Published on 12, July, 2020
Hi everyone,
I recently had an interview with a charity supporting people with disabilities. I disclosed my autism and anxiety in my application, and they were incredibly accommodating—they provided the questions in advance, which made the interview much more manageable. I didn't even have to ask! Although I didn't get the job, my experience was really positive with them.
While I’m always honest in interviews, my strategy of rehearsing answers word-for-word isn’t effective if unexpected questions come up. When this happens, I often get stuck.
How do you handle unexpected questions in interviews?
Also is my need to rehearse answers a form of masking?
I think 'scripting' is more a facet of anxiety, a way of ensuring that you are not stuck in front of people unable to say anything. If I am making a phone call I will write out the major things I want to say, just to avoid the embarrassment of becoming silent. In order to make off the cuff remarks, answer unexpected questions or present an unscripted seminar etc. one has to be relaxed and in social situations, or formal situations involving a number of people, most autistics are the opposite of relaxed!
Martin said:I think 'scripting' is more a facet of anxiety
Yes. Scripting is a chosen response to the anxiety of needing to reply to something.
For anything more complex than a regular interation it tends to work poorly though as trying to recall a long script from memory while anxious is a Herculean task and tends to make it sound more wooden than Pinoccios nose.