Which job sectors do people work in ?

It's very interesting to hear about the sectors and roles people have tried, the ones they have enjoyed, Why? and the aspects that have been difficult. 

I would encourage anyone who's found a role that's been stimulating or with a progressive employer to seek out similar roles or even revisit the same employer if you left on good terms. I can see from the autistic tendency to (self) isolate, whether out of an energetic need or lack of social interest, it's very easy to maintain negative beliefs about oneself in the absence of opportunities to discuss and compare these with others. This is clearly why online forums such as this have real power and potential for autistic people. 

As companies become aware of the strengths of a neurodiverse workforce good opportunities should increase with a bit of guidance and direction from autistic people. 

Good employers welcome people who value honesty, commitment, integrity and possess a desire to hone their skills. If you can demonstrate that your values, commitment and willingness are present, then you are in a good position even if you lack some of the required experience or skills (people can learn when motivated). I'd encourage people to apply for job roles when this is the case.

I'm sometimes involved in shortlisting applications and interviews as part of my role. It's very clear from the thorough approach and depth of answer those candidates who are genuinely interested in and motivated by a role compared to those who are just looking for a (any) job. Recruitment is expensive and wise companies are the ones that wish to retain and develop their staff.

I imagine a tendency to struggle with general open-ended questions means that people with ASC may often exclude relevant information from their CV's unless they are specifically asked. Neuro-diverse job seekers could benefit from asking a job coach or trusted friend to talk through their application with them and draw out more of this lost detail.

Misheard Lyrics Out of curiosity, what do you think prospective employers mean when they ask for 'good communication skills and teamwork'? 

What would this 'look' like?

How would a person behave if they possess strong skills in these areas?

***On a related theme... I plan to ask the HR department at my work to insert a phrase into our job/person specs saying something along the lines of:

 '...we welcome and encourage people of all backgrounds to apply including those who identify as neurodiverse/ on the autistic spectrum'

to ensure that we don't miss out on attracting good candidates who are loyal, skilled and compassionate.

Yup, definitely Autistic! said:

‘***On a related theme... I plan to ask the HR department at my work to insert a phrase into our job/person specs saying something along the lines of:

 '...we welcome and encourage people of all backgrounds to apply including those who identify as neurodiverse/ on the autistic spectrum'

to ensure that we don't miss out on attracting good candidates who are loyal, skilled and compassionate.’

My current employer uses these phrases when hiring:

‘’A’ will make every endeavour to make any reasonable adjustments for applicants who require assistance in carrying out their duties due to a disability.

‘A’ welcomes applications from all sections of the community.’

They also ensure that all disabled candidates who meet the minimum essential criteria (there are always essential and desirable criteria listed) in the person specification for a job are shortlisted.

That’s a pretty disability friendly employer I’d say, which made me feel comfortable enough to disclose my Asperger’s on the application form, and the application/interview/hiring process was certainly made as easy for me as possible by them. If only more employers were like this...

Yup, definitely Autistic! said:

‘***On a related theme... I plan to ask the HR department at my work to insert a phrase into our job/person specs saying something along the lines of:

 '...we welcome and encourage people of all backgrounds to apply including those who identify as neurodiverse/ on the autistic spectrum'

to ensure that we don't miss out on attracting good candidates who are loyal, skilled and compassionate.’

My current employer uses these phrases when hiring:

‘’A’ will make every endeavour to make any reasonable adjustments for applicants who require assistance in carrying out their duties due to a disability.

‘A’ welcomes applications from all sections of the community.’

They also ensure that all disabled candidates who meet the minimum essential criteria (there are always essential and desirable criteria listed) in the person specification for a job are shortlisted.

That’s a pretty disability friendly employer I’d say, which made me feel comfortable enough to disclose my Asperger’s on the application form, and the application/interview/hiring process was certainly made as easy for me as possible by them. If only more employers were like this...

NAS36609

Thank you for sharing examples of other inclusion statements that your employer uses.

I liked mention of reasonable adjustments in particular.