I could give any advice to young aspies just starting out it would be not to try to force themselves into a kind of work environment in which they would not thrive just because it constitutes other people's idea of "job success " NTs think success solely depends on the size of their salary, but as an aspie I have found that a comfort level which allows me to be productive and happy is more important.

What if you are essentially blacklisted in your post of the country due to getting fired too many times or failing background checks due to credit??? I am essentially unemployable in my part of the country Boston MA/NYC and have to move and start over. At this point, I am willing to accept $10 an hour with an Accounting degree anywhere in the country to start working again but no one will hire me.

Occasionally I get a call from a temp agency about a position, they say they will 'submit my Resume' then I never hear again...

I got let go from many temp jobs because according to the feedback I didn't 'pick up the work fast enough' after a day or two.

BINGO! More and more these days corporate white collar bosses and managers are expecting their "team" to be with them at lunches and for various spontaneous after hours celebrations for things non-job oriented such as send offs for employees leaving, birthdays, deal celebrations, etc... The corporate and academic work places essentially want to assimilate everyone into their culture. Work/ Academic office is the new village culture and if you don't do these extras you are excluded.

I used to work for the late brick and mortar Borders and Looking back with hindsight I can appreciate why they never allowed their managers to attend staff outings. It makes sense. They wanted to do everything possible to discourage work bias based on socializing. Honestly I was an idiot for leaving though I needed a drastic increase in pay.

Are other retail, media and tech companies similarly accepting and control for performance bias?

Borders was one of the only places where I did not feel judged although my aspieness was a challenge when it came to customer service and chewing the fat, but my knowledge was able to ameliorate the effects and was ultimately appreciated.


We need a more organized board for this topic. The sole focus should be to list and describe the environments and skills demanded of work places that best fit someone in the spectrum. Borders and book stores I would include in that list, along with libraries, computer tech, certain fields in construction or engineering (???), cable repair tech (once you are trained you drive around alone) ...

Let's do it!

That sounds like a good job for me if I could find it, assuming there isn't heavy lifting.

God forbid if something were to happen to my job I would move to Texas. You have to go to where the unemployment is lowest. Here in SoCal I cannot count how many people are out of work and cannot find a job. San Bernardino a city just an hours drive from Los Angeles has a poverty rate second only to Detroit. Things are bad here so I would move to a better place with better opportunities.

Florida isn't much better.

I am outside of Boston MA but have enough money that I can move anywhere in the country. My problem is explaining my very poor work history. I doubt I would have any easier time finding employment (anything even paying minimum wage) in Texas than in Massachusetts which is supposed to have the second best job market in the country plus the fact of having to explain over & over again 'why' I decided to relocate. My credit is also bad which makes me ineligible for many jobs in accounting & finance.

I am copying this from my other post, because I think this is useful to everyone:

I worked as a Security Guard when times were tough. While in some places you have to talk to people, such as residential sector, for the most part you are just a uniform to provide the place a sense of security. And some places you can even work all alone by yourself if you are comfortable with that. It is also a good place to start working and meet new people and practice social skills, since you will be bored out of your mind if you don't.

There are a lot of Women working as security guards. I wouldn't worry too much about something happening to you, since for the most part its a safe administrative job, you are not the police.

I would advice however if you are interested in this job, to avoid scam operations that charge you for training. Training for security shouldn't cost you anything. I would apply directly with a big company by visiting them in person, rather than online. They are always looking for people who have enough intelligence not to do something stupid. Also be prepared to work night shift, thats where all new people start.