i have my first job interview tomorrow, but was never given any job coaching in school (despite being in special ed). i need some help from autistic adults

for a little background, i also suffer from ptsd, schizophrenia, and bad anxiety.

i’m 20 years old and i’m autistic. so i’m aware that these things are also factors but i feel like my main problem is my autistic social skills.

i’m very very nervous, i’m pretty much unable to lie so the fact that i’ll have to talk myself up is making me scared. i’m also worried that i’ll mess up. i tend to talk way too much about the least important things. i embarrass myself a lot in social situations. kind of sucks

so i guess the point of this post is my asking for your guys’ experienced with interviews and faking social skills? what kind of questions did they ask you? please please go into detail so i can understand. thank you :)

  • yea they are weird,,  may be a cut and paste mistake 

  • they won't work as they point to a local network

  • They smell a bit funny to me.....

  • why  the strange links ?  please remove them

  • Thank you all for your responses and help.

  • I am very prone  to speaking way too much.  Stick to the STAR technique.

    Have it written on a piece of paper in front of you. I really shouldn't be giving u advice on interviews I am so bad at them myself !

    Tip: Also have some  questions about the job you are going to be doing and know something about the place u are going to be working for. 

    dont worry about embarrassing yourself, who doesn't do that every so often, it just makes you more fun to be around.  So just think of yourself as fun, spontaneous  and a unique thinker.

    the odds of these questions coming up is high

    What are your weaknesses ?

    from internet

    Here are a few examples of the best weaknesses to mention in an interview:
    1. I focus too much on the details. ...
    2. I have a hard time letting go of a project. ...
    3. I have trouble saying no. ...
    4. I feel stressed when projects run beyond the deadline. ...
    5. I could use more experience in… ...
    6. I sometimes have trouble asking for help.

    What are your strengths ?

    from internet

    Here are a few other aspects of a perfect "what are your strengths" example answer:

    • Your greatest strength happens to be a skill you need to do the job. 
    • Your greatest strength sets you apart from other candidates. 
    • You show off your communication skills when you provide the answer.

    the more interviews you do,, the better u get at them. So do as many as you can and eventually you will get one. 

  • there is the STAR techniques which goes down well 

    STAR

    www.themuse.com/.../star-interview-method

  • This all depends on what kind of job you are interviewing for, but a good approach is to look at the job description and think about what questions they might ask you so you can demonstrate you meet the job description in your answers. Some job descriptions even tell you which elements are checked in the written application, interview or both so you can narrow it down to the topics that will definitely be covered in the interview. 

    Interviews these days are all about saying the right things so you get the points, or at least they are in my area of work. I think autistoc people are passionate about things like honesty, accuracy, efficiency which are valued in workplaces. Our downside is the anxiety that can come if we don't meet the high expectations we set ourselves but personally I think that should be incentive for our employers to train us well and then it won't be as big of an issue. 

  • Potential question types are:

    "Tell us why you thing you are suitable..." - It's a very open and very daunting question, but it's intended to put you at ease and give you a window to talk about your strengths. Spend some time thinking about what you think your best asset is to make you good at it.

    "Give me an example of when you have done X?" - Just talk from your experience (examples can be from something you did at school, in your free time, too) If you can't express, why it would be interesting for you to learn about that or what you think you would do.

    "What would you do if...Y happened" - it's hypothetical. Take your time and think it through logically.

  • Goodness. Job coaching is a big topic. If only I had several hours to coach you one on one.

    But as some one who has taken and fluffed interviews, taken and got jobs I wanted, and hired others, the best advice I can give is, forget faking social skills. I'd take someone socially awkward, perhaps, but honest and willing to learn, over some one who can talk a good talk but doesn't back that up with much substance, any day of the week.

    Think about the skills the job requires (read the job description carefully before you go) and give a good account of thoes, either by giving examples of when you've done something like that in the past (doesn't matter if it's from a situation unrelated to this job - you might have done something like that as part of a hobby), or an account of how you would do about it if you were in the job.

    ...and relax. It won't be the last interview you ever do. They all get easier with practice.  

    Good luck

  • Oh goodness. I think If I had more detail I might have suggestions. What are you interviewing for? If it's a job which doesn't require too much social interaction, it sounds like that could be good. 

    What are you good at? For every thing we might find difficult, there's always another side to it. For instance, someone who's really skilled at intense detail won't be good at managing a whole floor of staff. They're better off soldering in the back. We can't have it both ways. 

    What are you willing to learn? Most employers for basic jobs want dedicated, hard working and trustworthy individuals who are willing to go a little extra to understand what's required from them. Asking for specific responsibilities is a way of actively engaging and seeming interested. Then, if this is a job you know you can show up to on time and perform, then you're the right person for the job. Everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses, just not everyone has identified 'disabilities'. Why choose someone with out them if they seem lazy and you appear dedicated? Why choose someone who's too chatty if you're focused on task.

    You don't need to lie. You don't need to say too much. But find out as much as you can about the job - you don't take a job you won't be good at, either. Ask questions. And if you can remember, find one interesting element about the human interviewing you, as people like to feel important. It's a nice little ethic to recall. At the end of the day, character counts above all :) 

  • I've grown up with anxiety and trauma too, I've done bad during job interviews as well, but social skills are a skill, and it's something that can be built up. 

    There was something I watched long ago, of an actor who stopped caring about whether they got the job or not, and just went into the job interview comfortable, smiling, and enjoying their time there, because they didn't think they'll get the job anyways, so they were more relaxed about everything, and in the end they got the job, because they came across as being confident to the interviewers. 

    Now I just go to the job interview relaxed and smiling, and trying to enjoy my time there. Like a questionnaire, they'll just ask you about skills you have, and any situations or examples you can give where you've used those skills. I like helping people, and I'll list volunteer experiences where I have helped people, or worked as a part of a team, or used computer skills. Things like that. 

    Anyways, I wish you the best on your interview.