Discrimination by interviewers against people on the spectru

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What would you say the odds are that an interviewer would discriminate against you if they knew you were diagnosed with HFA or ASD? In other words, would it be unwise to admit that you have HFA/ASD to an interviewer? On the one hand, it would give you a legitimate explanation for your unusual behaviour and failure to conform to unwritten social rules but if the interviewer happens to be uninformed about high functioning autism and/or a bit on the ignorant side, they may view you as mentally unfit for the job.

I think it be highly they wouldn't hire you and they can just say they found someone better who qualified more for the job and not tell you the real reason why you didn't get the job.

I don't find it unwise to not tell them you have it because why tell them if they may discriminate? You can't win.

Anyone who thinks this doesn't happen is naive.

I think I'm high-functioning enough to get away with not telling people at first. I am currently working as an egg packer at a farm in dire need of help, so I also suppose it didn't matter.

Remember, there are people that will ONLY hire people on the spectrum, because we may work a bit more slowly but we are much more accurate, an therefore more efficient.

How about under-disclosing such as: 'And I can be a bit of a nerd, sure . . . '

And keep it relatively brief.

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One thing that's taken me a while to wrap my mind around, especially in a formal setting like with "human resources."

The person asks questions as if they seemingly want to have a real conversation.

But they're really looking for just the plain vanilla answers.

Aspies are screwed in finding gainful employment, regardless of whether they tell employers they have Aspergers. We just don't have the social skills that they value so much.

Then why have I been employed by the same employer for the last 15+ years? It certainly has nothing to do with my looks, and my social skills have been described as something "less than diplomatic"! Your sweeping generalization fails in light of the evidence.

Heh, I found a way around this by telling them about my aspergers after I was hired, then they technically couldn't get rid of me. They did however make my stay a living misery, so I had to leave.

It seems you're the one making a generalisation. Just because a few Aspies are able to find well-paying jobs doesn't mean that all or most do. I'm guessing you have a technical background.

No, kid ... a Sweeping Generalization occurs when a person (you, for example) makes a claim like "Aspies are screwed in finding gainful employment, , regardless of whether they tell employers they have Aspergers." (et cetera). I am an Aspie, and I am not screwed in finding gainful employment. My example reveals the false nature of your sweeping generalization. QED

I made no such generalization.


Then why do you claim that "Aspies are screwed in finding gainful employment, regardless of whether they tell employers they have Aspergers."?

Why do you further claim that social skills are important to employers? There are employers that value technical skills over being able to schmooze over coffee. Of course, if a person with no social skills keeps applying for positions that require social skills, then they're likely to be turned down every time. If the same person has no technical skills either, then there may not be much left except writing, assembly-line work and other forms of solitary or manual labor.

And yes, I have a technical background (MSEE). I'm also a writer and a CAD operator.

So are you just mad I didn't use the adjective most? Why are you being so hostile just because you disagree? Obviously Aspies, even well-educated ones, are prone to unemployment/underemployment. Why are you pretending otherwise just because you've been fortunate? You're only one anecdote. I haven't been on this forum very long, but a personal attack like yours is making me very uncomfortable.

Social skills are invaluable to obtaining a job as networking is how most jobs are gained in the current economy. Social skills also matter for interviewing. If you speak too bluntly or can't make eye contact (both of which are common Aspy traits), that will turn an employer off, even if they don't know you have Aspergers. You said you've been at the same job for 15 years....I suspect it was a very different job market 15 years ago.

I am not angry at all. It is you who seems to be feeling anger.


No hostility intended. I am merely asking questions in an effort to clarify your position.


I have never stated otherwise.


You are accusing me of things I have not said.


No, I have not been fortunate. I have been determined to make something of myself instead of doing nothing except and whine about how no one will hire me.


No, I am a PERSON. You would do well to remember that.


Questions are not personal attacks. Accusing someone of saying something that they did not say is a personal attack, however.


Then smile, relax, be pleasant, answer only those questions that are asked, and make the eye contact. Surely, you can do this for 20 minutes, can't you? If not, then why place the blame on others? It is your behavior, not theirs, that is being judged.

And before you bag on me for over-simplifying, let me point out that when my interview was over, I went out to the parking lot and threw up on the bushes - it was that stressful for me. I almost did not show up for my first day of work because I was so anxious. Even now, I sometimes sit in my car for a half-hour before work to get up the nerve to even walk in.

Yes, it's difficult, but it can be done.


Not really. I signed on after the advent of the World Wide Web, and before the Tech Bubble even got started.

I have interviewed many candidates for technical positions. In all the cases where my "Hire on technical skills" policy was over-ridden in favor of the others' "Hire on social skills" policy, the candidate was eventually fired for their poor quality of work and their lack of dedication to the job - if they did not flunk out of their probationary period within the first few weeks - and everyone seemed surprised that "such a nice guy" was let go.

Meanwhile, most of those hired for their tech skills are still here, if they have not moved on to bigger and better things.

Yes, social skills are important, but not so much as you might think, especially when it comes down to actual job performance.

Keep in mind that many of us with aspergers also have performance issues due to our need for things to be just right or not too complicated/overwhelming in order to function properly. These are just a few things that make us face-plant enough to get fired or most of our hours taken away. Lack of social skills and extreme social anxiety plague us... 99.99% percent of people don't want to put up with this, never mind our other countless amounts of problems.
Unless a young person has only a mild case, they have a chance. Most young people such as ourselves will need A LOT of help and understanding from our employers, families and government in order to make it. Maybe you didn't need all that help? Well if that's true then consider yourself gifted, lucky, or mild - either one would explain a lot. Most aspies live with their parents and volunteer at various places for their whole lives. The only reason I'm not is because I'm lucky enough to get the extra help I need to get my own place and family.

I understand that all too well, since I was once a bitter young Aspie male trying to figure out why the hell no one would hire me. The difference being that I was determined to overcome whatever it was that was keeping me back.

Y'see, back then AS was not yet officially recognized, and folks blamed only my "lousy attitude" for my unemployment. So I tried to figure out what they meant, and did something about it. No therapists, no support groups, and no social websites dedicated to Aspies to help me along, either.

Acting lessons helped, even though I had to force myself out of the paralysis of performance anxiety just to walk into the classroom. Employment counseling helped, even though most of the "counselors" had not one clue as to what real unemployment was all about. "Dressing for Success" helped, even though hardly anyone wears a three-piece suit after the final interview (unless they're in upper management).

No, what helped is that I did not give up. I never said, "This is hopeless, no one will hire me, why bother even trying?" I kept at it until someone hired me, and then I forced myself to show up on time, ready to work, in spite of the fear of failure and the hostility of my co-workers.

The alternative was starving on the street.

Yep. Not telling them and trying your best during the interview to be someone the employer wants will be your best chance at getting the job. After you get hired, you might decide to tell your manager more about your strengths/weaknesses without disclosing the disability so that they can better direct your attention.

Except, the difference between you and most other aspies is that once you finally got the job that you have now, you were able to keep it without hours or pay getting taken away, or getting fired all together. Showing up on time and being ready for work doesn't doesn't guarantee you a long-term job. If it did, I would still have a job myself (instead of continually failing). An aspie can try working with the general public all his life and will fail until he becomes an older adult (as you know, once you reach 30-40 it's possible to overcome most of your aspergers) or fail until he dies because it's also possible to never overcome your mental sickness. It's just that you keep talking like anyone can do what you did and I just know too many aspies out there (in real life) and I'm serious when I say their case is too severe to do it on their own. In order to keep a job, they will NEED organizations sticking up for them in the workplace, and a lot of understanding from their boss and co-workers. Declaring your disabilities to your place of work isn't good enough (as I've learned the hard way).
Personally I'm just going to try to go back to school at some point, then try for some kind of filing or writing occupation. Even then I might fail, depending on what the job is like... I just think that if I have a slim chance, it could be there. All other jobs I know of heavily revolve around the general public and would be completely impossible. I know my limitations well. It may not be impossible for you, but like I said, you can't speak for everyone because you are either gifted, mild, or lucky.

There were failures...

... The city job where I had 4 supervisors, each from a different department. When they finally agreed on who my real boss should be, that person fired me the next day. This was the only job that required my EE degree for the next year and a half.

... The vending machine service job where some tweaker (meth addict) went ape-shirt on me and threatened to kill me. The boss fired me that afternoon for "not fitting in".

... The truck-driving job where I had to only travel from Point A to Point B and back again twice a day. Someone called the supervisor after a couple of months and said that I'd cut her off on a freeway that I never took, so dispatcher fired me as soon as I stepped out of the truck.

... The appliance repair job where someone penciled my name into the schedule for "Saturday Sales" without telling me, and the boss fired me first thing Monday morning for not showing up.

... The three or four other temp jobs (one was a "volunteer-with-lunch" job - no pay) that lasted a day or less -- painting lines in a parking lot, setting up before a concert, cleaning up after another concert, and chopping meat and vegetables for a church fund-raiser (lunch).

THEN I got the job I have now -- but I never stopped trying!