Only NTs need to apply.

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I think that HR largesse is truly ridiculous these days. I wouldn't doubt at all that they use all manner of "processes" and "criteria" to inflate the appearance of their contribution to the company's bottom line. But, I feel that in fact they keep a lot of potentially good people out due to superficial reasons - and that is a problem.

We live in such politically correct and litigious times, that HR's tactics are likely seen by upper management as maximizing "safe" employee choices, even when the stated criteria are laughably unrealistic - and possibly so by design.

Not all of them, there are some really good ones out there. It's just that they're rare and you never know.

My mom works in HR. She's got a few traits. When people come in for an interview, they prepare them because she interviews differently. If you're wearing a suit and speak in buzzwords, you don't get the job. People are told to bring their real selves in, warts and all, because she wants to know as much as possible about how they're going to be while they're working there. She hires lots of people she describes as "unusual". The company loves her - she's a bit of a celebrity in the company apparently, they have her designing global hiring policies (it's a multinational Swedish manufacturer, they have plants all over the world). She's good for the bottom line, and nobody in the corporate world argues against anything that's good for the bottom line.

Her theory is that most HR people are mediocre. They play by safe rules because they are not very good at what they do. They tend to hire mediocre people and run mediocre workplaces.

Your mom sounds like someone who operates based on character - a rare trait these days in the cookie cutter, litigation-conscious corporate world. Kudos to her for her approach. The business world desperately needs more people who play it not safe, but smart.

I think so too. Playing too safe is never good for business, and smart doesn't mean excessively cautious. Employees are investments, just like any other. The most rewarding investments always come with risk.

Edgewater, that's how I ran interviews when they let me hire new IT people.

I had to stop myself from telling someone to "cut the bs."

My advice is to try to learn the buzz words, study the job and see what buzz words fit.

One thing I notice in common across most of the responses here is that the assumption seems to be that "communication skills" refers to social skills. Since I'm not the most extroverted person around, if I get asked a question about my communication skills, I start talking about my written communication abilities typically. Being able to write well is highly valued in the workplace-- so maybe that's the angle to take for that question.

Communication skills can also refer to ability to explain things.

When we ask for "communications skills" we want to know "Can you explain what's wrong with the computer in layman's terms?"

Writing is also hugely important. Technical writing is a skill that is HIGHLY valued and can pay big money.

Detail oriented writing is also valuable. Managers don't' want to read a horribly written report that is missing a ton of details.

Been thinking about this. If what I saw "Must be able to write reports" or "Effective (written) communication skills required" that would be the case. But to clarify my opening post, I am am mostly seeing "Excellent oral and written communication skills required", along with a slightly lesser occurrence "Must be an strong team player" or "Must work in a team environment"

Yes, I have been applying to those anyway to no avail. Another factor is that in my field, they expect you to advance into management, something i don't have the separate skill set for but a NT would more likely have. So either the job has the years experience i have, but always require management experience that i don't have; or have a minimal experience requirement but with no management experience needed. I am applying for the low-experience jobs with an explanation in the cover letter that although I have more experience, this would be my best placement. But i am getting nowhere with this.

A lot of job listings include that as a default job requirement.

It's not like any employer wants an angry employee who can't work with other employees.

Or a socially awkward employee that runs to the back room when a customer comes.

But, luckily, some jobs you don't really have to have amazing social skills to do... whether or not the job listing says you do.
You'll probably have more luck than you think. Obviously if you're a customer service rep, you need great people skills. But, other office jobs they generally just want someone able to function around other people, who is polite, and easy to work with.

I could go on for hours on how ridiculous getting a job is but let me mention one specific example. I had two interviews for a job at an electrical wholesaler. Basically, it was customer service but to a more specialized group and less face to face. I become almost instant friends with the managers and we talked about hockey, he introduced me to everyone and asked me to go on his office computer and fill out this personality test and the head office wanted him to. It seemed pretty basic and I answered it as honestly as possible. I wished him well and told him I awaited the formal job offer.

After a week I went to visit him wondering why he hadn't responded and was STUNNED when he said he decided to hire someone else and thanked me for my interest. Even though this was the second time it happened I was still in shock for the rest of the day but now realize they were weeding out those with Introverted/Autistic tendencies. So ridiculous how companies say they want a diverse workplace but they ALL chase after the same type of worker. For crying out loud, my skills should put me at an ADVANTAGE in this line of work since they need someone to work alone for long periods of time! It was bad enough to spend three years looking for work but it's made more worse by knowing you have superior abilities that nobody will give you a chance to prove. Luckily I found an organization that values TRUE diversity.

Last edited by GiantHockeyFan on 09 Jul 2012, 3:50 pm, edited 1 time in total.

I hate job adverts. They all say those stupid meaningless things. They make it sound like all day is like a party at their workplace and everyone never stops talking to each other.

I worked in software development for over 10 years, it is a profession that requires you to be focused, analytical, detailed, good at problem solving and a logical thinker. For years it seemed that was enough and companies expected software developers to be a little introvert perhaps. But now it seems they want them all to be walking personalities as well.

Corporations ask for too much; why do they want these standard characters? And not everyone can become a manager, surely they must see that.