Published on 12, July, 2020
Hi All and Hello,
I've just joined the commnunity - I'm in my early 50's and was diganosed ASD 18 months ago after a period of particularly poor mental health led to burn out and me being out of work for a year.
I am now also awaiting dignosis for ADHD.
I have tried to return to full time work in my previous career managing Engineering Projects however it quickly became apparent to me that after all the years of struggling to get on first in school and then in the workplace I simply do not have the energy anymore to 'mask' my autism and try to 'keep up' in a neurotypical environment. I am currently working 2 days per week on a contract basis handing over my project and find that challenging to maintain.
I know that I need to find a different less demanding job that is more sustainable - as such it would seem logical to me to state that I am autistic on my CV to allow prospective employers to understand why I am changing career, make adjustments and set clear expectations as to what I struggle with as well as what I am good at, however all the advice on line seems to suggest that you shouldn't and I cant find a good example of how to introduce this on a CV.
So my question to the community is what are peoples thoughts - is it best to disclose on your CV or not?
Many Thanks
Jeremy
I wouldn't put it on your CV- too many employers have a poor understanding of autism and that could result in them unfairly rejecting your application. If you need accommodations at the interview stage you might want to bring it up then, but I would still be careful unless you know the company is good for autistic employees- until then, it would be best to discuss just the exact accommodations you need, e.g. interviewing in a room with plenty of natural light if typical office lighting is a sensory problem for you.
Thanks battybats - that seems to be the prevalling wisdom however I would challenge that as being ill thoughout and self defeating. Surely if an employer has a poor understanding of autism then I would be better off not working for them anyway? If I did get a job with such an employer I would be setting myself up for a long battle to educate them and get the accomodations in needed - (which would extend far beyond what the interview room was like) that would all very likely be stressful and accomodations would likely be a phyrric victory.
NAS87081 said:If I did get a job with such an employer I would be setting myself up for a long battle to educate them and get the accomodations in needed
That's true. But A) the law would be on your side. and B) some one has to fight these battles or things will never get better. C) just because you declare your disability and get hired it doesn't mean you will easily get your accommodations. The person who hires you might be more open minded than your line manager, or they might just be scared of being accused of discrimination.
NAS87081 said: am currently applying for a much simpler much lower paid role, processing data - surely when they get my CV they're going to throw it out as I'm 'overqualified' unless I explain somehow?
Not if you point out in your application that you enjoy that sort of work (OK, that may be overstating it a bit) and you want to return to it. If asked why, be partiallly honest and say you found the stresses of a management role were not rewarding for you and you found yourself much happier and more productive in the data entry role.
If pushed say you wouldn't rule out more senior roles in future but you would want a good mentor before you would consider it again.
All honest and likely to lower any red flags the situation has raised.
That's true, and I guess if you're clear that with some reasonable accomodations your autism wouldn't prevent you from doing the job then non-disclosure makes sense.
I guess my particular issue here is slightly different in that I have identified that due to my autistic traits I am not suited to the roles at the senior level that I have been doing - they have required an increasingly intense effort on my part to do the 'people' bit and this in turn has led to mental health problems. It seems clear to me now that I shouldn't have done those jobs - even though people seemed to think I was very clever and successful because I was good at the technical bit. I dont think I could be reasonably accomodated to carry on working at that level.
I am currently applying for a much simpler much lower paid role, processing data - surely when they get my CV they're going to throw it out as I'm 'overqualified' unless I explain somehow?