Published on 12, July, 2020
I have always been good at the jobs I do, but whenever I've move I always take a step backwards career wise (although I previously have been promoted reasonable quickly when people can see I can do the job) because I am unable to
a) understand what a job title means,
b) recognise transferrable skills
c) Cope with an Interview
d) Use the STAR techniques at interviews, I do not recognise or can not explain examples of where I have shown ...
I turn up and do a job and usually a good job, I always outperform my colleagues, but how can I progress
This is a question I have heard a lot in my workplace from NTs as much as NDs.
There are a lot of different aspects to progressing but if you want to move upwards in a job you are already in, the biggest mistake I see people making is expecting management to see you doing a good job and deciding to promote you.
Look at it from management’s perspective. You’re doing a good job, why would they want to change that potentially have someone worse doing it?
If you want to move upwards you have to make it known. You have to openly ask what is required to move upwards. You have to ask management to consider you for more senior roles when they come up or at least let you know there is an opening you can apply for.
Looking back on my career I think I have always been very open and blunt with my employers about this - in a stereotypically autistic way - and it has worked very well for me.