coming out right at the start

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I have read, on WP and from other sources, about all the pros and cons of letting your employer (or prospective employer) know you are on the spectrum, and if doing so, the timing of it.

All I know is, for me, the jobs I've had pre-DX did not turn out well, and neither have the jobs I've had post-DX (where I didn't let anyone know).

From now on, I'm going to let people know up front, and play up the strengths and play down the weaknesses. I've got absolutely nothing to lose at this point, because I already know that *not* coming out definitely doesn't work. That NT mask is going to slip on the job sooner or later; it always does.

One thing I don't want to do is wait until problems arise. Number one, it would look like I'm suddenly blaming the problems on my condition. Number two, the employer may wonder if there are other important things about me that I withheld in the interview, and I may then be perceived as dishonest.

I think that maybe for people who are newer to the world of interviews, applications, and employment itself, nondisclosure is probably well worth a try. For me, however, at this point in my life, disclosure up front is the only untried option I have left.

Is anyone else in the same situation as me? If so, what have been your experiences?

It's worth a go. If I ever get another job I may consider letting people know right from the off.

I'd be reluctant to do so myself. Unfortunately, people discriminate and it could be the difference between getting a job and not getting one.

I think that you are probably in the majority.

That said, in my own case, I don't believe it is fair to myself or to an employer if I get hired on and then let go a few months later. Especially since my last few jobs/job attempts ended up costing me more money than I earned. It's economically and emotionally better for me if the employers and I just weed each other out at the start. If an employer is going to be discriminatory or otherwise intolerant of me, I'd rather know about it ASAP. Saves a lot of time, money, and heartache.

I do NOT recommend my course of action for most people, however. I just happen to be out of options.

I'm going to wear a sodding Tee shirt with Monkey's slogan "I'm so Aspie I sh*t trains" on it and deadpan them all for half an hour. If they send me home then, at least it has short cut the whole process.

OMG, that is hilarious! Never heard that one before. I am sitting here wiping tears of laughter out of my eyes.

riverspark, I was in your position a few months ago.

I am about your age, and have a dreadful employment history. It's the basic story that a lot of us share: didn't finish college, couldn't get hired, finally got an interview, bombed, finally got a very low-level job, got fired, ...(rinse, repeat)... never held a job for longer than six months and spent months out of work between times... and so on.

Six years ago I landed at a fantastic company as a temporary employee. It was a one-week gig. I'm still there. It took them almost a year to hire me, but it was basically on my terms: as a part-timer with great schedule flexibility. The work is fairly seasonal, so my ability to work either a very lot or a very little benefited everyone. I did not abuse my freedom.

It was going decently well; the job played right into my strengths. Still, there were plenty of these weird moments, and fortunately for me, everybody was pretty accommodating of "blastoff being blastoff" because I worked my butt off all the time and did excellent work. But there were these nasty little quirks. I was not diagnosed with AS at the time, but my whopping case of ADHD was something I'd been diagnosed with 20 years earlier, so I'd had lots of practice dealing with that. But still, my doc and I were calling it "ADHD Plus" because there was this "something else" going on that was causing all kinds of problems at work, both socially and performance-wise.

Four years ago I was diagnosed with AS. That diagnosis made my life, and my employment history, make sense. Inconveniently, things were getting a bit rough at work, and I was feeling like I was running out of "grace period." A month later, we got a new supervisor, who wanted to spend a few minutes with each of us, one on one, just getting to know us a bit. I figured this was my big chance, and I took it. Get a clean start, put everybody on the same page, etc.

I told him what I figured he needed to know: how AS and ADHD affect me at work. He was appreciative, in spite of a low level of understanding. Fine. Whew. It didn't take long for him to start asking questions, and become a real ally. Thank you, Mr. Supervisor.

Then, almost a year ago, I got offered a new job within the company, with a different department, with people who didn't know me beyond a "good morning, blastoff" sort of interaction. I wanted the job, but didn't know what to do about disclosure. Like you, I didn't want to wait for an "AS event" and then have to come forward with the information, because it would look like an excuse. But on the other hand, I didn't want to obliterate my chances for getting the job. They could always retract their offer.

I talked to my current supervisor. Do I do nothing, do I tell Mr. New Supervisor now, or do I wait for an "event"? We couldn't figure it out. The next day, my current supervisor had an idea: Have HIM tell the new supervisor, in a 'boss-to-boss' sort of way. Brilliant!

He did it immediately, which is good, or else the suspense would have killed me. It went far better than I could have expected; my new supervisor knew a fair bit about AS, and was actually excited about the whole thing because I bring qualities to the job that he liked. YAY!

I realize that you don't have the 'boss to boss' option, because you're starting from scratch. But I think there's real merit to telling your employer right up front. You'll likely have to do a lot of "education" and you won't have any time to do it in. You'll have to hit the good and the bad really fast, and that'll be tricky. I'd advise being very 'to the point' about it: I have a disorder called Asperger Syndrome. I've had it all my life. It's a set of neurological quirks that will impact my work performance in the following ways... I mitigate the worst of it by... One thing that would help me succeed is.... You get the idea.

I hear you on the 'nothing to lose' thing. If I were in your situation, I'd do exactly what you're doing.

Best of luck.

Sorry for the long post.

Remember that Aspergers is not a strictly negative thing. As Blastoff writes, a boss might actually welcome an Aspie because we bring very valuable attributes to a situation. What I am suggesting is think of it as a P.R. spin. Don't say think of it is "I may be a problem because I have Aspergers" Instead think, "I have Aspergers and it's a good part of the reason why I could be extremely valuable to you."

What are the good characteristics of Aspergers?

Aspies often have higher intelligence on average than most people.
If our jobs are in an area that we tend to fixate on, we can be extremely focused and skilled.
We can often work unsupervised for long periods when given a specific task.

Of course there can be down sides, but you don't have to emphasize these. Remember that most employers have only a fleeting idea of what Aspergers is. Tell your potential employer that you bring a lot of good attributes to a job. Don't deny that you can be a bit odd on occasion, but the good greatly outweighs the odd.

Perhaps you should start a thread asking people on this site to identify the good qualities of Aspergers. I think sometimes we all need to be reminded that we aren't broken or flawed. We just operate in a different manner that can be very valuable if used properly.

Lars

Didn't make it up- Monkey did. I'm going to make it into a Tee shirt for myself when I have time.

I am in the same position, actually, This post is incredibly well timed. I suppose I shall come out to my potential employer, too. It seems that it would be best. Ah, the NT mask. I through it in the bin and have been adjusting ever since. So, now I stick out. But, I always have, so nothing is really different, is it?

I am in the same position, actually, This post is incredibly well timed. I suppose I shall come out to my potential employer, too. It seems that it would be best. Ah, the NT mask. I through it in the bin and have been adjusting ever since.