Finding and Keeping jobs - Tips and Advice

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If you have been employed for a while though they do have a vested interest in keeping you vs a new guy (this is assuming they don't eliminate your position due to downsizing) because new guy costs money to hire, and since they will be slower vs. experienced guy there's cost in loss to productivity too. So the advise is try to keep the job that you do have unless you got a good reason to leave...

This still depends on how much they value you.
Junior engineers are pretty disposable and there's a waiting list of placement students eager to do their job for free on a year out just to put some experience on their CVs.
Become too system critical and you're seen as a roadblock and viewed with suspicion, are you actually holding back the team by not sharing the knowledge to safe guard your own position? Watch how fast you start getting locked out of new development.
Depending on the job, staying somewhere too long also becomes a negative as you become too silo-ed, not generic enough, institutionalised and unemployable to other companies, trapped and of lesser value as you're not going anywhere and they know it

I'm not sure what kind of engineering firm you are working in, there are many different types... I will assume computer related since it sounded very competitive.

I mean if it's so competitive that there's a huge pool of people willing to work for free for "exposure", then perhaps it's not a very good place for anyone with Asperger's to be in. Truthfully anyone with asperger's is already at a disadvantage when the competition is based on your "likability" and unfortunately gets let go a lot in a probationary period.

I read that anything computer related is extremely competitive, where even unpaid internship require 3 years of experience (why anyone with experience would do internship is beyond me, that's the whole point of internship).

Software engineering. It's become more competitive in the past 8 or so years, but that could just be globalisation, the world and ousourcing. It's a good job, but no longer a job for life

Diversify and hustle to expand your portfolio.

My autistic mother struggled through nursing school. Got into a car accident and lost her nursing job due to the nerve damage and memory loss. Inability to keep up once back on the job, coupled with her ptsd from the accident, lost her every other job she ever got until she just gave up.

Finally, she decided if people won't hire or keep her, then she would hire myself, much like Sylvester Stallone when no one wanted caste a ripped Italian.

She did some research, and started a company. Then with all the extra money that was left over after paying expenses, she started other small organizations and businesses that were still in the health care and caretaking fields, only adding to her legitimacy and public image within the field. Now she is building a name as an advocate for seniors in our tri county area. At least 5 to 10 phone calls a day asking about services or help.

Thank god for my mom! After a rocky deployment in Iraq, I too was dealing with a hard transition.

In the army, there was no time clock. I worked until my work was done. If I finished I found something else productive to keep me occupied. My favorite army gift? Being left alone when there really isn't anything left to do. During this time we "cross train" meaning we learn the skills of our co workers, or we work out or go home.

CIVILIANS DO NOT GET THIS

To them if you are being paid for 10 hours, something better be getting done for 10 hours and usually it better be the exact task they hired you for. They would rather you stretch your job out than be efficient and get your work done.

Once i had made all my emails and calls at a boring office and new the recipients would not contact me for another hour. To remain occupied I asked my co-worker to teach me her job.

The assistant manager made me go back to my seat.

Once, I wanted to surprise my manager at an office job so I showed up to work before everyone else, including her, and got the whole days work done before we even clocked in. My manager called me in the office and screamed at me like I was a child.

She said it was because I clocked in. I told her I understood that, but only because I planned on clocking out early and spending the extra time learning more skills.

She didn't care.

I sent a nice public email to the entire building about my feelings on this and quit. All coworkers could not understand why I did not understand my managers concerns.

Job after civilian job I realized everyone was doing maximum work, for minimum pay, and were being treated like infants while doing so.

I took a page from my mom's book.

I'm still an administrative assistant, but I work from home for MYSELF now.

Entrepreneurs have to keep funds low when they are starting out. Contractors work better for them than employees because there are no serious obligations. Each one pays me part time to send emails, make phone calls, do research, attend meetings, and I even get to oversee marketing materials for some these companies. Some even offer me full time positions when they expand. Enough companies paying me part time eventually adds up to full-time pay if I want, but it's up to me when I work and who I work for and I even get to tell people how I will help them rather than having orders shoved down my throat.

At a regular job I sit in front of a hiring manager who makes it clear that they are doing me a big favor and that they have a precise paradigm of who I should be as their employee.

Working for MYSELF, people come to me with a completely different mind set. They don't want a slave. They want help. And whether I get my job in 20 minutes or the 3 hours they pay me for is unimportant.

Now instead of being told I can't study under co workers, I now hop online and take quick classes to build my own skills so in more marketable to work from home doing this easy rewarding work.

Seeing how easy these entrepreneurs have started their businesses, has set me on the path of stating my own too.

To get the money,I'm slowly upping how much I make a week. Already in one month I've gone from $1,300 a month to $1,450.

I made all that money in my underwear on the couch with my poodles. Glass of wine in my other hand.

Now I want more. My friend who manages a successful online start has introduced me to product design. I am now designing a few products with my fiance that are capable of turning profit once we start production.

My extra money? Less fast food and movies. I even turned off the cable.

Now just internet so I can research our ideas.

Saved $200 to put my fiance in a course. When he's done. I expect him to make at least an extra $50 to $200 a year.

Doesn't sound like much I know, but it adds up and now that I don't get too lost in the extreme future and focus on small increments of progress one month at a time, I know now that in $10 years I will make at least $40,000 a year and will be able to take breaks whenever I want and promote/advice myself.

Being autistic has caused me to just now feel like a real adult at the start of my late 20s. Finally I don't feel behind. Because I know how successful people truly make it now. They build systems that suit themselves, not others.

If you are reading this and can identify, master some simple skills people with money don't know, and become your own boss.

Most people on the Autism spectrum are poor hustlers... Asking them to hustle is like using a lawnmower as ceiling fans... It won't move much air and it's dangerous.

I don't know about the US military but when I was in the military in Taiwan if we worked fast, we got more and more jobs. We do not get free time unless it's a designated free time.

As for you getting chewed out for getting all your work done before you clock in, is your position hourly or salaried? If it's hourly then you've worked off the clock and I wouldn't be surprised if you got fired for that, because that is a big no-no and the company will get into serious trouble for this. Also in an hourly position you're supposed to just do your job on the clock, the company already figured out how it's going to work so if you're following their time table, and you could have worked faster then it's their loss... I mean if you could work faster, then let the management know because I'm sure they'd be happier if you could get more done in less time, probably something you can negotiate a raise over...I'm going to assume you're hourly because you "clock in", since salaried people do not "clock in" or anything.

I think I'm part of a special class: people with Asperger's who go into teaching. I need a lot of help and advice on how to build and maintain positive relationships with the students and how to enact effective caring discipline. I think I have so much trouble now because my students think I don't really care. I wish I knew how to change their opinion, because that's absolutely not true. I care a lot about them; I'm just having trouble with certain aspects of my job.

My first instinct was to ask my cooperating teachers during student teaching, but I was told that I should have learned that already at an earlier time in the teacher education program. I'm pretty frustrated. I went through three student teaching experiences and sat frozen petrified and overwhelmed and learned very little each time.

For one thing, I'm not an authoritarian personality. I'm more of a collaborator. I like to work in groups where everyone is in charge, sort of.

Once upon a time I was a bartender. I made a comfortable living and I loved the schedule. Problem was the small talk, and not just the small talk. Add alcohol and you get repetitive small talk. I'm not sure how I managed to do that for more than a decade, but I finally decided it was killing me. A nasty, unrelenting depression had its tentacles sunk into my very soul.
So I finished my bachelor's degree and went on to get a graduate degree in paralegal studies. So now I'm well rounded and pretty educated. I learned to mimic very early, so I can appear to have no trouble with social interactions--on the outside. Meanwhile I'm hoping I will get to the restroom in time for my guts to explode.
I just finished up a temp assignment where I was lead to believe I would be hired full time. Hindsight is telling me I was working for a sociopath who had no intention of hiring me, but wanted the job done well until she found the pretty, young, non-aspie to fill the position. She did not even bother to let me know, she just put it on the calendar I managed. I stopped inhaling, and fled the building. I truly felt like someone had knocked the air out of me. Why wasn't I worthy of being told: in person, via text, email, anything other than just 'finding out.'
And she stole 6 months of my life, when I was freshly out of school. I've not kept up with my references, so that makes an awkward conversation: Hi Professor So and So, I was wondering if you remember me from our real estate law class? No? I sat in the front left seat and I wear glasses. Anyway, I just freaked out and abandoned my job, can you give me a reference?
Now I'm paralyzed. I'm thinking of collecting cans to recycle, since I cannot even fathom an interview. I loathe the fakery.
Has anyone tried telling the interviewer of your asperger's from the get-go? I'm thinking that may scare the employer into hiring you for fear of discrimination? (Getting desperate here, sorry if my ideas sound wacky.)

Yes, actually I did mention it to my latest interviewer. And it seemed to work, as they have some staff members with members of their family with Aspergers, so they get it, as well as my trouble finding work in the 3 or so years since graduation due to Aspegers and the bad economy.

As for temp assignments, I heard that usually only about 27% or so of those end up going full time, despite what they may say to you.

My thing I'm applying for isn't temp, it's just that you brought that up.

If it's personality to personality, or a job where personality rather than professional ability matters, sure the NT gets it all the time.

As Aspie you must find out what you are good at and show (and be confident in) that, and that you will contribute to the company significantly with your skills.

You may not always get promoted but if companies know you have skills that most NT don't possess, they will at least not pass you over.

I graduated from college with a BFA in animation about a year ago, and ever since I've been struggling to hold a job. I ended up losing my first post college job after I moved. I was extremely stressed and I got very sick and was unable to keep my attendance up. I had a job for a few months at a grocery store near where I live, but I lost that the other week due to my anxiety issues effecting my work, and because I was late to two of the training classes I had. I'm in a really bad spot right now, and I have no idea what to do. I don't think I can do retail or anything heavily dealing with people any more, especially since I've been unable to afford my medication for my anxiety and depression, and I'm struggling to find a better job that'll help me earn enough money for medicine and rent.

HAPPY to PERSONALLY PM with ANY OF YOU!! !

First off - this is a great and helpful thread. Thank you and best wishes to all seeking employment.
Please know that I have seen Both sides of the coin so to speak - have had times of unemployment and now do the hiring. Have also seen how the market has changed in the past 20 years and am proud to be part of a company that still has some human element to it rather than parsed resumes looking for particular buzzwords or networking from a who-knows-who mentality. We grow people and I seek out a variety of characteristics for a variety of positions.

I am seeing some disturbing trends not only with how things are on the end of the companies hiring, but also on that of those seeking work. It seems that not many know how to properly fill out applications, write cover letters and resumes, perform on interviews and follow-up processes. Some of this depends on schooling and background. I get that.

I am not your average interviewer or HR. I am an Aspie! (I know, Ironic, right?)
Still, it is awfully difficult to overlook the basics of people using incorrect spelling, grammar, and punctuation in a day and age when we have spell-check and can (hopefully) use dictionaries! Put your best foot forward and present yourself professionally!

Dress the part - basic hygiene, proper dress, and a smile do go a long way.
I can overlook (and fully understand!) eye contact that isn't strong, nervousness and social skills that may not be the "norm" (especially for NT world), and not being dressed to the nines, but there is no excuse for body odor, bad breath, looking like one just rolled out of bed, or a weak, cold, clammy, limp dead fish of a handshake. There is that which we can work on

Confidence. Display your assets. Know your strengths, play to them. Understand your weaknesses and how they affect you but don't dwell on them. We know that some of our issues can be both (example - my hyperfocus allows me to really dig into details and get a job done, but in certain scenarios would be a detriment if I couldn't notice what was going on around me!) so place the focus on how your characteristics make you good for a particular job!

Desire. Want to work, to learn, to grow. If you have that "want-to", I promise you will find something. Being willing to get a foot in the door or even volunteer shows that you have good attitude and will develop. It really is that simple. I cannot tell you how many folks I see without drive, care, that even seem to want to work. Think they interest me as candidates compared to the ones who do? Granted, we all have our down days, and can suffer rejection, apathy, also depression. Getting control over that will lead to building desire. I do understand it is easier said than done.

Show that you have done some bit of research, do have questions to ask, thank you's are still a nicety.

All this being said, I have learned a great deal in my working life, some of it good, some of it bad, some of it downright ugly.
I BELIEVE IN YOU. I am on your side and will help in any way I can. KEEP TRYING!
KNOW that you have value and can be of importance in the workforce in our world.

Much thought and effort into pros and cons of particular jobs and professions can be helpful...diversifying your skill set is a good idea. Revising your goals and resume can often be helpful. Sometimes using a new format makes all the difference!

I will try to revisit this thread with some specific examples and ideas, just thought it time to help my WP friends as I am so pleased and proud to have finally been able to help some real life Aspies in the workplace...

Many jobs use programs to search for key words and only those resumes are selected. Look for key words in the job posting, and add them to your resume and cover letter.

The job market sucks, so make sure you have a convincing reason for why they would want to hire you. It's tricky, but you have to sell yourself.

If your city/province/state/country has employment centres, join one and attend workshops to teach resume, interview, and job skills. Government sponsored centres usually have more experience with people who are different, and can be designated as safe and harassment free areas.

Nothing seems to be working Perhaps I should work for myself.

i can work alone only. people bother me. im copywriter for 4 years.