CV

We are not all the same and that is wht I included this text in my introductory document:

The key is to treat each person as an individual and avoid assumptions about their likely performance because they have Asperger's syndrome.

I really dislike 'tell me about yourself' questions as well. I normally ask for clarification but do not receive any. The questions is so vague.

I am reminded of an interview where I was asked why I was the best person for the job. The people interviewing me knew I have Asperger's but when I answered 'I cannot say I am the best person for the job because I do not know the other applicants', one interviewer burst out laughing and the other looked, well I am not sure how she looked but I do know it was not a happy look. I was not offered the position.

Caretwo - the point about abstract/hypothetical questions is interesting. I have the opposite problem at interviews - mind goes blank when asked "give me a specific example of something you did in your last job" type questions, whereas I'm OK with "what would you do if?", as I'm quite practical. Main reason I ended up in IT was down to the interviews being more scenario-based than memory based. Hate "tell me about yourself" questions, as I end up waffling. 

The introductory document was the idea of my Occupational Therapist and we worked on the text together. I posted the text in the hope that other people would find it useful.

Caretwo's approach looks really useful. Thanks for that, I hadn't thought of raising it like that.

once again thanks for al of your help thing is i'm not really that good at making video games as it is I have found one of my units at college hard which is all about programming and that was just using python, and with my job which i want there would be no need of a in depth understanding of aspergers, or at least I don't think so but with the way the world of work is my fear is that once people at wherever i end up working find out i could lose my job or people could pick on me. I know the law about disabilty discrimination but no doubht wherever I end up working will try to hide that reason and give another one.

I would not mention Asperger's on a CV.

I have an introductory document which is sent to the organisation upon being asked for an interview. The basic text of the document is shown below.

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I live with the condition of Asperger's syndrome which is a lifelong disability and mostly a 'hidden disability', that is, you cannot tell someone has the condition from their outward appearance.

I, like other people with Asperger's syndrome, can make a valuable contribution to an organisation with the qualities we bring to a job, for example:

• reliability;

• conscientiousness and persistence;

• accuracy;

• close attention to detail and an ability to identify errors;

• an ability to concentrate, without distraction, on a task for lengthy periods;

• technical ability such as excellent IT skills;

• detailed factual knowledge;

• a high level of motivation.

Asperger's syndrome is a high-functioning autistic condition which affects the way a person sees the world, processes information, and interacts with other people; this means they:

• usually have social communication difficulties, for example difficulty with 'reading' non-verbal communication;

• are likely to be anxious in unfamiliar situations;

• may dislike physical contact.

The key is to treat each person as an individual and avoid assumptions about their likely performance because they have Asperger's syndrome. For example I:

• worked for XXXX for over XXXX years;

• am capable of forming strong working relationships (more than XXXX years after leaving XXXX, I am still in contact with a number of ex-colleagues);

• have received acknowledgement from all my managers of my ability to train and help develop team members.

Owing to the difficulties people with Asperger's syndrome face in communicating, I am unlikely to put myself forward well in an interview. Some of the problems I may face are:

• finding it hard to think in abstract ways or considering 'what if?' scenarios;

• being more comfortable with facts than hypotheses;

• difficulty in judging how much information to give, especially if questions are 'open';

• demonstrating enthusiasm for the role;

• a general difficulty in 'selling' myself to potential employers.

In order to prevent me being discriminated against within an interview because of my disability, I would like you to consider the following reasonable adjustments please:

• a work trial (a two-way placement evaluation) or a practical test relating to the role instead of an interview;

• an informal visit prior to the interview;

• notification of the questions or selection criteria prior to the interview;

• within an interview, please consider the following:

  • providing more time for the interview;

  • being aware I may interpret language literally, for example asking 'How did you find your last job?' may result in an answer like 'I found it in the paper and sent off for an application form';

  • the asking of 'closed', rather than 'open', questions, for example instead of 'Tell me about yourself', try 'Tell me about your last job and what it involved';

  • the avoidance of hypothetical or abstract questions, for example instead of 'How would you cope with lots of interruptions?', try 'In your last job how did you cope when people interrupted you?';

  • the asking of questions based on my experience;

  • letting me know if I am providing too much detail.

You could try an approach of having two CVs, one that mentions autism and the other that doesn't. You have to keep meticuluous details of who has seen each CV. I'm job hunting at the moment and recently failed an interview with the feedback that I had failed to establish a rapport with the interviewers but I was technically very good. I felt that disclosing my condition may have helped. I have disclosed it to a few agents and have just been offered a telephone interview with a firm after being very open with the agent. He appreciated my openness and it gave him more opportunity to understand me better. I disclosed to another agent though and never heard another word so it depends on exactly who you speak to.

It also depends on how affected you are by your condition. Some people are very obviously affected and it may be better to disclose it as an explanation so that they don't get a shock when you turn up for interview. Some firms are very positive about employing people with disabilities and it may be worth seeking these out. For example, DAS Insurance have "Positive About Disabled People" as a mark of their positive approach.See the following link for more details...

www.gov.uk/.../looking-for-a-job

There is much more computer based and programming work outside the games industry than inside it. The competition for jobs in game design and development is ferocious and I would not pin my hopes on that for a career. An awful lot of teenage boys and girls see this as their dream job but very few will be living the dream.

Are you involved with any kind of forums relating to making video games? Or a video gaming forum where you might find others who want to make video games? While you might not be able to volunteer, you could make simple games which would be a start (I remember many moons ago making an extremely amateur game lol) or get involved with group projects perhaps, both of which you can use to a) show you are spending your own time on it b) raising your skills and introducing you to the programs out there c) gaining contacts and raising your profile.

I would say (in most cases) a definite no. You don't need to state Aspergers on your CV any more than you need to state whether you have any other personality trait, or whether you are left or right handed. It is not an illness, so you are fully entitled to put "in excellent health" if asked on an application form. 

If the job is one where you know they are looking for someone with an in depth knowledge of autism, then you could mention it in a covering letter or "further info" on the application form, but if you are just starting out in work, this probably does not apply. 

Good luck 

Ok thanks of that i now think I won't put my aspergers on my CV and sadly there is no voluntary work in my choson feild near me. Which is a shame becuase i could use all the help i can get with my dream job to be a video games designer  

No, I would not put the Asperger's on your CV personally. I didn't. I can understand if you want to be honest and open about your Asperger's though. Some application forms will ask about any disabilities/health requirements and it should be declared on there, otherwise I think that should wait for an interview though in order not to put people off before they've met you. What you could do is use whatever positives you feel Asperger's may bring you (if you have a deep understanding of a particular facit of your chosen job area or your concentration, commitment to hard work, etc) and work that into your CV. 

One of the popular questions in an interview is asking what you feel is your biggest weakness, perhaps you could say (if you felt it was true) that you felt your weakness was your Asperger's and why, HOWEVER you might go on to explain that you felt Asperger's has some positives (if that's true...) and what they are, and also what measures you might be taking to minimise the effects by, say, being involved with Autism groups (like this one) and I looked into customer care courses to add training how to deal with customers etc... They apparently prefer to hear an actual weakness followed by positive reactions rather than a stereotypical "weakness that isn't really a weakness" answer like "I'm too much of a perfectionist".

Another thing I'd advise from experience, if you are like me (I've only just got my first job at 26 because I've found it difficult to even THINK about getting a job!) but see if you can do any volunteering in your chosen job field, especially at a place that may later employ you. That way you can slowly get used to a) doing jobs in a workplace b) the skills required c) the people, who may later open doors for you and who you may grow to feel comfortable with before a job opening comes up. Even doing a couple of hours voluntary work every week or even fortnight may help. You can even put it on your CV to add practical work to whatever qualifications you have.

please ignore this one by accident I posted the same thing twice because of the internet connection I'm connected to at the moment that being the college internet which is kinda slow and has problems becuase of the large amount of students using it