Getting rejected after Interviews

So recently I had an interview (My 3rd one) - and the same thing happened in the last interview where I just completely freeze up, Even If i fully comprehend the question and understand how I need to answer it I just lock up and I cannot think in any way, shape or form and of course I start getting uncomfortable and it gets to a point where I've lost it and I feel like im wasting my own time and interviewers time. Every time I just feel defeated and can't tell whether my disability is holding me back or whether I should be requesting adjustments to allow me to simply be myself and show the company I am suitable for the role

Now I'm awaiting feedback as the company have gladly offered to provide it and once I receive it I may ask the company if there would be any adjustments they would be willing to make in the future or possibly reconsider and allow me to show my abilities or communicate my answers differently so that I would be comfortable. 

Im 50/50 about disclosing my Autism as some close people say yes, some say no depending on the circumstances but I feel like the format of the interview just isn't a fit way to make myself comfortable to be able to provide the interviewers with answers that they are looking for. 

I did plenty of research into the role and the company and they asked all the questions that I was expecting apart from one although I feel as they threw that one in as a test to see if anyone could actually answer it. I memorised all my answers in the format that was recommended and felt like I tried my best in the style that is often expected

What adjustments could I ask for that would benefit myself that would allow myself to show my abilities and allow me to show the interviewers in a different way and  has anyone requested adjustments before and how it allowed them to feel more comfortable

Parents
  • I memorised all my answers in the format that was recommended and felt like I tried my best in the style that is often expected

    I was a hiring manager for a long time and I'm afraid to tell you that this sort of robotic recitation of answers is pretty obvious to us and is not going to improve our opinion of the interview.

    You can go and study this stuff and come in with a passing answer even if you barely know the subject so reciting it gives the impression you are just following a script.

    In this situation I would start throwing curve ball questions to see if you know what the answer actually means, alternative ways to do the same thing and maybe ask some questions on the less well known stuff to see if you freeze up.

    If you don't sound genuine and informed with your answers then you will be up against dozens of others who can be this way.

    The point of the question with no proper answer is to see how you process it. I used to use something like "how many ping pong balls can you fit inside an Airbus A380?".

    The answer is irrelevant but you need to ask all sorts of fact finding questions to get closer to an answer. Things like:

    Are there any seats, people or cargo inside the plan (this affects how much space is available)?

    What size are the ping pong balls?

    Do the balls have to be round or can they be squished flat?

    etc

    Then with this info you need to find the manufacturers specs for internal dimensions, calculate the number of balls that can fit inside it, allow a margin for error and ask how they plan to dispose of the balls at the end if they actually try it out.

    Seeing how your mind can grapple with a question like this gives a great insight in how you respond to challenges in real life so if you did well then I can have a degree of trust that you will respond well in the role which has the occasional weird challenge.

    If you can only do scripted stuff then I would have no use for you - being dynamic in an IT environment is more desirable in almost every instance.

    As for disclosing and asking for adjustments, I would wait until after I was hired and passed probabtion as a "high needs" employee is undesirable unless they are after a DEI hire

    What adjustments could I ask for that would benefit myself that would allow myself to show my abilities

    From what you describe there is nothing that will not compromise the interview process. You didn't mention any environmental impacts, just your ability to respond under pressute to unexpected questions.

    I would get to work on this in your situation and put myself into dealing with less predictable challenges until I can do them without freezing. Maybe role playing them with family / friends / tutors is a good start.

    If you can condition yourself to deal with this then you have a much better skill set to work with and it should be reflected in your confidence in the interview process and later on in the job itself.

    Sorry if isn't an eas fix but this is my honest thoughts on the situation. Good luck

  • If you can only do scripted stuff then I would have no use for you - being dynamic in an IT environment is more desirable in almost every instance.

    What I meant was, and this is something they specifically requested as well that they would ask questions that required answers based on the STAR format which is something that my answers were essentially based around but I tried to word them in a way that I could explain 

    Now when I say adjustments I mean for example changing the interview to a one on one so I feel like I can allow myself to confidently give my answers without feel like im being extremely pressured, or allowing me to write/type answers down or allowing me to view questions in advance which for what I know companies would be willing to do to make things a bit more comfortable. 

  • what sort of roles are you appling for?

    My experience is either for IT or construction positions (quite different fields) so may not be relevant to your target,

    If you are applying to be a librarian for example then the requirements would be very different.

    for example changing the interview to a one on one so I feel like I can allow myself to confidently give my answers without feel like im being extremely pressured

    A big part of the interview if to see how you cope under pressure which is why I suggested you get practice of this until youcan cope effectively with it.

    Most jobs have a degree of pressure as part of them so you need to be able to cope in order to fulfill your role.

    It typically takes a lot more effort from us to do this (compared to neurotypicals) but it is an invaluable life skill to learn.

  • Did you get to be a train driver? 

  • Omg my buttons are pushed at the phrase psychometric tests. These are the worst kind of assessment in my opinion.

    I was once ( only once thank goodness) subjected to one of these while employed.

    Everyone else was given feedback on their test except me, so I asked my manager why this was. She told me she hadn't wanted to give me mine as those reading my answers had concluded that I was a lier!

    Nothing could be further from the truth and I was furious!. I told her to get these clowns on the phone so I could give them a piece of my mind!. For each question ( they are so tricky, and seem like you're being asked the same thing over and over) I had put myself in either an at home scenario, or an at work scenario in my head. Of course my answers were different dependent on which location I had put myself in and sometimes conflicting.

    I realise now that the error was in my not understanding that they only wanted to know how I would handle situation in the workplace.....

    Since that time approx 30 yrs ago, if a psychometric test is involved I just scrap the application and don't bother lol.

    Just sharing my personal experiences, but I think those tests must be peppered with opportunities to fail for people with ASD. I know my daughter and son in law ( both ASD) have struggled.

  • Surely a job interview just tests how good poeple are at interviews

    This is very true - we (interviewers) have to follow a process set out by HR which is designed to give everyone the same chance, but in reality most of the times the candidates will have been given online tests (technical and psychometric) and most of the unsuitable ones are eliminated by interview stage.

    So in theory there is a lot of competition from the ones that get through so to differentiate we will focus on how the people think when given a novel problem or deal with a situation that may seem unsolvable.

    The point of these is to see if the way someone approaches a problem is aligned with a technical problem solving team. We already know that they know their technica stuff so this is to see how they cope with something new and under pressure.

    I would often role play situations with them (my masking and scripting skills coming into play) and assess how they cope with these tasks.

    These are great skills to have in a technical support team and unfortunately are not ones most autists have (coping under pressure for a start).

    I wonder if this could be considered discrimination when finding the best candidate pobably precludes most autists because of their autistic traits.

Reply
  • Surely a job interview just tests how good poeple are at interviews

    This is very true - we (interviewers) have to follow a process set out by HR which is designed to give everyone the same chance, but in reality most of the times the candidates will have been given online tests (technical and psychometric) and most of the unsuitable ones are eliminated by interview stage.

    So in theory there is a lot of competition from the ones that get through so to differentiate we will focus on how the people think when given a novel problem or deal with a situation that may seem unsolvable.

    The point of these is to see if the way someone approaches a problem is aligned with a technical problem solving team. We already know that they know their technica stuff so this is to see how they cope with something new and under pressure.

    I would often role play situations with them (my masking and scripting skills coming into play) and assess how they cope with these tasks.

    These are great skills to have in a technical support team and unfortunately are not ones most autists have (coping under pressure for a start).

    I wonder if this could be considered discrimination when finding the best candidate pobably precludes most autists because of their autistic traits.

Children
  • Omg my buttons are pushed at the phrase psychometric tests. These are the worst kind of assessment in my opinion.

    I was once ( only once thank goodness) subjected to one of these while employed.

    Everyone else was given feedback on their test except me, so I asked my manager why this was. She told me she hadn't wanted to give me mine as those reading my answers had concluded that I was a lier!

    Nothing could be further from the truth and I was furious!. I told her to get these clowns on the phone so I could give them a piece of my mind!. For each question ( they are so tricky, and seem like you're being asked the same thing over and over) I had put myself in either an at home scenario, or an at work scenario in my head. Of course my answers were different dependent on which location I had put myself in and sometimes conflicting.

    I realise now that the error was in my not understanding that they only wanted to know how I would handle situation in the workplace.....

    Since that time approx 30 yrs ago, if a psychometric test is involved I just scrap the application and don't bother lol.

    Just sharing my personal experiences, but I think those tests must be peppered with opportunities to fail for people with ASD. I know my daughter and son in law ( both ASD) have struggled.