Job interviews

I think I have similar experiences as you. I am much better at written applications, but not so good with interviews. I think doing a lot of practice will help. They will typically ask you to talk about your previous work/academic experience that is relevant, and why you want the current job, so it may help to think about answers to possible questions that you think you might be asked (but in my experience, do not memorise your answers word by word, as it would make it hard to be flexible, but try to memorise the general structure, or bullet points to these questions). 

Since you just recently finished your masters, you might be entitled to your university's careers service. There might be people there who could practice a mock interview with you.

By the way, what kind of jobs are you looking for? 

Thank you for your reply. That is good advice. I had not thought about using the university careers service. I will try to get in touch with them. Hopefully they will be able to help me before the interview.

I am applying for Assistant Psychologist roles, and this will be my second Assistant Psychologist interview. I think it is good that I am getting shortlisted, as there is a lot of competition for these roles, so that is a positive. I know this is not a typical area for people with autism to work in but I have worked really hard to improve my communication skills and to get more confident at interacting with others. I know I would be good at the role. It is frustrating that my suitability for the role will be judged in an unfair process.  

A very, very long post!

Here are some suggestions based on many years of being interviewed for jobs: 

Try and find out who will be on the panel. If you are giving a presentation you can phone up to check how many copies to take with you. The person you speak to will sometimes tell you who is going to be doing the interview. Arrangements sometimes change so it is good to be prepared (if there is a panel of 4 I would take 6 handouts).

Where a PowerPoint presentation is requested I email it as well as taking it on a memory stick to avoid glitches. I have also learnt lots of technical tricks with PowerPoint - how to jump slides, move forward and backwards, keep the screen blank while setting up the presentation. As well as reducing stress technical competence is another chance to show your skills and impress!

Plan answers to as many questions as you can. Rehearse actually giving these answers so it becomes natural. Ask someone else to look at the job specification and suggest possible questions too. Talk to people who have been interviewed for similar roles and find out what they were asked. Do online searches for relevant information. It is surprising how much you can find out. Think about any questions you dread being asked - plan how to answer these.

Think about what time of day your interview is. If it early in the morning the panel are likely to be feeling quite fresh. If it is 12 noon they may be feeling hungry and distracted. If it is after lunch (the infamous "graveyard slot") or late in the afternoon they may be feeling tired and you might have to work harder to 'lift' the energy levels in the room.

If you know who is on the interview panel research their background and interests (I realise this might sound a bit creepy!) You may discover someone has done research in a particular area which you can allude to, or you might find out someone enjoys sailing as  hobby and choose to use a relevant metaphor.

Plan what to wear - you need clothes you feel comfortable in and which make you feel confident. You don't want to be distracted by a button that pops open or a collar that feels rough. I am superstitious so I nearly always have a lucky stone in my pocket.

The journey to the interview needs to be planned carefully to avoid stress. Spending time acclimatising after arrival helps me calm down. I often go to the loo where I can do breathing exercises to relax me and stretches to energise me.

During the interview if you are asked a question and your mind goes blank play for time. Say "that's interesting, I need to consider my answer for a moment" or take a sip of water. Take a deep breath. You can also ask for the question to be repeated or rephrased as you want to be sure you are giving a relevant reply. Everyone understands how stressful interviews are so no one will be surprised by this.

Think about applying the principles of NLP - using language in a positive way to give confidence that you can do the job, you want the job and you will fit into the organisation. Remember that every job will include aspects that are outside your current experience and comfort zone. Focus on transferable skills and your ability to adapt and learn.

If you are giving a presentation you can produce a handout to leave behind demonstrating the depth and breadth of your research, your analytical abilities and your ability to present information. One university panel said they were "disturbed" by my use of visual imagery in a handout which did not conform to their ideas about academic content. The next university panel said they were "delighted" by my use of visual imagery which was "original and refreshing". I got the right job for me!

I often have a folder with me which contains the interview invite, job description and person specification, a copy of my application, documents and certificates, examples of relevant pieces of work, personal achievements and endorsements by others. I also include ideas about how I would approach the new role. In one case where the job was all about 'hitting the ground running' I drafted a provisional 3, 6, 9 and 12 month plan. Browsing this folder before the interview boosts my confidence and I have sometimes referred to it during an interview.

The biggest challenge for me is trying to say the right amount - not too little and not too much. Generally I have been forgiven for going on a bit too long and straying into the territory of the next question. When I have said too little, and the interview ended far too quickly, I have never been offered the job. This sometimes reflects the fact that if I am really honest with myself I didn't really want it in the first place! 

You may be invited to ask questions at the end - prepare for this. Your questions are another opportunity to demonstrate that you have researched the job, you understand the role and you want to work with them. I always write down questions in case my mind goes blank. Referring back to notes shows you took time to think about this and prepare. Sometimes I might say something like - "this interview has confirmed just how much I want this job. It's a very good match with my skills, knowledge and experience and I would really enjoy being part of the team."

Don't forget the importance of making sure the role is right for you. On a couple of occasions I explained away the rudeness of the person interviewing me only to discover that I was working for a bully. Use all of your senses and instincts to make sure you will be treated well by colleagues and managers if you accept the role.

Perseverance is probably the most important thing of all. I knew a professor (undiagnosed autistic) who went for more than 30 interviews before he eventually got offered a chair - many people would have given up well before this. Put any previous negative interview experiences behind you and focus on the current opportunity. Autistic people are on an unlevel playing field at the moment when it comes to recruitment - I hope that will improve as ASD and employability get more attention and proper adjustments begin to be made.

I worked for a university employability and careers service at one time - do get in touch and see what they can offer.

Good luck! 

There is no reason at all for an autistic person to avoid person-centred roles. I flourished as a social worker - using research findings, assessment tools and frameworks, legislation, policies and guidance. I persevered and sorted out complex benefits problems colleagues had long since given up on. I made sound judgements based on interviews and observations. My rapport with service users and carers was very good because the approach I used was what is now called co-production.

The key challenges were funding cuts, lack of resources and unmet needs, not my different communication and processing style. I gave up practising as a social worker to become a full-time academic. Research is another career route that allows autistic gifts to flourish. One of the happiest periods in my career was combining social work practice, teaching and research. 

I have worked in libraries too. They are often flagged up as an ideal environment for autistic people, but that rather depends on the type of library and the people who work there. They can be very stifling and toxic environments at times! You need to try and future proof your career by considering how opportunities will decline or expand in years to come. 

Here is a film by Alan Watts which I first watched many years ago. It's a reminder of the benefits that flow from doing something we love for work, rather than simply chasing money:

 https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=khOaAHK7efc

I hope that in the future many more autistic people will be paid a good salary for doing something they are good at and enjoy. There's a long way to go, and change will only come as a result of pressure from all directions. An important part of this is autistic people refusing to modify their aspirations and settle for jobs that require less than they are capable of. Good luck! 

There is no reason at all for an autistic person to avoid person-centred roles. I flourished as a social worker - using research findings, assessment tools and frameworks, legislation, policies and guidance. I persevered and sorted out complex benefits problems colleagues had long since given up on. I made sound judgements based on interviews and observations. My rapport with service users and carers was very good because the approach I used was what is now called co-production.

The key challenges were funding cuts, lack of resources and unmet needs, not my different communication and processing style. I gave up practising as a social worker to become a full-time academic. Research is another career route that allows autistic gifts to flourish. One of the happiest periods in my career was combining social work practice, teaching and research. 

I have worked in libraries too. They are often flagged up as an ideal environment for autistic people, but that rather depends on the type of library and the people who work there. They can be very stifling and toxic environments at times! You need to try and future proof your career by considering how opportunities will decline or expand in years to come. 

Here is a film by Alan Watts which I first watched many years ago. It's a reminder of the benefits that flow from doing something we love for work, rather than simply chasing money:

 https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=khOaAHK7efc

I hope that in the future many more autistic people will be paid a good salary for doing something they are good at and enjoy. There's a long way to go, and change will only come as a result of pressure from all directions. An important part of this is autistic people refusing to modify their aspirations and settle for jobs that require less than they are capable of. Good luck!