Why does the job industry need to change for autistic people?

I aggree with you definetly because there are increasing diagnosis's of Autism around the world now, and the NT's have such high expectations, ignorning the fact that some people [like us] need a few alterations. I don't understand how people think it's easy to get a job or pass all sorts of exams when they don't bother to help us and fit our unique needs. We definetly need to get ourselves heard a lot more because so many people are misjudging and misunderstanding the Autistic society. How are we suppost do things when we are usually ignored ? :]

For me things only settled down into a more comfortable pattern once I sidestepped the corporate world (to which it really felt as though I had a severe allergy) and moved, albeit very slowly, towards self employment.

Hierarchies usually made me miserable in one way or another, alongside workplaces which actually felt toxic to me.  I only wish that I'd known from the start just how miserable a conventional job would make me but still, carving out other avenues in my 40s and 50s gave me a new lease of life and a better perspective, away from situations which were almost bound to be conflictual, especially since I was woefully unaware that I'm autistic.  

Is there an aprenticeahip you could apply for that would be in an area you’d be more comfortable with, and can really show off your skills? If I had known younger I’d of done IT or payroll, rather than retail which was a nightmare. Some employers will see it as a positive if you explain the right way. I had a job as a lab assistant and they seemed to understand more and appreciate the extra attention to detail. 

i tried fitness instructing but alot of scams out there, most places fitness "jobs" are them expecting you to pay them to work there to get a course off them, not exactly a job and very diluted market. had one opportunity with DW sports that got stolen by a useless feckless *** whos mum knew the manager there and then he fecked them off at contract signing as he was useless as i said but ruined my opportunity. 

police i dunno i think they generally go for people with fancy papers that claim they are smart, which is why the police are absolutely worthless and it takes 5 police to struggle with 1 criminal who usually ends up beating all the police up.... id probably have been the right type for the police given that, only takes 1 of me to take 1 criminal down, the state of the police is shocking... but thats what they get when they stick to modern day hiring standards of silly qualifications that mean nothing.

didnt think of fire service though, my grandad was apparently a fireman so my dad says. im sure its mostly voluntary though.

I'm surprised you didn't look slightly wider than the military - what about the fire Service?   Lots of skills and tech to learn and a basic fitness & discipline along the lines of the police model.

Well said. 

tbh money doesnt motivate me as it is which maybe part of the problem too.... when i go for a job there always needs another reason for money doesnt motivate me, perhaps all jobs are too badly paid compared to living expenses that it feels like getting nowhere? 

but my application to join army and navy were not for money or career but for fitness and self improvement lifestyle.... and recently i applied for bar staff job because i figure it can perhaps maybe try fix my social issues and lack of social life... so i dont go for money, i go for self improvement, money just doesnt motivate me.... if it did id be instead saying that to fix work issues they need to pay a decent wage, like adding a extra 0 onto the paychecks and pinning living expenses in place and then perhaps people can scrape through life and maybe even save a little cash while scraping through life.

Caelus said:

UBI would provide a safety net though if done right.

It's failed everywhere it's been tried.    It's a de-motivator for everyone.   Workers see people being paid to do nothing and the ones being paid for nothing lose all motivation to ever try.      Just look at the ex-mining towns in Wales where everyone was just dumped onto the dole or disability when the mines closed. 

And all that happens is a general price rise in everything so within a couple of years, the status quo returns.

the entire system needs a rethink and we need UBI or something, because perhaps work isnt for everyone? 
not that there even is enough work for everyone anyway and with fighting against 100000000000000000 other applicants for every single job theres no chance in hell to get anywhere. you find that the jobs all get offered to 1 guy... and that 1 guy rejects the jobs and opportunities... thus you get a job situation where all the jobs are being offered to 1 guy and he doesnt even take the job and all the 100s of people that wanted it lost out and even the guy that got offered it decided not to take it or ended up being offered 1000 other jobs anyway as the system all picked his as the top in every job wasting everyone elses time and effort.

but what if a person just doesnt feel the job system is for them? what if they are i dunno perhaps so depressed that they cant get themself a job or the motivation for a job and think its all worthless. the system doesnt help, theres nothing anything can do. UBI would provide a safety net though if done right. i suppose pip is there for that but yeah you dont get that, you dont get diagnosed, no one cares... you end up living with parents all life until they die then you become homeless and die. the system sucks.

Here's one of the most thorough articles about demands for good / excellent communication skills in job adverts written back in April 2013 and little has changed since then.  Just meeting job descriptions and 'person specifications' is part of the battle, they tend to combine so many elements. I have computer and numeracy skills so would be well suited to a 'back office' role with a lot of spreadsheet / database / finance work but roles are often combined with reception / telephone / customer / public elements that I would not do well at, so I'm only ever a partial match on any given occasion.

The job market is hard for everyone.     The days of just applying to a job and being given a job are long gone - now it's all software-driven skills matching and US-style hard-hacking through the 1000 applicants to get down to maybe 10 to bother interviewing - even for basic jobs.     If your CV isn't compatible with the system, you're never going to get anywhere.    If you're not great at giving an instant good impression, it's going to be tough.

I think anyone, NT or ASD, can gain sufficient interview skills for that short 'performance' to get a fair chance - there's plenty of youtubes giving hints and techniques - so is it really just being oblivious to the reality of the modern job market and a failure to prepare?

i agree with the most of this 

I'm sorry, I'm not sure exactly what you're trying to say here, it's all a little garbled. I "think" you're saying that employers don't cater for autistic people. Is that right? And that they ask about gender, sexuality etc, but not autism? That nothing is changing. In my 40+ years in the workplace, I've seen a vast change. And they do ask about autism, just not directly. There's usually a box that asks if you have a disability. This one, along with gender etc, is so they can ensure they have diversity in their workforce. You also asked, "what makes us different to anyone else?". I think that one is fairly obvious! No employer can be expected to adapt and operate a business with just one condition in mind. What about those with schizophrenia, bi-polar, BPD, anorexia, bulimia, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia......the list goes on. All an employer can do it to make their environment as inclusive as possible. The problem is, many autistic people can't operate in certain environments (noise sensitivities, light sensitivities, too many people etc, etc.) so how does a basically busy environment adapt to an autistic person's sensitivities? As for guaranteed interviews. How will that help? Apart from wasting time and increasing someone's stress and anxiety levels by having to attend an interview for a job they're not suited to, qualified for or have no chance of getting? That's why they're are pre interview stages, in order to weed out all those that will just be wasting their, and the company's, time. 

On this forum, posts like these are typically posted several times a week. But let's dissect the point you're making.

• What made you come to the conclusion that your autism is why you're being refused interviews/jobs?
  
  
• Do you think other people walk into a job after a one or two interviews?
• How much do you emphasise your autism in forms for interviews?

Yes there is potentially a lot more challenege for autistic people when doing interviews. But I'm also sure you know how much practice interviews take for anyone; it's a skill you have to learn from experience. Autism shouldn't be so much an obstacle but acutally a part of your personality. You shouldn't really need to mention it anywhere other than in a medical form and even then briefly.

At times everyone feels hopeless with job seeking, it's a normal phase to my understanding. But when that happens you have to work out why it's happening and what needs to change. Is it your CV? Is it your work experience? Are you dressing correctly and presenting yourself well? Remember, you are essentially competing with other people in your position and only one of you will get the job.

You should also be aware that saying the wrong thing or screwing up the talking part when in an interview is a natural process of learning. I've personally screwed up interviews for myself because I didn't understand what the guy was implying or if he was joking. So I just kinda sat there and shrugged. But over time I've started to realise the tactics they use, and it's to find out how you work with odd questions and if you would get along with others in the workplace.

You just have to work on it. There are somethings we can't control but, to put bluntly, complaining wont help that. The world is unfair. But you should prioritise a positive mindset because that's a large factor for interviews. If you walk in already down and feeling sorry for yourself, you will find it a lot harder to perform well in an interview.

Statistics shouldn't stop you.