First job rejection since diagnosis. Why are interviews seen as the best way to judge your abilities?

Auticon sounds like a good place to try! You're welcome I'm not often calm, so I have to make the most of those moments!

The interview letters I receive have a statement along the line of please contact x if you need any adjustments so I just email them with explaining what adjustments I'd like. Like you said most people have no idea what autism means, or what many other lables mean either, so they're more interested in what you need rather than the why. For the interview stage I also request that I'm presented with each question on an individual piece of dark green paper in Ariel font 12. Without this written prompt I often get muddled up on what question I'm meant to be specifically answering.

Interviewing as an autistic individual is a completely different subject to the academic one you've just graduated from and your just at the start of this learning experience. As such, its likely to take time, as well as trial and error, to figure out what you require to perform at your best so please don't get too downhearted if it takes a few attempts to secure a post. 

I'm glad you've found the discussion your post has prompted helpful. 

Very interesting link, thank you. 

Your positive experience is very reassuring to hear, thank you. So you were able to ask for and receive these adjustments to the interview process without actually having to disclose the nature of your condition? That would be my ideal scenario. 

I take your point on assuming the prejudice of the interviewer. I imagine I am making those assumptions based on past workplace experiences of colleagues/managers. I am not giving the interviewers the chance to be supportive of my needs by not asking for adjustments. I have always felt asking for help or support was a weakness or asking for special treatment that I don't deserve. I don't see it that way for other people who do ask but just for myself. I cannot bear the thought of people feeling pity or patronising me so my (unsuccessful) strategy so far has been to try and appear as normal as possible and not ask for help. No, that is not working out so well for me.

It is refreshing to have an alternative point of view described calmly and logically, as you have. I have often seen differing opinions online just turn into name calling and no one's understanding is developed. I am relatively new to this forum but it appears to be a good place for information and exchange of ideas. You have given me a different perspective to consider, thank you.

 https://dareuk.org/

I think I got that sensory overload thing last summer. I was just in pieces throughout. Never happened before. No flow.

Getting info in advance seems like a good idea if they will do that. Of course it's tough to know how to ask for these things. I did have someone listen sympathetically on that occasion but I didn't really know what it was I needed. 

Having a quiet, clam space beforehand may be really important. I noticed that I had that recently (one of my interviewer's was late) and I performed well.  

I think it's right what I've been told, that interviewer's tend to have a preconceived idea of the person they want or which characteristics would put you into that category. So I'm not sure there's a lot you can do about it in interview. Maybe the best advice is just to be who you are and regard the interview as nothing more than finding out whether that's who they wanted or not. 

My requests has always been received warmly and my pass rate for interviews is extremely high. I only tend to not get the post if they've decided to give it as a promotion to someone who works there already and I've only ever had the adjustments I need challenged once. This has meant that most of the time I've never had to disclose that I need these due to being autistic, dyslexic and having ADHD. I'm of the mind that although society labels me as disabled I am not, so I don't tick the disabled box either. A key requirement of the jobs I apply for is confidence (I'm a teacher) and by asking for the support I need right from the start I'm demonstrating that I am confident and will ask for the conditions I need to perform at my best.

If you do need adjustments when you start post, as you state you will be requesting, surely its better to find out at the interview stage if the employer is discriminatory or not? If you start the job and the employer doesn't want to give you adjustments they won't, as is demonstrated by the high number of people on these boards who going through the tribunal process.

I've found the autistic community to be incredibly discriminatory towards others, for example, assuming an interviewer will be prejudice against those labelled as disabled simply because that person has the label of interviewer. I don't want to be like this and would rather approach situations with an open mind. I've interviewed candidates and as someone who asks for adjustments I certainly wouldn't be put off employing individuals like me. Furthermore, my husband's a senior manager and he has a wife whose has numerous lables, plus we have a daughter who might turn out to be autistic too (she's a newborn at the minute). He see's every day how lables do not effect talent, drive or ambition and he has a wide range of people in his team, including people with autism and MH conditions. After all a successful team needs different personalities and skills. When you apply for a post you generally have no idea of the background of the people on the panel. 

Hello. I was referring to academic intelligence but this also related directly to the job I applied for. I didn't make any requests regarding the interview, as I thought this would go against me in the selection process - if not officially then at least in the minds of the interviewers (If she's causing this much trouble for just an interview...). To have the questions in advance would make a massive difference to how I perform in an interview but I never considered that this would be a possibility. How has this request been received in your experience?  

Thank you DuckBread. Yes, I've had a reply further down about a company called Auticon that do things differently, so there is hope. Perhaps recruitment processes will change in the future to include all the talented people that are just not interested in talking a load of waffle in interviews. Thanks for the encouragement, you sound like a calm voice of reason.

Hi Aidie

I am currently feeling as though I never want to go through another interview again! They are so draining, and have never got easier for me unfortunately. 

Computing degree.

Although being a small female with blonde hair and regional accent usually means my intelligence is underestimated within first 5 seconds! 

That was such an interesting link - thank you. I could agree with a lot of Susanna Viljanen's points. It is not intentional arrogance but I'm sure some people would see me that way. 'You scare people' made me laugh - it's laugh or cry.

Hi there, thanks for your reply. There was a question on the application form to disclose a disability but I don't like to think of myself as disabled so I ticked 'do not wish to say'. Rightly or wrongly, I also think that if I disclosed my diagnosis before my interview I would be less likely to get the position, as most people have no real understanding of the condition. I had decided that if I was offered the job I would then disclose my condition to gain appropriate support (that was a big decision). Perhaps that's why I feel so bad about the rejection as I was going to actually drop the normal act once they let me in. 

You say you have a high level of intelligence but is this related to the skills you need for the workplace or simply academic intelligence. It is clear you know that workplace interviews are an that you struggle with but how did you deploy your intelligence to limit or overcome the areas you find challenging in these situations? For example, did you confidently explain your needs and deploy any strategies you need to perform at your best? I often suffer from sensory overload in these situations, which affects so my processing speed. As such, I get the interview panel to provide me with the questions in advance so that I thoroughly think through what I want to say before I'm placed in the interview situation. 

Thanks earthbrother. I can well believe interviews are the least effective. Thanks for suggesting Auticon, I've just had a look at them - what a great set up. Unfortunately I don't live anywhere near their base but it's good to know they are doing things differently. Practical tests over interviews any day!

I feel strongly about this, in the same way as you do, Biblio44. Tests have shown that interviews are about the least effective form of assessment among those which are used, with a correlation to how well people actually do the job of about 20%. I'm speaking from memory of a university lecture. 

Do check out a company called auticon just to see how amazingly well recruitment can be done. If computer programming is something you can do then perhaps you could even consider applying for a job with them!

Hello Biblio44, I have also recently come onto the forum, having been diagnosed with Level 2 ASD. Please do feel free to ask any questions and read my profile. I'm sure that everyone on here will give their best advice.

Congratulations on getting your degree, it's nice to hear from other academics!

I know how frustrating it is to be turned down for jobs. I finished my degree four years ago and I have been rejected for pretty much every position that I have applied for. You know and you employer probably knows that you can do the job without any issues. However, for whatever reason, they turn you down. During interviews that I have, I try, but struggle, to expand on my knowledge of things. Also, my lack of experience of the workplace does not help.

The NHS has an option of disclosing any disabilities, I know that Autism is classed as a condition. During the application process, there is an option of choosing to be prioritised for interview should you hold the relevant skills.

On Find A Job, on the lower corner of some job adverts there is a logo stating that the certain company is Autism Friendly.

one of the comments there says:

You scare people. Arrogance on the part of the able is even more offensive than the arrogance of those without ability, because ability itself is offensive. People perceive merit and ability as something terrifying, something to be wary of, a threat. And being scared is only one step from being hostile and wanting to eliminate the threat. Friends come and go, but enemies accumulate.

Perhaps you did a poor job hiding your intelligence. Google for:

quora disadvantages of high iq

and go to first page found, on that page read the first answer, written by:

Susanna Viljanen, works at Aalto University

read and weep.

not really - i hate interviews as well --- do as many as possible - that way they get easier

what is ur degree in ?